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Bella Vista residents in New Haven are getting bed bug k9 inspections

nobugsonme — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 00:15:32 +0000

Remember the Bella Vista in New Haven? That was the complex where low-income, elderly and disabled residents found out their building had bed bugs by watching the news.

Now Radar of Advanced K-9 Detectives is searching for bed bugs with his beagle nose. Watch this clip from News 8 in New Haven.

Carl Massicott of Advanced K-9 may be overstating claims of bed bug sniffing dog effectiveness (he says bed bug k9s are 98-100% effective, a number not quite borne out by recent research).

Massicott also says human detection is 30% accurate; I think that a good human who does a thorough examination would have better accuracy than this; one who does the most cursory inspection (as many do) may be even less accurate.

And what kind of advice is Marilyn Watstein getting? First, we’re told the PCO and management told her she had no bed bugs; Radar found them in her mattress. (So far so good!)

The reporter says, “it’s her mattress that’s infested, so she’s taken off all the bedding” (cut to shot of sheets in an open garbage bag) “and is waiting for them to spray and wrap the mattress” (this over a shot of someone’s enormous handbag sitting on the stripped mattress).

I understand the main focus in this segment may have been good video, as opposed to good bed bug fighting practices, but we are told the bed was stripped because bed bugs were found in the mattress.

Why then is the bag of potentially infested bedding sitting open on the floor, and why, oh why in the name of all things sensible, was someone’s enormous tan handbag on top of the mattress where bed bugs had been found moments before?!?

Presumably that handbag will be leaving the building, and it has the potential of spreading bed bugs further.

I think it is excellent that the building has called in a bed bug sniffing dog. Residents of infested units need simultaneous, prompt treatment even if they have not seen signs of bed bugs, or noticed any bites, and a good bed bug sniffing dog increases the odds of detecting such cases.

I don’t know if that handbag belonged to someone in the News 8 production crew or to Ms. Watstein herself, but it should be carefully isolated, inspected, and possibly treated for bed bugs.Similar Posts:

Residents at the Bella Vista apartments learn their building has bed bugs by watching the news

nobugsonme — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 02:27:46 +0000

News Channel 8 in New Haven claims that after they aired a story on bed bugs in the Bella Vista apartments in Elm City, lots of people came forward to tell management they had the problem too:

News Channel 8 showed you the critters up close, then management was flooded with complaints. Bella Vista is an apartment complex with many elderly residents, many of which are subsidized. And, News Channel 8 has been told, some are afraid they’ll be evicted if they complain.

The management company says absolutely no one will be evicted for complaining. But, the company only spoke to residents after our first story aired even though they knew there was a problem here. And, that has some residents very upset.

Marilyn Watstein learned about the bed bug problem at the Bella Vista apartment complex in the Elm City from a News Channel 8 report. “I happened to catch the end of it last week,” she said.

In my last post on the Bella Vista’s bed bug problem, I suggested the building would do well to inspect every unit in the building and treat all vertically and horizontally adjacent units to the ones known to be infested, regardless of whether bed bugs were found in the adjoining units.

After all, the knowledgeable officials in Boston made that a city policy for buildings where bed bug violations were found. It’s considered a good practice.

It’s worth remembering that the City of Boston is not a business which stands to benefit from making landlords pay for such inspections and preventive treatments. They’re trying to help landlords and tenants resolve bed bug problems quickly and completely.

If landlords are not forced to undertake such an action, and do not choose it on their own, it is nevertheless the standard practice in the industry to at least inspect all units that are adjacent — horizontally or vertically — to an infested unit.

Most knowledgeable and reputable Pest Control Operators — the ones who know how bed bugs get around, and who want their customers to have a successful outcome — won’t treat for bed bugs in a building unless the landlord agrees to the inspection of adjoining units (above, below, all sides).

That’s right: business people will walk away from the job rather than treating a single unit for bed bugs without inspecting those connected to it. They consider it that important to bed bug treatment.

Is the management of the Bella Vista going to have those adjacent units inspected, let alone treated?

Nope.

[Carabetta Vice President Bill Stetson] says they will now be sending out an informational flyer to everyone. But, they refuse to inspect every apartment and will only exterminate when a resident complains.

“It’s not a question of cost for us, it’s a question of doing the right thing and getting rid of the problem as quickly as possible,” Stetson said.

Good luck with that.

Of course it’s a good thing the management is now going to inform all residents that the building has bed bugs (you know, in case some of them don’t watch Channel 8 news or don’t interact with their neighbors often).

But this act alone is hardly going to bring about a resolution to the Bella Vista’s bed bug problem “as quickly as possible,” which is what Stetson claims to be aiming for.

Click here to view the video.Similar Posts:

Piecemeal inspections and treatment: no way to rid an apartment building of bed bugs

nobugsonme — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 04:01:44 +0000

Annie Rourke reported for News Channel 8 in New Haven on Thursday that residents of the Bella Vista complex in Elm City feel their management is not treating bed bugs aggressively enough.

New Haven (WTNH) — People living in one Elm City apartment complex say they have unwanted guests: bed bugs. And, they’re saying there’s not enough being done to get rid of them.

Residents say exterminators only do one apartment at a time and only when someone complains.

This piecemeal approach is entirely the wrong one where bed bugs are concerned. Pest Control Operators who know bed bugs tell us you need to inspect carefully, find bed bug harborages, and treat them aggressively.

All adjoining units (vertically and horizontally) — if not the entire building — must be inspected professionally by a PCO that knows bed bugs. And it’s an even better idea to treat those adjoining units even if bed bugs cannot be found.

News 8 spoke with a resident on the 7th floor of the Bella Vista:

“I had bites all over my arms, I was sitting on the sofa and one crawled on my leg and one crawled on my back,” Joanne Buccetti, of New Haven, said.

She got an inspection and treatment after she complained. Meanwhile,

Down on the 5th floor, the tenant’s place is so bad News Channel 8 was not allowed inside, even though the exterminator’s come repeatedly.

“Three times and three times they’re right back again,” Sal DeFelice, of New Haven, said.

Treating single apartments, only after residents complain about bed bugs, simply does not work. Units must be treated simultaneously, and repeat treatments must come in 10-14 days, until the problem is entirely cleared up.

You cannot wait for tenants to see bed bugs, since they can be hard to spot, and you can’t rely on reports of bed bug bites, since many people do not react to them. By the time the tenants realize they still have bed bugs, the number of bed bugs can have increased greatly. If treatment occurs every 10-14 days, you have a chance to nip hatching nymphs and other survivors in the bud.

Apartment building managers simply need to become educated about bed bugs. And pest control operators need to insist that proper protocols be used (including — at the bare minimum — inspections of all adjoining units before treatment begins).

Many PCOs who value their reputations already do insist on this, because the piecemeal treatment plan simply does not work to rid a building of bed bugs.

