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Issues in Pest Control to Consider

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Pest control management can be a tedious process depending on the level of infestation and the species that have invaded your home or office. Anywhere you can find humans, there most certainly will be pests like rats, cockroaches, and flies. Commercial methods to terminate pest can be ineffective and often endanger the health of the occupants especially with the use of chemicals, that is why you have to consider several factors that could affect the life of your family or the occupants when considering pest control services in Singapore.

Behavior and Identification
You don’t need to be a biologist to observe the behavior of the pests that occupy your home. By being able to describe certain details to the pest control services team, they will be able to help you find the best solution. To exterminate rodents for example, pest control management does not necessarily have to resort to chemical treatments if they can place traps or use other methods. To terminate pest, you need to observe where they usually get their food, hide, leave droppings and urine, and the time they usually come out.

Condition of the Structure
Some homes in Singapore with a problem of pest infestation aren’t necessarily filthy places with owner who don’t clean up after themselves. Sometimes the apartment building has seen very few renovations and improvements or there might be problems in the plumbing that the landlord has not addressed. Multiple entry points for pests can be a cause for infestation, especially for tough survivors like rodents and cockroaches. If you want to get rid of cockroaches or eliminate mosquitos and pestilence that contaminate your food, you should also consider in investing in minor repairs to holes in the walls or ceiling, ventilation and cooling system servicing, and plumbing inspection.

Use of Chemical Treatments
Some species such as termites can only be exterminated through chemical treatment but only if the infestation has not caused major damages to the structure. To remove termites your best option is to prevent infestation in the first place. For this, chemical treatments are a must, but you should pick a pest control management company in Singapore that has the license to use pesticides, insecticides, repellents, rodenticides, disinfectants, fungicides, and others. All these chemicals have different functions, effects on the non-targets, and even effectivity. A pest control services team therefore must have an expert such as a certified entomologist or have a solid pest management program for both long-term and short-term solutions. Termite removal is a long-term treatment, which means your family will be exposed to chemicals frequently.

Effect on Targets
As already detailed, the chemicals used for pest control management can affect not only the pests but even non-targets such as the humans, house pets, and even non-pest animals and plants that thrive in the area. Ask the pest control services team for details about the effects and if there are other less-harmful options that you can pick. There are natural and biological pesticides for example that are less harsh than conventional pesticides.

Hiring Contractors for Your Rental Property

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Whether you’re a property owner in Singapore or a newly hired property manager, when it comes to handling a rental property, keeping every unit in tiptop condition is a number one necessity. Therefore, it really pays off to hire a professional contractor.

Before you start scanning the yellow pages and asking family, friends, and neighbors around, find out first how you should hire a qualified contractor to take care of your investment property.

Professionals Are a Must

Professionals provide quality work, and it is the most important matter in making sure that your rental units are in their best condition. Professional contractors vary mainly in knowledge and skills, and a little research beforehand can ensure that you hire the best worker.

When hiring contractors for property management, you need to consider the quality of work and the completion time. Though the cost must be considered as well, it shouldn’t be the only deciding factor. Look for someone who is an expert in a specific task, and not someone who claims that he knows how to do various things. For instance, if you need someone to fix your electric lines, hire an electrician. If you need someone to fix the pipes and faucets, hire a plumber. Never be fooled by a contractor who claims that he “specializes” in 10 different jobs.

Require Certifications and Licenses

Singapore has a public database for licensed and certified workers related to property management and construction industry. Hiring someone with valid license and/or certification will ensure great work and protect you from great loss if in case the hired worker damages your property or himself. Countries have created regulations to protect property owners from scammers that agree to contracts that will never be fulfilled. When you need properties manager from Singapore and choose to hire professional contractors, estimations are often free of charge, and all works are invoiced and well-detailed after problem inspection is completed.

Payment System for Contractors

An initial payment of 20 to 30 percent is typically required by contractors to get the work started. This enables your workers to purchase all necessary materials and start the work. If your managing agent employs separate workers, the salary of those employees are already included in the down payment. Your managing agent should not require you to pay an additional amount because additional workers are required when the job starts. Always be mindful with the expenses and never fail to check it every after major purchase. Your remaining balance should only be settled after the work is done, and the contractor should be able to provide you with a warranty in case of component failure or workmanship error.

Hiring a reliable contractor for a rental property can be difficult, especially when you’re not informed with the right things to do. Following the tips above will help you avoid scammers and ensure that your property is maintained professionally. Lastly, if working with a management company, you can ask these experts for recommendations for hiring quality contractors.

The Future of Construction

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We are often bothered when we hear construction accidents and deaths. Here in Singapore, it is said that construction-related accidents and deaths have increased over time. That is not a good sign. To address this problem, researchers from ROB Technologies together with Singapore-ETH Centre Future Cities Laboratory have come up with a robotic tiling prototype.

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Though this is still in the research and development stage, there is no doubt that it can advantage the industry. The Minister for National Development announced this in his blog on May 20, 2014. With the help of this robot, the risk for worksite accidents will be reduced.

According to the Minister, apart from reducing the risks of worksite accidents, the robot is expected to cut manual labour for up to seventy five per cent. This means increased productivity. Think of it this way: it will normally take two tilers two days to finish a HDB flat with three rooms but with robots, it can finish four HDB flats within two days. That is four times than the abilities of tilers.

Design of Robotic Fabricated High Rises

The robotic tilling prototype will handle the basic job (like tiling) while the construction workers will work with the high-value tasks such as grouting, refilling and cutting. This will surely add to the productivity of the workers. The Minister also added that the funding will come from the Building and Construction Authority.

If it is mass produced, the robot will be a great help in the industry. Another advantage would be the high precision that robots can give which will give consistency to the quality. The market will surely welcome this robot.

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