Bed bug and cockroach infestations don’t just cost your company money…
They cost you time, reputational damage, tenant turnover, and threats of lawsuit…
Stop playing bed bug and cockroach roulette with the units you manage.
Instead, catch bed bugs and cockroaches early on…
Before your tenants started itching or complaining…
…before they threaten to sue you…
…before they leave you a scathing 1-star Google review and multiple social media posts…
…before they demand free rent…
Instead, be alerted to the few bed bugs or cockroaches early on, before one turns into into 1,000 bed bugs across multiple units.
There’s a new, inexpensive technology that will help you do just that.
And I’ll get to that here in a minute.
But first…
When it comes to infestations, you might be thinking:
“It’s frustrating. I feel like I’ve tried everything, but the infestations keep popping up.
And the feeling of hopelessness is overwhelming when you know that bed bugs and cockroaches can easily spread throughout a building. How quickly a few bugs can turn into a nightmare infestation that creates a massive pest control bill, big headache, and threats of lawsuit.
I feel so ashamed every time a tenant calls me about an infestation, like I’m failing them. It’s annoying when they try to get free rent, but I also hate seeing them suffer. It feels like there’s nothing I can do.
I hate that I can’t make this problem go away for my tenants, maintenance staff, and leasing agents. It takes on a lot of physical and emotional damage.
I hate to say it, but I’ve come to accept that bed bug and cockroach infestations are just a part of the job.”
But Infestations Don’t Have to Be a Hopeless Situation.
There is a way to catch the problem of a few insects before it becomes a 72-unit infestation.
Before having to pay a hefty pest control bill.
Before the threats of lawsuit, scathing Google reviews, and tenant turnover.
The best part?
No in-person Inspections Needed.
Because you know as well as I, that inspections aren’t just time and resource consuming for maintenance. Inspections? Are intrusive to tenants.
The other great thing is that this solution is inexpensive, and I’ll get to that in a minute.
First, let me introduce myself.
Hi, I’m Robert Edwards
I’ve been a landlord for 19 years in Montana.
A place I was told was “too cold for bed bugs and cockroaches.”
It turns out that is a MYTH of epic proportions.
I’ve been a landlord for 19 years in Montana. A place I was told was “too cold for bed bugs and cockroaches.”
It turns out that is a MYTH of epic proportions.
I had my first bed bug infestation about 12 years ago, with more to come (like a tidal wave).
Our company spent just under $100,000 over a three-year time period for bed bug treatments and remediation.
It was frustrating, to say the least.
I was stressed out and mentally maxed out. I worried about our Google reviews, and dreaded checking email and text messages for fear of more complaints.
Like the voicemails at 3:23 a.m. while laying in bed with my wife, who was curious as to who was calling me at that time of night.
Not only was it killing our company financially, but it was taking a toll on my employees. Maintenance staff had to deal with scheduling nightmares and venting tenants, the office staff had to deal with angry tenant complaints and threats.
It was taking time away from their normal duties of things like scheduling move-ins, showing units, and replacing hot water heaters.
We were having high tenant and employee turnover. This was not only expensive, but time-consuming in finding new employees and re-renting units.
Then, to top it off, we started getting threats of lawsuits.
Not only had our company bit the bullet and spent a massive sum on getting rid of the bugs…but now we would have to pay litigation fees?
UGH.
Luckily, those threats never came to fruition of actual lawsuits. But, the damage to our reputation was done anyway, in the form of bad reviews and scating social media posts. We had to spend a ton of time getting happy tenants to give us good reviews, in order to bury the terrible ones.
The time.
The money.
The headache.
I was at my witts end with all of it.
And it was at that point I realized I needed to figure out a way to detect these demon-like-creatures early on, BEFORE they became full-on infestations.
I knew that I couldn’t stop my residents from accidentally bringing bed bugs and cockroaches onto the property…they are free to travel to Paris and NYC on an airline, buy furniture at Goodwill, and take Ubers.
That’s why I became obsessed with finding a way to detect bed bugs early on…
…WITHOUT making my maintenance staff turn over every tenant’s mattress and look in their nightstand (things nobody wants to see, or be seen!)
But no solution at the time existed.
And so I became even more obsessed, using my time to research all about pest control, bed bugs, cockroaches, infestations, and new technology…
That’s when I created the solution to our problems: The Pest Notify SmartMonitor.
It’s a sticky trap that notifies you when there’s a bed bug, cockroach, or other infesting insect present. You get notified via text, email, or both, within minutes of detection.
The best part?
Pest Notify keeps track of historical pest data, so you can prove out how long the unit has been pest free. You can feel confident when placing new tenants, and will have ample evidence if you ever have to go to court.
You can finally have the peace of mind knowing your units are bed-bug and cockroach free, and stop feeling the mental dread of the next infestation.
Here’s how Pest Notify
SmartMonitors work:
Step One: Place
Place Pest Notify patent-pending remote monitoring traps in residences. Or, deliver door hanger bags with traps and our provided instructions.
