Z is for Zoological “Critter” Management & Pest Control

The A-Z of Property Management

Z is for…

Z is for Zoological “Critter” Management & Pest Control.  Normal regular preventative pest control is among the things that most property owners know needs to be a part of their actions. But few Investor Owners think about dealing with larger animals when buying a property let alone when they first get into this business.  But speaking from experience, sooner or later will be faced with a “you’re not going to believe this” kind of story.

Flocks of birds and the mess below their roosts, stray dogs, feral cats, and rodents in the trash are all quite common.  But the more exotic kind of animal stories are also more common than one might expect.

A few quick examples I’ve seen.

Two huge 10 point Whitetail Bucks challenged each other with a head on charge, only to discover there was only one buck who saw his reflection in a retail center’s glass storefront plate glass window.  I will spare you the messy details but the women’s fashion dress store inventory was largely ruined and a Game Warden needed to be involved to deal with the “crime scene” with a very large and very dead deer )not during hunting season) inside a building.

A Property Manager arrived at work Monday morning only to learn that a large swarm of honey bees chose her property’s front door for their new home over the weekend.

Just one month ago I witnessed a fox and a skunk playing a game of “cat and mouse” just outside the main entrance of a large office building.  Fortunately, neither animal was injured and the skunk never resorted to using it’s best known defensive weapon.

I am not “crying wolf”.  And my point here is not to say you will encounter some crazy animal story of your own.  It is however important for you to partner with a professional property management firm who expects the unexpected and who has planned in advance for as many of these situations as one can.  Because the important thing is that your building continue to operate as smoothly as possible when the unexpected happens.