And many reputable PCOs will recommend even more is done. In a building like this, where tenants have been discarding infested furniture, searching horizontally and vertically adjacent units isn’t enough: you really need to have a pro search the entire building.

Why? Because some of that bedbug-infested refuse has no doubt been judged to look “just fine” and has been carried back from the curb or dumpster into other units as yet not known to be infested. It’s a pattern so common in multi-unit buildings that if I were a betting woman, I’d put money on the fact it was happening in the Bella Vista.

But don’t take my word for it: so would the Boston Inspectional Services Division. When they hand out a bed bug violation, they require landlords to inspect the entire building, and to treat all vertically and horizontally adjacent units; as their website states:

Our Standard bed bug notice of violation also requires that owners inspect all units in the dwelling, and they must treat all horizontally and vertically adjacent units to the infested unit(s).

That’s how you start to stop the spread of bed bugs in a multi-unit dwelling. That’s the start. Follow-up inspections and treatments will also be needed.

This is what a building like the Bella Vista needs: an aggressive bed bug treatment protocol. (That and education for tenants about how to avoid spreading the problem further.)

The Bella Vista is primarily a senior citizens’ building; how many of us want to think of our elderly relatives, or ourselves, with regular bed bug bites and no relief in sight?

You can read the full article from News 8 here.Similar Posts:

New Haven housing officials confused: why can’t they get rid of these bed bugs?

nobugsonme — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:32:46 +0000

When we first heard part of New Haven’s Crawford Manor public housing was infested with bed bugs, housing officials were taking the infestations seriously (good) but also moving tenants from infested home to local hotels and then other apartments (not good), and also rushing to blame a woman who carries her belongings around and has five cats (also not good, and probably not accurate). Fifteen of 109 units were known to be infested, and officials thought that anyone else with bed bugs would surely know it.

Housing Authority director Jimmy Miller quipped,

“It’s not something that would go unnoticed. You do get bites from them,” he said.

Well, actually, Jimmy, if your PCO knew his stuff, he’d tell you that many, many people (some professionals even claim it’s most) are not allergic, and so do not react to bed bug bites. I would bet actual cash that more than 15 of your units are infested– for in addition to the non-allergic, there are always also the non-reporters. And who’d blame them, after all, since your office rushed to blame the poor cat lady, with no explanation of how you can prove which unit was ground zero?

Angela Carter of the New Haven Register updated readers on the saga on Friday. residents of 13 of the infested 15 units are back home, after their hotel stay. The other two units’ occupants have been moved to new units and still have bed bugs.

The housing authority has provided Witherspoon and the other affected tenants with new beds and bed linens, pillows and lamps. “TheyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢re supposed to give us sofas, too,” she said.

Housing Authority Executive Director Jimmy Miller said about $15,000 has been spend fighting off the stubborn pests. “These little critters are hiding in the chases,” he said. “We did a second application this week of a pesticide. There will be one more application later on.”

I am glad treatment is persisting and that Miller knows the bed bugs may be hidden in the building itself. However, people fighting bed bugs should not say things like “there will be one more treatment.” Those who know bed bugs know that you must treat every two weeks until all bed bugs and signs of bed bugs are gone. That means never assuming how many treatments will be required, and never letting residents off their guard. Those not highly allergic might not notice a bed bug or two remaining, and then in time, they will have a full-blown infestation again.

I hope the new mattresses and pillows were encased with bed bug-proof coverings, so that bed bugs would not easily hide in them.

Meanwhile, Carter updated us on the other New Haven public housing bed bugs case at the Essex Houses.

The housing authority also had to exterminate two units at Essex Townhouses off Quinnipiac Avenue in Fair Haven three times.

Officials were unsure why the infestations were occurring repeatedly at Essex Townhouses but Chief Operations Officer Karen DuBois-Walton said units would be treated until the problem clears.

DuBois-Walton has exactly the right idea about persistent treatment. (Every two weeks, mind you!)

But why are bed bug infestations occurring repeatedly? It’s likely that:

a) Some tenants have bed bugs and either are not allergic and so do not notice bed bugs, or (in rare cases) notice but do not care or fear the consequences of reporting them. If some units harbor bed bugs, the problem will continue; and / or

b) The bed bugs are hiding out in walls or pipe chases or other parts of the building, and coming back; and / or

c) Wherever your tenants or employees got bed bugs, and tracked them in, they are still getting them and bringing them in. This is a real problem for all kinds of people. You need to really examine your life and the patterns of when bed bugs are (re)introduced. It’s hard to pinpoint.

Does anyone in your life have a bed bug problem? (They –and you– may have no idea. You can still catch them.)

Could they be at work? Exclusive designers’ offices, law firms, hospitals, social service agencies, homeless shelters, have all been infested. No line of work is “above” this. Again, you may have no idea if you are not highly allergic. If you are allergic, and now have them at home, you may not realize work is the source.

Are local stores now infested? (When people purchase and return things, this is possible.)

The questions are frightening, and the answers lead us back to the need for a larger approach than each building trying to stamp out bed bugs that tenants report.

Instead, we need to think big. That means we need public education, we need standards of treatment to be established, we need government to track locations and duration of infestations, and we need financial assistance to individuals and to landlords to help get rid of bed bugs.
Similar Posts:

New Haven: another housing complex has bed bugs

nobugsonme — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:31:05 +0000

We recently reported the rise of bed bugs in the Crawford Manor apartments and the University of Bridgeport, both in New Haven, CT. Now another housing complex, Essex Townhouses, is infested, as reported by WTNH.com. The article focuses on Kathyrn Abreu, 73, and her daughter Kathyrn Yukness. The mother, Abreu, says,

“I lost my 2-beds, lost most of my clothes, lost my shoes,” said Kathyrn.

The New Haven Housing Authority exterminated her apartment over the weekend after an entire wing of the Essex Townhouses on Quinnipiac Avenue became infested with the creepy critters.

The City has replaced Kathyrn’s beds and 2-sofas, but she says it is the second time in 2-years that she’s had some unwelcome house guests.

“It makes me nervous and I can’t take this stress,” said Kathyrn.

The 73-year old escaped this infestation without getting bit, but her daughter was not so lucky.

“It was bad, very bad. It was red,” said Kathyrn Yukness.

Yukness says last week her arms were unrecognizable before she sought treatment at the hospital.

It’s worth noting that Abreu may well have been bit, since the infestation spanned an entire wing of townhouses, and so it was not likely localized in Yukness’s room. You can be bit and not react to the bites with marks or itching.Similar Posts:

bed bugs at University of Bridgeport

nobugsonme — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:15:57 +0000

Sounds like New Haven is getting mighty itchy lately.

According to News Channel 8 (WTNH) in New Haven, University of Bridgeport’s North Hall has bed bugs.

