Tenants calling pest controller over daddy long-legs spiders win tribunal case

Two Kapiti Coast tenants have been reimbursed after calling a pest controller in to remove daddy longlegs spiders. Photo / 123rf

Tenants who called a pest controller because their rental had daddy long-legs spiders have won $1072 reimbursement after seeking to end their tenancy early.

Nicholas McLaren and Emma Greig moved into their Kāpiti Coast rental in Paraparaumu last November and shortly after claimed they had a spider infestation of "up to 30 spiders".

When a pest controller visited, looking under the house and in the roof void, he "noted the presence of three to four daddy long-legs spiders per room", a recent Tenancy Tribunal decision said.

Tenancy Tribunal adjudicator Alan Henwood said he did not regard the pest controller's evidence of three to four spiders as an "infestation".

"My assessment of the tenant's evidence, particularly that of Ms Greig, is that it
is somewhat emotive and exaggerated," Henwood said.

Daddy longlegs spiders are mostly harmless to humans. Photo / 123rf

Nevertheless, the pest controller did say the presence of daddy long-legs spiders could possibly attract more venomous white tail spiders, which hunt them, Henwood said.

Later, McLaren and Greig said they noticed the rental had a problem with fleas and thought it might be due to a former tenant's cat.

When the rental was later treated with flea bombs and by a further visit from a pest controller, McLaren and Greig decided to move out with fear about the effects of chemicals on Greig's pregnancy named as a concern.

They also claimed the rental was not in a suitable state of repair.

However, the property manager claimed McLaren and Greig had inspected the property before moving in and didn't list ants or fleas as a problem.

The property manager also said they had acted promptly to call in pest controllers when asked to do so.

Adjudicator Henwood settled by ordering the property manager to reimburse McLaren and Greig $900 of costs for ending their tenancy early and $172 for the cost of paying for the initial pest controller visit.