A wasp nest or bee colony in the home is alarming. Whether the landlord must deal with it turns on where the nest sits, your tenancy, and whether real
On this page
A wasp nest or bee colony in the home is alarming. Whether the landlord must deal with it turns on where the nest sits, your tenancy, and whether real trouble follows.
When is your landlord responsible?
Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 covers the structure and outside of the home. A nest inside the roof space, the cavity walls, or a let outbuilding falls to the landlord.
The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 requires a home free of health and safety hazards. Wasps in a roof void or wall cavity can reach the living space, a real risk, above all for anyone allergic to stings.
A reported nest left unaddressed in fair time likely puts the landlord in breach.
When might you be responsible?
Waste or food you left in the garden that drew wasps to a surface nest may fall to you under the tenancy's normal pest terms. A nest inside the building's structure never does.
Nests in shared areas, gardens, outbuildings, communal spaces, fall to whoever maintains those spaces: usually the landlord or managing agent.
What about bees?
Bees are protected: never try to destroy a colony yourself. A swarm settling in the home or roof calls for a local beekeeping association, which can often move the colony safely. Tell the landlord and ask them to arrange or fund removal. A colony inside the structure sits with the landlord's maintenance duty.
What to do
Step 1: report in writing. Where the nest sits, when you spotted it, and any risk, say a family member allergic to stings.
Step 2: keep evidence. Photograph the nest where safe, and note the report date and any response.
Step 3: escalate on silence. No response in fair time, given the risk? The council's environmental health team can require landlords to deal with infestations.
Step 4: get advice. Distress, pest-control costs that were the landlord's to bear, or a home that no longer feels safe may add up to a disrepair claim.
Can you withhold rent?
Held-back rent breeds arrears, and arrears breed eviction proceedings. Never the right first step. Get advice before touching the rent.
When should I contact Support for Tenants?
A landlord refusing to deal with a nest or colony, leaving you to suffer for it? We may be able to help you bring a claim.
Call us on 0800 030 4669. No upfront cost. You only pay if you win, and the fee comes out of the compensation, not your pocket. If you don't win, you pay nothing.
Sources
- Section 11, Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)
Related articles
- Mice keep coming back after pest control
- Cockroaches and bedbugs, your landlord's responsibility
- Pigeon infestation in my home
- Is my landlord responsible for pests and infestations?
We review every guide at least twice a year and update it when the law changes. If you spot something out of date or wrong, email help@supportfortenants.co.uk.
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 15 June 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only, not a promise; every case is different.
Related guides
Burst pipe: who is responsible, the landlord or tenant?
A burst pipe is your landlord's job to repair. It is an emergency. Here is the law, who pays for the damage, and what to do right now.
Read
Is my landlord responsible for a broken toilet?
Yes. Your landlord must fix a broken toilet. If it is the only toilet in the home, it is an emergency. Here is the law and what to do.
Read
Is my landlord responsible for broken windows?
Yes, your landlord must repair broken windows. A window that will not close is a security and cold-weather risk. Here is the law and what to do.
Read
Still stuck?
Call us free or start a claim online. We'll tell you honestly whether you have a case worth pursuing.