Graduate student Li-Wen Chen had so many bites she sought treatment at St. Vincent’s Medical Center.

The school has fumigated the building, but students say another problem occurred when it came to their clothing. Clothes inside the dorms were sent to the cleaners courtesy of the school, but the students say when the clothes were returned, they were dumped onto tables in the lobby, damp, damaged or ruined.

Students also claim that their rooms were left in disarray following the fumigation. Georgia Chiang, a student from Taiwan, says the poor treatment from the University may stem from their ethnic backgrounds.

“It’s very disturbing. We feel insulted and discriminated against. I do not believe Americans live like this. We do not live like this back home,” said Chiang.

School officials were not available for comment.

Obviously, we don’t know what the full story is here. But it’s a helpful reminder that residents (of dorms, co-ops, apartments, hospitals, etc.) need to be fully informed about treatment and required preparations, and that universities and other management bodies need to make sure their residents’ posessions are treated with care. If residents feel this is not happening, it might make them hesitant to seek treatment if bed bugs persist or return later.

It’s also disturbing to note that bed bugs are making their way around New Haven.Similar Posts:

more on bed bugs in New Haven: they’re only using steam cleaning?!?

nobugsonme — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:15:56 +0000

More on the New Haven case described here on Friday.

A more recent article from News 8 in New Haven suggests that the

The infestation started in one unit and moved to 14 other apartments. The city paid for hotel rooms so the professionals could come in and steam clean room by room, bed by bed.

“We’re steaming it, the steam will kill the eggs and a lot of the bugs it contacts,” said Jim Miller of Yale Pest Elimination Corporation.

The bugs are not just in the beds, they could be in clothes.

Steaming, especially dry steaming (which avoids problems with mold and mildew) is a good way of killing bed bugs and eggs. But as PCO Miller’s words imply, it will only kill bed bugs that are steamed directly. The same is true of eggs (though the quotation implies otherwise). Although I am glad to see PCOs using this method, I do think it needs to be used in concert with pesticides and/or dusts. Killing “a lot of the bugs,” after all, is not the goal here. Steaming needs to be followed-up by other methods. If it is, I don’t doubt more bed bugs can be killed more swiftly than without the steaming step.

I do note, however, that this article is misleading. If the PCO is using other methods, this isn’t mentioned. The article therefore might give readers the idea that steaming alone is a good way to beat bed bugs. While professional steaming equipment will probably do a better job than home steamers, it is not a comprehensive plan to eradicate bed bugs, which hide well, and are likely to be hiding in places the steam cannot reach.

“They steamed my mattress and my box spring yesterday and removed all my clothes out of my clothes closet,” said Witherspoon.

“We provided them with new clothing because obviously we are concerned about them taking their own clothing with them because the clothing may be contaminated,” said Jimmy Miller, Director of the New Haven Housing Authority.

“They’re making sure all the clothes get washed they’re doing what they have to do, they stepped up to the plate,” said Maria Ayala, resident.

The housing authority is promising prevention at all its complexes.

“We’re going be increasing our house keeping efforts,” said Jimmy Miller.

It’s great that they’re aware of the clothing issue, though laundry would have been sufficient and probably saved them a lot of money as well as making tenants happy.
I note that my prior concern–expressed in the previous post about New Haven– has not been addressed: that is the question of whether precautions were taking to prevent bed bugs being spread to the hotel.

In addition, authorities need to realize, prevention is not simply a matter of housekeeping (as housing official Miller suggests; I am, by the way, fascinated that the PCO’s name is Jim Miller and the Housing Authority official’s name is Jimmy Miller, and I wonder if they’re related).

Prevention requires education–for all tenants and employees–about where bed bugs come from and how to avoid getting them. (Note: they don’t come from women who carry bags and have cats.)

Prevention requires supplies (such as good mattress and pillow encasements that may help keep bed bugs from infesting beds) and services (regular inspections–either manual, or by a good bed bug dog) will help new infestations be caught earlier so they can be treated quickly.

The bottom line is that New Haven housing officials — like all landlords in multi-unit dwellings — need to accept the inevitability of more bed bugs being brought into the building. It’s a matter not of if, but when. And knowing that, they need to have wide awareness among tenants and employees of how to recognize the signs. Preventive treatments, such as food grade diatomaceous earth (DE) might be a way the city can help the building stay bed bug-free longer.Similar Posts:

Reno; and New Haven: bed bugs cause unsuspecting officials to run around like confused flour beetles

nobugsonme — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 07:07:33 +0000

In Reno, they have so few bed bug cases, that the health department called three residents of an apartment complex to tell them their building is infested. (New Yorkers, are you laughing?!)

Unfortunately, as Geralda Miller of the Reno Gazette Journal reports, the advice being given to tenants is not great:

“They’re an indoor critter,” [Jeff Knight, Nevada State Entomologist] said. “Get rid of the mattress. Get rid of the infested bed frame and thoroughly treat everything else. Bedding has to get a hot wash and dry.”

Those were the instructions [Building Manager Rhonda] Mathews said she gave her tenants.

“Get rid of them or they’re not living here,” she said.

Mathews said she has spent more than $100 to treat each infested unit and the 10 surrounding ones.

Knight said it is important that pest control companies do a thorough job to get rid of the bugs.

The Washoe County Health Department gets “one or two” valid complaints of bed bugs a month. PCO treatment for bed bugs cost the building manager $100 per unit. I know the cost of living in Reno is lower than in NYC, Boston, or San Francisco, but this seems very low. I hope the PCO is trained to treat bed bugs specifically, which may not be the case in a place with very few cases.

If the state entomologist is really telling folks to simply throw away mattresses and frames, and wash bedding (what about all the other clothing and linens in the home?) then they may be seeing a lot more cases soon. Because others will pick up those discarded items. And because clothing and other items can harbor bed bugs, allowing them to continue breeding and spread further.

Across the country, in New Haven, Channel 3 reports that residents of 15 Housing Authority apartments have been relocated to a hotel while their apartments are “fumigated” and “decontaminated.” The terminology there may well relate more to common ideas about pest control practices (killing bugs = “fumigation”) rather than the actual techniques used.

I was very excited to read the following words:

[Channel 3 Eyewitness News Reporter Erika] Arias reported that the Housing Authority is taking the outbreak seriously. [Resident Alberta] Silverspoon said that as soon as she alerted the authority, immediate action was taken.

Quick and drastic action on the HA’s part seems good. But they need to be cautious now: there’s significant danger residents will have moved the bed bugs to the hotel, and they can certainly reinfest their homes when they move back in, so I hope the Housing Authority knows what it’s doing and takes some time to educate and provide necessary supplies (XL ziplocs, mattress and pillow covers, even laundry services for evacuated items) to make sure this doesn’t happen.

