Neighbor's bird-feeding attracts messy, pesky pigeons

Q: Because he feeds them, my neighbor's property is home to dozens of wild pigeons. They're extremely loud, messy and mobile, and their droppings may be causing me roof damage. I've also heard the droppings carry disease and worry that the bird food is attracting rats. What can I do?

A: You're right to be concerned because pigeon droppings contain "a variety of bacterial agents, including fungal agents, that - particularly when dried and inhaled - can cause problems," explains Marilyn Christensen, veterinarian for Public Health-Seattle & King County. She also shares your concern about bird food attracting rats, plus one additional concern: Wet bird droppings are slick and can cause falls.

Here's what you can do. First, call your local health department's environmental health division. (In Seattle-King County, that's 206-296-4632.) A health official may visit your neighbor and ask for cooperation in ending the health problem. However Christensen candidly says that pigeon problems have "a pretty low priority."

Second, make these birds want to roost elsewhere. Readers recently told Times columnist Darrell Hay that the cheapest, easiest and most effective solution was to trip alighting birds by tying a very thin wire across their roosting point about two or three inches up. Once tripped, they rarely return.

If trip wire is not an option, local pest control suppliers sell pigeon remedies. Ask about rat abatement, too.

Q: I'm president of a 180-unit townhouse planned unit development (PUD). One owner has installed a satellite dish on the roof, which is prohibited by our governing documents. We've asked her to reposition her dish off the common area. She says FCC regulations prohibit the homeowners' association from interfering with her ability to receive a signal, and doesn't concede the roof is a common area. Can we reposition the dish?

A: Satellite dishes are a hot topic among homeowners associations. Attorney Kris Sundberg offers a primer on their use. Generally, condo owners can be prohibited by their homeowners' association from installing a dish on any common area, such as a roof. Owners may, however, be able to put one on a "limited common area," such as a deck or patio, that's reserved for a specific homeowner.

Owners of single-family homes in neighborhoods with covenants prohibiting dishes on private property can install one anyway. "Those covenant prohibitions have been superceded by a recent Federal Communications Commission statute pertaining to satellite dishes," Sundberg explains. "It's now not possible to take any adverse action against single-family homeowners who install a dish on their own property."

Now we come to a planned-unit development. Unlike condo ownership, PUD owners own their own unit and lot, so Sundberg says it's unlikely the roof is truly a common area. More likely there's a maintenance agreement that the association will maintain all the roofs. However to know for sure, he suggests you review the association's covenants. If the roofs are indeed a common area, then the association can regulate installation of satellite dishes. But if the roofs are individually owned (or even limited common area property) then the association cannot require a dish be removed, Sundberg says.

Q: We're going to rent our house out for a school year while we're out of town. What's best: to rent it furnished or unfurnished? If we do rent it furnished, will any damage to our belongings be covered by our homeowners' policy?

A: To get the lowdown on what short-term renters need and expect, Tom Cohn, executive vice president of the Property Management Association, advises you to consult several local firms that have experience managing single family homes. If you sign on with one of them, it will act as surrogate landlord in your absence. If you do leave the house furnished, Cohn says you should expect that renters won't treat your property with the care you do. Therefore, he suggests you put anything you truly value in storage.

As for the insurance question, Cohn says the answer depends on what your policy says. If your belongings aren't covered, then ask your agent about buying a special rider. If that's not possible, your best protection may be to stipulate in the lease that the renters are responsible for any damage to your belongings beyond normal wear and tear.

Home Forum answers readers' questions every Sunday in the Home/Real Estate section. Send questions to Home Forum, Seattle Times, P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111, or call 206-464-8510 to leave your questions on Home Forum's recorded line. The e-mail address is erhodes@seattletimes.com

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