Landlord Question and Answer Forum

Am I as a landlord responsible for rattle snakes entering the yard of one of duplexs located near a hill side in the state of Washington

I have NO idea about the laws in WA but I can't imagine that you would be!!! That would be considered an act of God/nature since there are no ways to repel/deter snakes from coming into a yard or around a home. All you can do is tell your tenants that you will pay to hire a wildlife exterminator company to come in and either take it away or kill it, if it can be located. Even in WA, you may be surprised to find that wildlife exterminator companies do exist. Unlike pest control services though, all they can do is trap/relocate/or remove anything that may be attracting the reptile into the area. Sometimes they just have to be killed though as you cannot do anything about snakes trying to hide under decks/sheds as they are trying to bring their body temperature down (I worked for the CA zoo, so I DO know about reptiles and animals). If they have small kids, I can respect that they would be very concerned though. This is why I would offer to them to pay one time to have a wildlife exterminator come out and asses the situation the next time they see the snake.

Posted by Jodi & Mike R, VA on Saturday, August 4, 2012

Thankyou Jodi for the input.

Posted by AUSTIN F, WA on Saturday, August 4, 2012