It makes me wonder, are hotels going to start asking if prospective customers are bed bug refugees?

The New Haven Register also covered this story. Here, we learn the building is called Crawford Manor, is on Park Avenue, and has 109 units (only 15 identified as infested).

However, this second article was more disturbing. It suggested housing officials were rushing to blame the infestation on one tenant:

Housing Authority Executive Director Jimmy Miller said Wednesday the problem began in a unit of a female tenant who is known to carry her belongings around in bags and owns a few cats. He did not identify the tenant. The city’s anti-blight Livable City Initiative Bureau is being asked to condemn the unit, he said.

“It’s a very serious thing and it’s quite an undertaking,” Miller said.

Miller, who has been running the agency for about 18 months, said this is the first occurrence during his tenure. He did not know of any others in recent history.

“It’s not something that would go unnoticed. You do get bites from them,” he said.

Actually, some claim that most people are not allergic and so do not react (in other words, they neither see bite marks nor experience any itching). Even if “most” is inaccurate, it’s certainly true of “many.” There’s a wide range of reactions from serious allergic reactions that land people in hospital, to dime-sized welts and severe itching, to what looks like mosquito bites, to tiny red dots, to nothing.

So if HA officials are basing their ideas of how bed bugs spread from one unit to another, or which units are infested, on whether people experience bites, their data is liable to be inaccurate. There will doubtless be bed bugs in other units, not reported, maybe not even noticed.

The housing authority was alerted when tenants from another unit detected the bugs and reported the problem.

Miller said the authority has not identified the cause of the outbreak, but officials believe the infestation spread as the female tenant moved bags around common areas or as visitors entered and left.

“They don’t usually travel person-to-person and they don’t normally travel more than 100 feet,” he said.

The housing authority first had to have the female tenant’s unit cleaned and her furniture will be destroyed.

Thirteen other tenants were housed temporarily in area hotels Tuesday night and about half were able to return to Crawford Manor Wednesday. Authority staff gave them meals and made sure everyone on medication stayed on their regimens.

Crawford Manor is a mixed-population development. Miller said it is going to cost the authority approximately $80 per unit to decontaminate the entire building. It was unclear Wednesday how much alternate lodging, meals and staff overtime would cost.

The tenant in the unit that set off the infestation was relocated from Brookside, one of several housing complexes on West Rock targeted for revitalization.

Miller said the authority will be implementing a policy for sterilizing tenant belongings before relocations occur.

“We’re on top of it,” he said.

Good to know they’re on top of it. (I’m impressed by the $80 per unit cost. But the city probably has a contract of some kind.)

I hope they also educate themselves and tenants about how bed bugs are picked up and spread. Because although bed bugs may not walk more than 100 feet, they will hitchhike on anyone: any tenant, visitor, or employee could have brought them in.

I am troubled by the way in which New Haven housing authorities want to pin the blame on an easy target: a woman who has cats and carries her stuff around in bags.

First, the fact the woman has “a few cats” is irrelevant: we can get bed bugs from the abandoned nests of bats, birds, and even rats, but they do not come from cats. If a human is present, they don’t even want to bite the cats. So I am not sure why people are obsessed with the woman’s cats, as if they were a factor. Presumably the cats living in a high-rise do not go out, so they did not pick up hitchhiking bed bugs and bring them in.

Second, it is clear that if someone did have bed bugs and carried their stuff around in bags, they’d have more chance of carrying bed bugs to more locations than a person who, for example, traveled light. But it really does not matter whether the “bags” are laptop cases, Prada bags, messenger bags, or shopping bags.

It is true that clutter allows bed bugs to easily hide and breed. But it does not cause them to appear.

This sounds to me like a witch hunt: “15 units are infested, one is the home of a woman who has a few cats and carries stuff around, therefore, let’s blame her.” It’s easy, but it’s not necessarily scientific. Even if her unit now has more bugs than any other unit, I am not sure it could be proven she brought bed bugs in, or that she was “bed bug ground zero.”

She may be the source in this building, she may not. But the real problem with pinning the blame on someone is that it makes others feel they’re off the hook. The truth is, whoever brought them into the building, caught them somewhere. It’s an epidemic. Maybe they caught them in New Haven, maybe they brought them in from a vacation, school, workplace, or hospital. The person who brings them into the building is not the cause. Moving them out does not prevent reinfestation. And they also implied that “tenant zero” was relocated there from another (presumably infested) HA building.

More to the point, did 15 people from this building just infest a local hotel? I’d like to know what precautions were taken to avoid that situation. This is the problem with the blame game: everyone who has bed bugs got them from someone else (unless they got them from a bat, a bird, or a rat). Who are you gonna blame?

We need public education, assistance for people in low-income housing (with supplies and treatment costs–besides the PCO), and prompt PCO treatment.
We need government awareness, better policies, funding, and willingness to act (New Haven got a lot of that right).
We need bed bug aggregate pheromone traps, more and better pesticides and other treatment methods (thermal, cryonite, etc.).
But we don’t need the pointless and inaccurate blame game.Similar Posts:

FAQ: tenants, landlords, owners, and bed bugs

nobugsonme — Sun, 22 Oct 2006 05:50:08 +0000

One of the first questions renting tenants, co-op owners and condo owners ask, when confronted with bed bugs, is: who’s responsible for paying for their elimination?

The laws vary. We are not lawyers. There may be inaccuracies or errors or speculative comments below. Use what you find below as a starting point, verify the laws in place in your location, which apply to your housing situation, and work from there.

If you are a tenant (renter), please find out the laws in your area about the responsibility of landlords vs. renters to eliminate a bedbug problem. A local tenants’ rights organization probably exists in your city, and they’re probably the best free source of information regarding landlords’ responsibility to pay for treatment. Remember that you, the tenant, also have responsibilities, like reporting infestations promptly (doing so in writing protects you legally), and complying with treatment. Responsibility is not always a clear-cut matter, so please use this FAQ as a starting point, and realize that you may need to figure out how the local laws define your dwelling, your status, and who is required to pay.

If your country, state, province, or territory is not mentioned below, or you know of online information about bed bug laws in your locality, please help us by posting a link in the comments below.

Australia

We have some information on Western Australia, and the general laws for Australia (which may vary for each state). If you have local information, please leave a comment below.

Canada

In Canada, so far, we have specific information for Vancouver, British Columbia.

But a roundup of links to laws on all other areas in Canada can be found on the CBC website.

United States

In the USA, so far we have information for
Baltimore
Boston
Chicago
Connecticut
Florida
Jersey City (see also NJ)
Minnesota
New York City
New York State
New Jersey (see alsoJersey City)
Rhode Island
San Francisco
Seattle
Stamford
Washington State
Washington DC

Consumerist has links to Landlord Tenant Law for Every (US) State, which is not specific to bed bugs, but should help you if nothing below does.

