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ONPHA Bed Bug Pest Management Services Bed bugs are a growing problem for landlords across North America. Difficult to eradicate and a nightmare for staff and tenants, bed bugs are no longer only a problem in urban centres or for larger housing providers; they are affecting housing providers of all sizes in communities large and small. They are straining staff resources and housing budgets. These costs will only continue to rise. ONPHA Members asked us what they should look for in pest management services and how they could be sure they were getting the best service at the best price. ONPHA listened and is pleased to announce that it has negotiated contracts with pest management companies around the Province to provide Members with high quality services at reasonable rates.
Click on the following links to find the answers to some commonly asked questions about this service.
For additional Bed Bug Resources, click here. If you have any questions or comments, please contact ONPHA's Management Support Team at 1-800-297-6660 or email management.help@onpha.org. Pest Management Partners across Ontario The following companies have all agreed to provide high quality pest management services that conform to the high standards of the IPM model at a consistent, affordable cost. Housing providers are to contact the pest management companies directly to arrange for service. Any contractual agreements for service are between the housing provider and the pest management company.
The following table identifies the cost for pest management services through this ONPHA initiative, and are applicable for all companies listed above. The per unit rate includes the cost of labour as well as the cost of materials for one treatment. Other services may be quoted by these pest management companies (ie. treatment of common spaces).
What type of service can I expect from these pest management companies? The IPM approach requires all stakeholders (property managers, tenants, and the pest management company) to coordinate their efforts to ensure that the treatment is delivered in such a way as to maximize the outcome of a round of treatments. The IPM model recommends the treatment of affected common spaces and individual units as well the investigation and treatment of neighbouring units where the infestation may have spread. Pro-actively investigating adjacent areas helps to contain and eliminate infestations and reduces the need for repeat treatments, lowering costs and exposure to chemicals over the long-term. The role of the housing provider is to co-operate with, and co-ordinate, the other stakeholders to enable the work to be performed. This includes communication and education to tenants, regular unit inspections to pro-actively identify infestations and their spread, ensuring units are prepared, post-treatment unit inspections, and to hold periodic meetings with the pest management company to review any difficulties or recurrences. The role of the pest management company in this program is to deliver diligent, high quality services to the housing provider and their tenants. They will be required to meet the high treatment standard set out by the IPM model through planned and on demand treatments of individual units and common areas. Click here for a copy of the expected service levels and materials for treatment.
Who is responsible for preparing the unit?
If a unit is not prepared adequately when the pest control operator attends the unit, the operator will notify the housing provider and will note the outstanding preparations. The pest control operator may undertake a partial treatment of the unit, where practical and will recommend additional follow-up treatment within two weeks. Where necessary, the pest control operator will inspect high risk locations for signs of an infestation and, where possible, will vacuum to remove obvious infestations. If there is no direct evidence of an infestation in high risk areas, then no further work will be undertaken and the housing provider will be billed a pro-rated amount for the time spent in the unit.
What type of information will I get from the pest control operator and how should it be used? Staff of the pest management companies involved in the ONPHA partnership are required to collect several different pieces of information during the treatment process. The collection and sharing of information with the housing provider is an important part of the IPM model since it informs the on-going pest management strategy of the housing provider and also identifies difficulties that should be resolved for future treatments. Pest management company staff will collect the following pieces of information and provide them, on a regular basis, to the housing provider in a Microsoft Excel-compatible format:
Reviewing this information with the pest control staff will allow the housing provider to monitor on-going infestation issues as well as suggest additional follow-up that housing provider staff may be required to do with tenants and their supports.
Does the service provided by these pre-qualified companies come with a warranty? The pest control management companies that have signed service agreements with ONPHA are required to warranty their work. Click here for a copy of the minimum warranty that they must provide.
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