Each monitor has a unique code linked to your account and the unit.
Step Two: Send
Residents easily submit trap photos to Pest Notify via text or email. No app, no fuss. They are reminded monthly or weekly (your choice) via email and text to keep them on top of it.
Step Three: Alert
Next, your photo is evaluated by our team at Pest Notify, using machine learning and entomology experts.
When a pest is detected, our service team will notify you immediately by email or text.
It’s also logged in your online dashboard.
Step 4: Manage
Login to your dashboard to easily manage hundreds of pest monitoring traps, view results, and make quick decisions.
When a pest is found, reach out to the resident to schedule pest control, before it spreads to other units.
Now imagine doing this with all of your customers and residences.
This gives you thousands of data points in one place, in an easy-to-understand dashboard, prioritized for quick decision making.
Pest Notify prevents the headache of an infestation. It detects pests early on, preventing spread and liability. It also proves to you if pest control treatments are working.
In a nutshell:
Pest Notify SmartMonitors are sticky insect traps that notify you within minutes of catching a bed bug, cockroach, and other insect pests. Now you can treat the problem early on, before a multi-unit infestation. The traps gather time stamps, photos, pest status into one easy-to-use dashboard that shows you insect trends across hundreds or thousands of different data points. And, it’s inexpensive.
Here’s what’s included:
Each SmartMonitor comes with pest identification, notifications, a data-dashboard, reminder notifications to tenants, and door hanger bags with tenant letter.
1. The SmartMonitor:
- Non-toxic sticky glue: safe for pets and children. Your residents will feel great that you’re looking out for their loved ones.
- Clear lens cover: you won’t end up with a square stuck to your shoe, robot vacuum, tiny humans, or pets. And, it keeps out dirt and dust, which prolongs the life of your trap, saving you time and money.
- Notes section: your tenant or staff quickly record trap location, or anything else that matters. Now you have accurate data on trap address, placement in the home, and can make quick decisions if and when a pest is found.
- Unique Barcode Identifier: tracks each trap, links it to the property, unit, and your online data dashboard. You get control at the click of a button, seeing pest data for your hundreds or thousands of units.
- Simple and easy trap instructions: are on the trap itself, so that the tenant, family or friends, or maintenance can easily send a trap photo for our experts to analyze. A helpful link is also included if they have further questions.
- Sleek Design: The small, thin, white design is convenient and non-offensive, blending in and fitting into tiny spaces. Your residents will love the look of these compared to the neon-yellow giant squares they may be used to.
2. Alerts:
- Quick Pest Alerts: You or your staff is notified via text or email within minutes of a bed bug, cockroach, or other insect pest being identified by our experts. You find out about a pest early-on, so you can treat the problem before it spreads to additional units. This saves you and your staff time, hassle, and the crazy-high cost of infestation treatments.
- Tenant Reminders: Tenants are reminded via SMS to submit trap photos weekly or monthly (your preference). If they forget, or are late for any reason, we’ll let them know right away. This gets them into the habit of being proactive in the care of their residence, gives them pride, and gives them the feeling that they’re helping the living conditions of everyone in the building.
3. Data Dashboard:
“What gets measured, gets managed.”
The dashboard gives you quick, easy, understandable info about your traps and their pest status. Easily manage 100’s or 1,000s of traps and data points with just a few clicks.
- Daily/Weekly Pest Task List: Print out this prioritized list, hand it to staff, and feel relieved letting them take care of the rest. You feel more relaxed at work, knowing your staff is taking care of the problems, and lessening your mental workload. Now you can focus on other tasks that make life better for you, your employees, and your tenants.
- Color Coded System: Know what’s urgent, what can wait, and what can be ignored altogether. This coded system identifies problems early on, so you can take quick and proper action. This saves you time, hassle, and money on pest control treatments and bad word-of-mouth.
- Unit Pest History: Time stamps and photos create an automated documentation trail. This proves pest history for litigation, compliance, and insurance reasons. Prove the unit was pest-free upon move-in and move-out, and prove whether or not the pest control you paid for worked or not. Plus, know which units have pests, so you don’t pay for treatment on pest-free units.
- Property Trends: Determine pest patterns over specific properties or units. The data proves out where an infestation started, which unit created the re-infestation, and if pest control was successful or not.
4. Tenant Implementation Collateral:
All of our SmartMonitors come with free door hanger bags, and printed letters with instructions.
This friendly letter is a clear communication that your property management company cares, and wants to create the best living environment possible, while asking nicely for their required compliance
Price:
PestNotify SmartMonitor’s are inexpensive, at just $1.50 each.
So for a case of 144, that’s just $216.
And shipping? Is $0. Absolutely free.
Plus, all of the services I talked about above are wrapped into the price.
That’s right, the image processing, text notifications, data dashboard, unit history reports, etc, are all included for the life of the trap (up to 6 months).
There are absolutely no hidden costs.