—————-

Australia

Regarding Australia, reader Cody writes,

Tenants in Australia are covered by the Residential Tenancies Act 1987 (which has slightly different versions for each state, though are mostly the same).

Western Australia
For Western Australia section 42 states the owner:

(a) shall provide the premises in a reasonable state of cleanliness;
(b) shall provide and maintain the premises in a reasonable state of repair having regard to their age, character and prospective life; and
(c) shall comply with all requirements in respect of buildings, health and safety under any other written law in so far as they apply to the premises.

It doesn’t specifically mention bed bugs or other pests, and I haven’t found any state health and safety legislation for buildings yet, but owners have been prosecuted for bed bugs using this legislation, see: Chessels v Wood (Residential Tenancy) [2004] NSWCTTT 306 (8 June 2004).

In these cases the owner is always responsible, not the real estate agent or a head-tenant or anyone else. It’s the owner that you must take to magistrate’s court.

The main caveat is that not everyone will be considered a tenant – specifically borders and lodgers are excluded. A court can also deem this law will or will not apply to you using Section 84.

If you’re not covered by the Residential Tenancies Act, you may be able to use another law to pursue a case.

Vancouver

Click here to read Vancouver Coastal Health’s pamphlet on bed bugs: Click here to load a PDF.

Reader Sean (a Canadian Pest Control Operator and entomologist) reports on Vancouver, British Columbia:

In October of this year the city of Vancouver BC has extended the responsibilities of a landlord to include bed bug erradication.

Their are some loopholes, like the client must cooperate with the pest control companies.

In addition, as of February 2007 it will be illegal for landlords to apply any pest related chemicals within a suite other than their own personal living space. If they would like to do so they will need to become a licensed pest control operator.

Thanks, Sean.

Baltimore, MD

The law appears to be that landlords are responsible for eliminating pests only if they occur in more than one unit. Peoples-law.org says:

Rat proofing and pest extermination

Where infestation occurs in the shared or public areas or in 2 or more dwelling units in a building, the owner is responsible for extermination of rats, insects, or other pests.

All dwellings and dwelling units must be rat-proofed and kept in a rat-proof condition by the owner. Rat proofing includes but is not limited to: 1) using rat impervious material to block all passages by which rats could enter from outside; and 2) paving basements, cellars, and other areas in contact with the earth; eliminating rat breeding places by keeping areas clean; removing rats’ nests, etc.

A landlord with any sense would pay to have bed bugs removed from one unit, rather than waiting until they spread to multiple units. And I would, if I were a tenant in Baltimore with bed bugs, try and negotiate politely with the landlord on that basis.

See the source of the Baltimore information cited above here.

Boston

Apparently there’s a division of the Boston Housing Dept. Inspectional Services (ISD) that works as Bed Bug Inspectors. Click the following link to load a PDF of their Bed Bug Advisory Sheet, which says briefly what bed bugs are, and notes that landlords (or “owner’s) are responsible for eradicating the problem. (Apparently they were in such a rush to get it out, they did not proofread. But fighting bed bugs trumps grammar, for this allergic English major.)

Here’s what they do:

To effectively address bed bug infestations in Boston, ISD endeavors to educate inspectors, property managers, exterminators and the general public on the nature of bed bugs, bed bug prevention and the proper extermination of bed bugs. We endeavor to assist owners, tenants, and pest control operators in exterminating for bed bugs by attending extermination visits, assisting with education & preparation and by sharing our knowledge and experience on best practices.

Bed Bug Inspection Orders:

We require written extermination reports, within 14 days of a notice of violation, and prior to closing a case. Although Bed bug infestations do not get resolved quickly, we endeavor to work with owner’s who have contracted licensed Pest Control Operators, who have treatments programs in place, and who provide written documentation on the treatment programs.

Our Standard bed bug notice of violation also requires that owners inspect all units in the dwelling, and they must treat all horizontally and vertically adjacent units to the infested unit(s).

Let me repeat: the laws applicable in Boston require landlords to treat all horizontally and vertically adjacent units, and to inspect every unit in the building. Are you listening, New York?

In Boston, they’re actually proactive about bed bugs:

Education & Outreach: Boston ISD has conducted various outreach efforts over the years which:

Targets areas with a concentration of infestations.

Educates and offers inspections to those residing in the targeted area.

Engages & educates the local community leaders and activists.

Utilizes the media attention to educate and raise awareness of residents in all parts of Boston.

If a landlord is notified by tenants about bed bugs, and does not eliminate them, tenants should call the Housing Inspection Division at (617) 635-5322.

The city has a flyer for students new to Boston, about rental housing, which includes a brief but informative section on bed bugs. It explains the laws, and also gives advice about dismantling or destroying infested furniture before discarding it. It says that anyone leaving rental housing in Boston that is infested with bed bugs should call both their landlord and the city (at the number above). This seems helpful, since the city is identifying infested units and can enforce treatment before further rentals. (What would be really helpful is if the city had to be notified of every infestation along with the landlord, not just when someone leaves an infested unit.)

Tha Allston Brighton Community Development Corporation also has its own factsheets on bed bugs in English, Portuguese, and Spanish (click the previous links and you’ll see these). The fact sheet says that if your Boston landlord does not respond to your request for extermination of bed bugs, you can call the city Housing ISD as above or the Boston Public Health Commission at 617-534-2865; you can even make an anonymous tip about bed bugs to the city via the 24-hour city hotline at 617-961-3297.

The Allston Brighton CDC Bedbug Eradication Program even offers monetary assistance with extermination (the money, by the way, came from state funds and a private corporation):

The Allston Brighton Bedbug Eradication Initiative provides education and assistance to Allston Brighton tenants and property owners who have been affected by bedbug infestations.

Extermination Incentives For Property Owners and Homeowners

Property owners who are treating units in Allston Brighton can receive up to $200 for each unit. Homeowners in Allston Brighton also qualify for this assistance. To qualify, you must provide the following documentation:

Proof of ownership.

Address and unit number of each Allston Brighton unit being treated. Only apartments in Allston Brighton are eligible for these funds.

An Integrated Pest Management Plan (IPM) for every unit. Bedbugs are difficult to treat and the pesticides used are toxic. An IPM is necessary for effective treatment.

Detailed prevention plan for every unit. Describes how you will prevent another outbreak from happening

To apply for funds (from 9/06 until they run out), please print and fill out the tenant intake form or the property owners/homeowners intake form, attach the necessary documentation, then send the forms to:

Bedbugs Eradication Initiative
Allston Brighton CDC
320 Washington St., 3rd floor.
Brighton, MA 02135

Chicago

The City of Chicago Department of Health has a web page on bed bugs. According to this page,

What should tenants do?

