Dear residents,

Over the last year+, our management team and the board have received a number of complaints about mice appearing both on the property and within our residents dwellings. While there is an aggressive plan in place to address this, we thought as part of the overall increased effort to educate the community on different topics, to provide the latest, most accurate information on this particular topic.

For reference, this topic was covered in multiple past open board meetings so we really encourage everyone to attend in the future. As our last meeting happened a while ago, below we have outlined the plan, actions taken, results, what remains to be done and where we need residents to help be part of the solution.

As many know, eliminating mice from multi-dwelling buildings is no small task! A key part to addressing is awareness…it only works when residents report it through our official management channels (email, phone, in-office). So first a big thank you to the people who have reached out through those channels. At this point, everyone that has reached out has been responded to directly via 1:1 communications from our management team.

Your reports are taken seriously - as are your input on where the issues might stem from and your suggestions on how to address them - which you will see in the actions taken. Where the association can address something directly, we are. However, as a reminder, residents are responsible for pest control needs within their unit. For reference, below we have provided links to two relevant documents in the master deed - the specific section outlining responsibilities and a handy chart of the differences between owner and association responsibilities. The core delineation is that the association is responsible for maintenance of common areas, while unit owners are responsible for anything related to the “boundaries of their unit”.

The plan

• After hearing the significant volume of complaints, the board along with our management team reviewed the existing pest control service plan (and vendor) and came to the conclusion that it was not providing what our community needed given the extreme situation. Our prior vendor was only coming to the property once every 2 months to treat common areas, was more expensive than we wanted to pay and they were located too far away from the property to really understand the area and it’s unique considerations.

• After revisiting what was needed, we looked at a few vendors to get a comparison of services, and ultimately landed on Titan Pest Control to service our association.

• With consult of Titan pest control, we built and implemented a new approach that keeps costs inline but really increases the service the property receives. The plan includes doubling the amount of service we provide to our buildings/grounds overall – they are now on the property every Thursday addressing a quarter of our buildings every week.

• In addition, we negotiated a highly discounted rate for residents that they can take advantage of for in-home services.

Results to date

The implementation of this plan across the complex is working well. We no longer have any buildings where multiple unit owners in a single building have complained about mice - with the exception of Chase Ct.

To address the issues in this specific building, we have put in place enhanced services and protocols to more aggressively treat the problem.

Key added actions we have taken to minimize mice in Chase Ct. common areas

• Installed rodent-proof door sweeps to ALL doors the association is responsible for (including the staff breakroom)

• Repaired the North side door so it now closes easily/properly

• Closed all holes in all trash rooms – we then steam cleaned them and painted over

• Closed all holes in all recycling rooms – also steam cleaned and painted over

• Closed all holes in all utility rooms

• Placed bait stations all around Chase Ct. and inside common areas and exterior

• 2x/mo. cleaning out of trash/recycle rooms and bait station checking (and more if needed)

• Daily changing of trash chute boards

• In addition, we have implemented a policy of at least daily removal of any garbage from the staff breakroom

Additional actions we are taking

• For Chase Ct, identifying and remediating any exterior holes on the façade of the podium level (likely due to erosion of the faux-brick).

• For all other buildings where there are known door entry points with gaps (e.g. Ellery Ct), we are ordering additional rodent-proof door sweeps to continue closing holes as best we can.

3 things we need residents to do

1. Plug any holes up

   • This can be anywhere a gap exists of even 1/4th of an inch. Common situations include gas lines behind a stove or fireplace. Water pipes to sinks, toilets, dishwashers and refrigerators. Electrical wires where you set up a TV with in-wall wiring but have a gap to allow for lots of wires. Under your front door. Where your floor and walls meet. In your air ducts (particularly to keep warm in winter). Titan (or any other exterminator) can be engaged by the homeowner to help support you on these efforts. In some situations, it may require a specific professional for certain tasks (which exterminators will be happy to tell you)

2. Cut off access to food

   • It only takes a single crumb to roll out the welcome matt for mice. While the following tips may sound obvious, sometimes we just need a reminder. Seal food in glass or hard plastic bins instead of cardboard boxes or plastic bags (e.g. cereal, bread, nuts, etc.) Don’t assume cabinets or pantry closets are sealed or safe because they have different shelves - mice have no problem climbing for food. Your refrigerator is sealed however. While we are all guilty occasionally of leaving dirty dishes in the sink, don’t leave them overnight (your dishwasher is sealed.) For pet owners, look to remove any food bowls from sitting out, particularly overnight. That’s like a Las Vegas buffet for critters. Another big one is to not wait until morning to throw out a full garbage bag.

3. Remove any clutter, particularly on the floor

   • Mice love clutter for both building nests and for the added security they get from having lots of hiding spaces as they move from area to area. It can be anything from stacked boxes to a piles of clothes. A closet or junk drawer/cabinet filled with “stuff” that is rarely accessed to a mountain of stuffed animals collecting in the corner of a playroom.

We all want to live in a critter-free environment where we feel safe in our own homes. And we will continue to look at any ideas on how to remedy the situation. So if you feel there is something missing from the plan above that is within the scope of what the association can provide, please email management@independence-harbor.com so we know about it and we can put the best course of action in place to address it.

Thank you,

Your board and management team