And these SmartMonitors will pay for themselves over and over again with reduced pest control bills, less tenant turnover, and reduced legal liability.
And of course, there all of the intangible costs you’ll be saving that are hard to put a price on. Like better tenant and employee satisfaction, better Google reviews and word of mouth, and less hassle and headaches of infestations.
Gain peace of mind today, purchase one or more cases of Pest Notify SmartMonitors
FAQ:
How many SmartMonitors should we put in each residential unit?
We recommend 2-4 on average, depending on the size of the unit. A rule of thumb is to have one SmartMonitor in each bedroom and living space such as living room.
How many tenants actually submit photos of their traps?
From our experience, on average, 95% of tenants comply. 50% of tenants typically submit photos on their own, 45% typically submit photos after 1-3 reminders (automated). The last 5% are typically either a tenant that needs help with technology, or a red flag tenant who is worried you’ll see the dog or cat hair on the trap when they aren’t supposed to have pets (among other red flags).
Can SmartMonitors save my company money?
Yes! When a bed bug or cockroach problem is found early on, it can be treated quickly, before spread to additional units. This means pest control will be limited to that specific unit, not an entire complex-wide treatment. Additionally, this prevents costs associated to tenant turnover, negative reviews leading to fewer tenants, and litigation costs.
Are tenants going to think we have infestation problems when I give them their traps?
We find that tenants are thankful, and appreciate their landlord putting forth an effort to prevent bed bugs and cockroaches. This is particularly true if they have ever had to deal with infestations before. We also talk about the SmartMonitors being like a smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector, but for insects.
How do you talk about the SmartMonitor’s when showing a unit?
When a potential tenant walks into an empty unit, they often ask, “what is that?” when referencing the SmartMonitiors. We tell them that it’s a new way to track the insect history of a unit, and that we are able to guarantee their new unit is bed bug and cockroach free, whereas other property management company’s might not be able to do the same. This gives our company an edge for being caring, proactive, and ahead of the competition.
Do the SmartMonitors prevent all bed bugs and cockroaches?
Pest Notify SmartMonitors catch bed bugs and cockroaches before they become big infestations, but do not prevent bed bugs and cockroaches from coming onto the property in the first place. Since tenants can travel in airplanes, Ubers, and stay in hotels, there’s no way to eliminate them from hitchhiking in the first place.
Do the SmartMonitors catch other insects, too?
Yes! Pest Notify SmartMonitors catch all sorts of crawling (and even flying) insects! This includes scorpions, spiders, fruit flies, stink bugs, ants, beetles, and the list goes on and on.
Am I able to see the insect trap photos?
Absolutely! Every single insect trap photo submitted lands in your online dashboard. You can search and sort by address, pest status, and more. When you click into a specific unit, you can see all historic photos from that location.
How can I require that my tenants submit trap photos?
We recommend adding this requirement into every lease. However, if part of your lease already states that they must report maintenance issues within a certain time period, then this can fall under that reporting requirement.
What’s the best way to quickly implement Pest Notify SmartMonitors?
It might depend on the size of your company. Here are different ways property management company’s typically implement:
- As new tenants move in: Once a tenant signs a lease, you can hand them their traps and instructions, and go from there.
- By Property: Each week distribute traps and instructions to one large apartment complex. If you manage smaller properties, then divide by neighborhood/area of town.
- By Severity: Distribute traps to units that have historically had insect problems in the past. Start with the most severe, and work your way down.
- By Work Order: As tenants need work done, distribute SmartMonitors and instructions.
- All at Once: Dedicate time and employees to implementing all at once.
- Hybrid: Mix and match different approaches
Ditch The Costly Bed Bug Cycle For Good
Ditch The Costly Bed Bug Cycle:
Bed bugs hitchhike on a resident or a guest
Each lays 1-5 eggs a day. 45 days later these hatchlings are laying eggs of their own
At 90 days, exponential growth begins and a full-on infestation is underway
Inspections are reactive to infestations, not preventative
Full-on infestations are costly and hard to treat
It’s not if, but when the cycle repeats.
How it works:
Place
Place Pest Notify’s smart monitoring traps in units.
Submit
Residents submit photos of each monitoring trap via text or email.
Alert
Photos are monitored for pests and we alert you via email.
Prevent Infestations, Effortlessly
Whether you’re just getting past a bed bug infestation, are in the midst of one now, or if worries of bed bug infestations keep you up at night, one thing’s for certain:
You can finally stop feeling like bed bugs are a hopeless situation that just can’t be prevented.
You’ll never again have to ask yourself, “are the bed bugs back? Were they ever REALLY gone? Will they return?”
Instead, have peace of mind knowing your units are pest free, and that Pest Notify will quickly alert you to any bed bug activity before an infestation.
Gain peace of mind today, purchase one or more cases of Pest Notify SmartMonitors
PestNotify SmartMonitor’s are inexpensive, at just $1.50 each.
So for a case of 144, that’s just $216.