If you are a tenant, contact your property manager or landlord to discuss your respective obligations and come to an agreement on a plan to manage the infestation. If there is an infestation , landlords should contract with a licensed pest control operator to manage the problem

Request a written integrated pest management (IPM) plan from the pest control operator. The plan will include the methods and insecticides to be used, and describe the efforts expected by the building manager as well as by the tenants.

From the Metropolitan Tenants Organization, in Chicago. Chicago Bedbugger S. says,

This is the Landlord/Tenant Ordinance. It says specifically, under “What must my landlord do to maintain the condition of my apartment?”, that your landlord must “Protect you against rodents and insects by exterminating.”

This worked for me with my landlord.

Thanks, S!

I was not able to find much information on Chicago, and nothing mentioned bed bugs specifically (as was the case in some places where articles have been written about this issue). Please do your homework and realize that the codes are kind of vague in places.

Also click to load PDF of this document from the Chicago City Clerk’s office (see page 12 which specifically mentions “failure to exterminate insects, rodents, or other pests” as one situation in which tenants have grounds to terminate the lease, but you need to give the landlord written notice with 14 days to remedy the situation, in which case, the lease won’t be terminated. We’re not lawyers, please read it carefully and do your research, consult a lawyer if you’re going to take serious action like this.)

Connecticut

For New Haven, see this comment

Stamford

Florida

From this site: Florida Residential Real Estate Law:

General Landlord Duties

Landlords are required to deliver possession of the rental property to the renter when the lease period begins. Failure to do so may entitle the renter to sue for damages. A landlord must ensure that residential property is habitable. This includes complying with all building, housing and health codes. Roofs, windows, screens, doors, floors, steps, porches, walls and other structural elements must be kept in good repair. Certain pests (e.g., rats, mice, roaches, ants, bedbugs) must be exterminated, common areas kept clean, garbage removed, heat made available in the winter, as well as heated, running water throughout the year. Landlords requiring access to a tenant’s residence for repairs must give the tenant reasonable notice, which is defined as at least 12 hours prior to entry. If a landlord fails to keep up with required repairs, a tenant should give the landlord written notice of the noncompliance. If the landlord fails to make the repairs within seven days of receiving notice, the tenant has the right to terminate the lease.

(Editor’s note: I’m not sure how those terms translate when pests are involved.)

Doug Summers writes:

In Florida, the landlord tenant law is FS Chapter 83. Under F.S. 83 pest control is listed under the Obligations of the Landlord.

A Seven Day Notice To Correct is a letter that specifies in detail the problem that needs to be corrected (exterminate the bed bug infestation in this case). F.S. 83 states that the tenant may break the lease without penalty if the landlord fails to address the notice. Constructive eviction is a also a possible defense to break the lease, but the 7 Day Notice to Correct letter is the usual starting point.

A personal injury civil lawsuit is another potential option.

Also check to see if your deposit was placed in an escrowed bank account by the landlord. If the landlord places the deposit funds in their business or personal bank account (or intermingle the funds in a non-escrowed account) they have violated the law and are not permitted to retain any of the deposit regardless of any damage or contract issue that may exist.

Most private landlords in Florida fail to place the deposit funds in an escrow account.

You can download a copy of the law at myflorida.com

Florida law usually favors the rental tenant in a bed bug infestation situation, but needless to say you should consult an attorney about the specifics of your situation if you expect civil litigation with your landlord.

Remember, we are not lawyers, nor do we give legal advice. Consult an attorney. Legal aid or local tenants’ groups may also be of assistance: consult the phone book.

Minnesota

According to Kelly Klein’s Renting and the Law column in the Star-Tribune, if you are a tenant with bed bugs,

You have the right to demand that your landlord take action to resolve the issue. Under Minnesota law, the landlord has to remedy such problems.

What’s more, Klen says you may have a right to a rent escrow action if the problem is not remedied in 14 days. Please read her column on this, and contact local tenants’ advice organizations or a lawyer or legal aid service if you need help; we are not lawyers and cannot give legal advice.

This article in the Minnesota Post from May 2009 suggests Minnesota tenants call non-profit tenant advocacy organization HOME Line for advice on their rights.

If you’re a renter and need legal advice about your bedbug problem, you can call HOME Line’s tenant hotline. The hotline provides free legal advice to tenants. Call 612-728-5767. If you’re calling from Greater Minnesota, call 866-866-3546.

New Jersey

This is the relevant section of LSNJ Law which describes the warrant of habitability laws. Among other things, the warrant of habitability says rental units must be kept pest-free.

Using the housing and health codes

As discussed in the preceding section, rental units must meet city and state housing and health codes. The codes list the requirements that the landlord’s property must meet so that it can be approved as a safe or “standard” building. The codes deal with heat, plumbing, security, roofing, pests, and other serious defects like weak walls.

If you feel that the conditions in your apartment or house are defective, unlivable, or dangerous, tell your landlord. If your landlord fails to make the repairs in a reasonable period of time, call the local building inspector and ask him or her to inspect the property as soon as possible. If you can, be present when the inspector does the inspection so that you can point out all of the problems. Ask for the inspector’s name, and ask him or her to send you a copy of the report.

If the needed repairs present a sanitation problem, such as a sewage leak, call the city or county board of health. Ask for an inspector to check the condition. When the inspector comes, get his or her name.

If the inspector finds code violations, he or she will send a letter to the landlord listing the code violations. This letter will advise the landlord that a reinspection to check whether the repairs have been made will take place on a certain date.

Some housing and health code inspectors do not send the tenant a copy of the inspection reports or inform the tenant of the results of the inspection. As a tenant in the property, you have a right to receive a copy of these reports, and you should make sure to ask that copies of all reports be sent to you.

We are not lawyers and don’t live in New Jersey, but this should give you a starting point. Whether you or the landlord is responsible to pay may also depend on the type of home, the lease terms, etc. There are tenants’ organizations everywhere. The NJ one, New Jersey Tenants’ Organization, may be able to advise you further.

Update (9/2008):

Apparently, NJ landlords do have to pay for treatment, but many pass the costs on to the tenant.

Jersey City has just passed an ordinance specifying that landlords must pay outright for an initial and follow-up bed bug treatment. See this article for details. (If additional treatments are needed, as they so often are, the landlord can charge the tenant.) This law applies to buildings with 2 or more units.

New York State

From the New York State Attorney General’s Tenants Rights page:

LANDLORDS’ DUTY OF REPAIR

Landlords of buildings with three or more apartments must keep the apartments and the buildings’ public areas in “good repair” and clean and free of vermin, garbage or other offensive material. Landlords are required to maintain electrical, plumbing, sanitary, heating, ventilating systems and appliances landlords install, such as refrigerators and stoves in good and safe working order. Tenants should bring complaints to the attention of their local housing officials. (Multiple Dwelling Law (MDL) §78 and §80; Multiple Residence Law (MRL) §174. The MDL applies to cities with a population of 325,000 or more and the MRL applies to cities with less than 325,000 and to all towns and villages.)

New York City

Many times, people on this site (myself included) have said, “the landlord is responsible for paying for elimination of bed bugs in New York City.” This is true in most cases. You’d be forgiven for thinking it was all cases, as this Real Estate article from the New York Times (last October) implies. The FAQ has always stated clearly that there are exceptions (such as buildings with 3 or fewer units) where tenants may be responsible. To be honest, we’re not sure about where those exceptions occur, but it seems to hinge on whether you’re defined in some cases as an “occupant in charge of the dwelling” (which tenants in larger buildings apparently are not).

It appears to be true, according to the information below, that landlords must arrange and pay for elimination of bed bugs if you are a renting tenant, AND:
1. Your apartment building has 3 or more rental units, OR
2. You live in NYC-owned housing.

There may be other exceptions, and the resources below should help you figure out if you’re an exception.

In NYC, in most cases, landlords are responsible for eliminating insect problems, including bedbugs. You can read more about the laws here: NYC Rent Guidelines Board, Ch. 2 of Housing Maintenance Code, or here: Met Council on Housing’s Bedbugs page. (If you’re not sure of your rights on any issue related to renting in NYC, call Met Council, a non-profit tenants’ rights organization.)

Subchapter two of the NYC Housing Code:

Sec. 27-2017 Definitions

When used in this article:

1. Eradication means the elimination of rodents or insects and other pests from any premises through the use of traps, poisons, fumigation or any other method of extermination.

2. Insects and other pests include the members of class insecta, including houseflies, lice, bees, cockroaches, moths, silverfish, beetles, bedbugs, ants, termites, hornets, mosquitoes and wasps, and such members of the phylum arthropoda as spiders, mites, ticks, centipedes and wood lice.

3. Harborage means any condition which provides shelter or protection for rodents or insects and other pests.

[back to top]
Sec. 27-2018 Rodent and insect eradication; mandatory extermination

1. The owner or occupant in control of a dwelling shall keep the premises free from rodents, and from infestations of insects and other pests, and from any condition conducive to rodent or insect and other pest life.

2. When any premises are subject to infestation by rodents or insects and other pests, the owner or occupant in control shall apply continuous eradication measures.

3. When the department makes the determination that any premises are infested by rodents, insects or other pests, it may order such eradication measures as the department deems necessary.

Subchapter two of the NYC Housing Code clearly states that bed bugs must be eradicated by the “owner or occupant in control of a dwelling”:

But here’s where it gets confusing: If you are a tenant (renter), are you the owner? No. But are you the “occupant in control of a dwelling”? Sometimes. This may be true if the property you’re renting is, for example, a house with a rental unit or two. The same kinds of buildings, I assume, where landlords need not issue leases. Please seek advice from Met Council or a lawyer.

The NYC website says,

The City accepts reports of bed bugs in private residences, New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) property, hotels, single room occupancy buildings, day care centers, and subways. To report bed bugs in a private house or apartment, you must be a tenant in the building.

To report bed bugs in a domestic violence shelter, contact the shelter director.

You can read more here. Or Call 311 to report bed bugs.

Here’s the Rent Guidelines Board’s information on Warrants of Habitability and Landlord’s Duty to Repair:

WARRANTY OF HABITABILITY

Tenants are entitled to a livable, safe and sanitary apartment. Lease provisions inconsistent with this right are illegal. Failure to provide heat or hot water on a regular basis, or to rid an apartment of insect infestation are examples of a violation of this warranty. Public areas of the building are also covered by the warranty of habitability. The warranty of habitability also applies to cooperative apartments, but not to condominiums. Any uninhabitable condition caused by the tenant or persons under his direction or control does not constitute a breach of the warranty of habitability. In such a case, it is the responsibility of the tenant to remedy the condition. (Real Property Law §235-b)

Note that the landlord has responsibilities, but the tenant does too. We have not heard of any tenants who were forced to pay because they “caused” the “uninhabitable condition,” but the possibility is there.

The above item also seems to imply that co-ops are responsible for eradicating pests, not the individual owners. Readers who are co-op owners have claimed that owners are responsible, but this implies they aren’t. Perhaps someone who is an expert on housing law can clarify this. The New York Times article from October implies co-op and condo unit owners are responsible except,

In some instances the building might be responsible — if, for example, bedbugs have affected multiple apartments, and their source is not readily traceable or attributable to a particular unit owner.

Back to the Warranty of Habitability:

If a landlord breaches the warranty, the tenant may sue for a rent reduction. The tenant may also withhold rent, but in response, the landlord may sue the tenant for nonpayment of rent. In such a case, the tenant may countersue for breach of the warranty.

Rent reductions may be ordered if a court finds that the landlord violated the warranty of habitability. The reduction is computed by subtracting from the actual rent the estimated value of the apartment without the essential services.

A landlord’s liability for damages is limited when the failure to provide services is the result of a union-wide building workers’ strike. However, a court may award damages to a tenant equal to a share of the landlord’s net savings because of the strike. Landlords will be liable for lack of services caused by a strike when they have not made a good faith attempt, where practicable, to provide services.

In emergencies, tenants may make necessary repairs and deduct reasonable repair costs from the rent. For example, when a landlord has been notified that a door lock is broken and willfully neglects to repair it, the tenant may hire a locksmith and deduct the cost from the rent. Tenants should keep receipts for such repairs.

I would not undertake any of the above (eg making your own repairs) without seeking legal advice. If you’re renting, call Met Council on Housing for more information on the laws and what to do, or consult a lawyer.

Met Council on Housing advises tenants in New York City. Their Bedbugs Fact Sheet says:

Tenants’ Rights: Apartment Buildings and Hotels
Obviously, multiple dwellings offer bedbugs the perfect environment, since the bugs can hide in the walls while one unit is cleaned and then appear in another, or return to reinfest the original room or apartment. Hotels traditionally have had difficulty removing bedbugs, because bedding is often carried from one room to another, and while one infested unit might be cleaned, it’s rare for the entire hotel to be shut down so all the rooms can be fumigated.

For tenants in New York City, the right to a bedbug-free environment derives from the city’s housing and maintenance code-which specifically names bedbugs, along with a number of other unpleasant pests. The landlord has an obligation to eradicate the infestation and to keep the units from getting reinfested. If your landlord refuses to take the necessary steps, you can file a complaint with the city department of Housing Preservation and Development (call 311) or take the owner to Housing Court in an HP action. As with any problem you have concerning repairs or services, it is important to notify the landlord of the condition in writing (send by certified mail, return receipt requested, and save a copy) and to let the owner and manager know what steps you expect them to take.

Note, again, this says “apartment buildings and hotels.” Many of NYC’s housing laws vary when applied to small-scale landlords, who rent out an apartment or a few. If this describes your situation, you need to look into your lease and if you do not have one (which probably means you’re in a very small building with fewer than 3 units), seek advice from Met Council or another source. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, and people have to be aware of which laws apply to their situations.

If you live in housing run by the New York City Housing Authority, read this.

Any NYC tenant can call 311 and report a bedbug infestation. Information on how to do this, and what will happen next, is here. You might feel like you don’t want to do this, for example if your landlord is your friend, and you think they might be more helpful if a complaint is not formally made. You might prefer simply to deal with the landlord directly. However, don’t forget about this option if your landlord is slow to act, wants you to pay for extermination, or hires bad exterminators. When you’re being bitten by bloodsucking monsters, not getting any sleep, and walking around with ugly welts and sores, any warm feelings you have for landlords who are not quick to respond will undoubtedly go right out the window.

Calling 311 will mean the city sends a housing inspector to inspect your home for bedbugs, the inspector files a report, and this forces your landlord to eliminate the problem within 30 days. (I am not sure what happens if your problem is so severe that it takes more than 30 days to eliminate, but this is what I heard.) Your report will become part of the building violations listed here.

Under Housing Violations Look-Up on the right hand side of this page, type your building number and street name; you may be surprised to find someone else in your building has already reported a bedbug infestation! (You may also find rat or mouse infestations, which can cause bedbug infestations.) Violations are removed when they are fixed.

Finally, there are some links to information on taking legal action.

This is the website from the City-Wide Task Force on Housing Court. It is general (not specific to bedbugs) but does tell you about the process of taking a landlord to court. Most importantly, though most of us won’t go to court, we need to keep good records (log of actions taken such as calls to landlord, pictures of bites, copies of doctor’s records if they inspect bites, copies of allergy medication prescriptions which are related to infestation, photos of bugs, samples of bugs, carcasses, or waste droppings, photos of items wrapped for storage, pictures of destroyed and discarded furniture, receipts for everything from prescriptions to vacuum cleaner bags, storage tubs and bags, new furniture, pesticides, and exterminators).

This is NYC lawyer Steven DeCastro’s housing information page (for tenants) on bedbugs, and this is a desctiption of the Judge’s Decision on Peter Young’s case. Peter Young was a tenant with bedbugs who was given a 6-month 45% rent abatement.

Rhode Island

This is what we know: this article from the Brown student newspaper says,

. . . according to Rhode Island’s “Housing Maintenance and Occupancy Code,” the infestation is the tenant’s responsibility if it is in one dwelling unit, but the owner’s responsibility if it is in more than one dwelling unit.

If you’re in Rhode Island, I would verify this with a tenants’ advice bureau. And if it’s true, I would caution anyone against assuming you are the only infested unit even if your landlord says you are, even if the neighbor says you are. Call a group that gives tenants advice, and find out what they suggest.

San Francisco

This brochure for landlords (PDF) from The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDoPH) says that

Article 11, Sec. 581(a) and 581(b) of the San Francisco Health Code states that property owners cannot have pests on their property.

SFDoPH has a Vector Control Department which apparently takes complaints about pests (you can call Norma Castro 415-252-3805 to report a complaint, as of January 2010). The Environmental Health section of the SFDoPH also advises landlords on bed bug treatment (according to the same brochure).

SFDoPH provides information on prevention (PDF) and treatment (PDF) for residents and on prevention (PDF) and treatment (PDF) for landlords. You may find the latter useful when dealing with your landlord.

Seattle and Washington State

Reader amysee helped us find this information. She writes,

In Seattle:
- The landlord is obligated to control insects, rodents and other pests

In Washington State:
-The landlord is obligated to control pests before the tenant moves in. The landlord must continue to control infestations except in single family dwellings, or when the infestation was caused by the tenant

Both clauses from this City of Seattle Department of Housing and Development PDF on tenants’ rights.

In theory, the Seattle law trumps the state law if it is stronger, which one could argue it is; though it seems unfortunately vague.

Thanks, amysee!

Stamford, CT

According to this article in the Stamford Advocate,

If a bed bug case is reported in rented housing, the city requires landlords to exterminate until the problem is resolved, [Health Inspector Mike] Kraynak said. First, a resident must find a bed bug and take it to the city as evidence. If a lab worker confirms it is a bed bug, the city sends an extermination order. Usually, if the apartment is six units or less, the city requires the entire building be treated. In larger complexes, the city requires treating only the affected unit and those surrounding it.

The article said Stamford residents can also show up at the government center’s front desk to see bed bug information including examples for identification.

Washington State

See “Seattle,” above.

Washington D.C.

I took the following information off of a Washington Post real estate advice column. It appears that in D.C., the landlord’s liability depends on whether only one apartment is infested or not. According to Sara Gebhardt’s column in the Washington Post (3/2/2007), in which she responded to a Washington DC tenant whose landlord was refusing to pay for bed bug treatment,

Your landlord has an obligation to manage the infestation if your unit is not the only one infested. Talk to your neighbors and find out if they have bedbugs, too. Chances are they do, as those critters generally launch large-scale attacks on apartment buildings.

According to Section 805 of the District’s housing code, landlords have to do their part to keep out vermin and rodents. Part 805.3 of the law states, “If an infestation of a single habitation is caused by failure of the owner or licensee to maintain a residential building in a rodent-proof or reasonably insect-proof condition, the exterminating shall be done by the owner or licensee.” (By “owner or licensee” the law means what most people would call a landlord.)

Additionally, Section 805.5 holds, “The extermination of vermin and rodents shall be done by the owner or licensee whenever infestation exists in two (2) or more of the habitations in two-family or multiple dwellings.”

She adds later,

Any evidence you can dig up that your neighbors also have bedbugs will help persuade your landlord to deal with the extermination. At the very least, if he does not respond, it will serve as a substantial basis for filing a complaint with the local housing office.

Disclaimer: Bedbugger does not offer legal advice. Do the research on where you live (even if you live in NYC), find out your rights, and demand they’re met! Do not assume that the laws are the same everywhere else. Do not assume that since Peter Young’s case was successful, that you should withhold your rent. Contact a lawyer to discuss your legal situation.

Remember also that tenants have responsibilities too, and it’s always possible someone is going to try to use that section of your local code to blame you for an infestation. Talk to a lawyer if this happens, and make sure the lawyer learns how difficult it is to prove fault with bed bugs, even in the face of apparent evidence. (This can work in your favor as well as against.)

Please do leave a comment below (or email me here) containing links to any useful sites about tenants’ rights relating to bedbug infestations for your locality (any city, state, country). I will do my best to make sure this information is included here and saves someone else the trouble of hunting it down.Similar Posts: