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I am losing my mind and even HUD won't help!
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bugoff_1
junior member
Joined: May '09
Posts: 46offline
Posted 4 years ago
Sun May 17 2009 6:04:31
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I'm new to this forum and still reading all the posts which are very helpful. My situation is one I’ve not yet found a topic on but this may fall somewhere under Landlords responsibility vs. tenants, legalities and HUD/CDA…yes I said HUD (Housing Urban Development/Community Development Authority). You know, the one that is FEDERALLY FUNDED.
Five months ago I found a bug on my bed which I finally identified as a bed bug. I immediately called my landlord to let him know and began hours upon hours of research on these bugs from hell. Since then, I have been doing all the recommended tasks including washing my bedding everyday, vacuuming everyday, keeping my clothes sealed tightly in plastic bags as soon as they come out of the dryer…etc. I have no idea where these things came from. I’ve not brought in any used furniture or clothes, not traveled lately or stayed in any hotels.
My biggest problem has been trying to deal with a landlord who refuses to educate himself on these pests and how quickly they can move from one apt to another. Furthermore, he refuses to let ME educate him as well. He started treating just my bedroom with some kind of spray and a bomb, the chemical ingredients he has yet to give me. When that didn’t work, he bought some kit off the internet with a 3-step procedure that needed to be done every other day. Here it is 5 months later, 4 evacuations (each for several days by request of the landlord), over 10 ineffective treatments, sleeping on my living room floor on an inflatable mattress, living out of a plastic bag and still getting bitten nightly by bed bugs! Not to mention the damage he has done to my furniture including an $800 solid oak bed frame that is only 2 yrs old. According to him, he has talked with several other tenants in the same building and claims that no one else has these bugs but me (or has owned up to it). He has now told me that he will not be renewing my lease in July due to this bedbug problem being ‘my fault’ because as he stated ‘You brought them in”.
Additionally frustrating is the amount of help I am NOT getting from a HUD building inspector, a city building inspector or ANYONE for that matter! I am currently disabled & receiving Section 8 thru the HUD program (Wisconsin). Each year they do an annual inspection of the apt I live in to make sure it is up to code, etc. The inspectors keep telling me I need to show them a live bug in order to be able to push my landlord to treat my apartment further. If they’d told me that earlier, I would have gladly handed over bags full! At this point, my bedroom has been sprayed with so many toxic chemicals, I can’t even go in there w/o a facemask and even that causes me headaches. Thus I have been sleeping on an inflatable bed in the living room, where so far I have only found 2 bed bugs, but I know they are finding me as I’m still waking up with bite marks. Even the thought of trying to spend another nite in my bedroom makes me cringe after being attacked so many times after each failed treatment, just to catch a live bug for them.
Due to my disability, my immune system is already compromised and these chemical treatments are creating a very serious health hazard to me. I have discussed this with my landlord and HUD building inspector, recommending the Heat Treatment with no toxic chemicals. My doctor has gone so far as to send a letter to both my landlord and HUD, stating the risks involved to my health by use of ANY more chemicals. HUD replies by informing me that: 1) they need a live bug and 2) even with a live bug, they cannot tell the landlord what treatment to use or not use, its up to him.
Is it just me or does this all just sound insane?! Five months of this crap and NO ONE is holding him accountable for pest control. Isn’t this what we pay rent for?!
I have been to the Tenant Resource center numerous times for advise, talked with the Health dept. and finally contacted an atty who sounded hopeful on the phone that we had a case, only to inform me several days later in writing that his firm would be unable to handle the case. At this point I am so stressed and infuriated that no one seems to be able or willing to help me stand up to this landlord and take care of this infestation. Explaining that if I move without this problem resolved, I will be taking these bugs right along with me in my furniture and spreading the infestation to yet another apartment complex doesn't seem to matter to anyone but me.
I do not know who or where to turn to anymore. I’ve exhausted all my resources and am no further than I was 5 months ago, getting ready to be thrown out of my apartment. If anyone can please recommend another contact I’ve not tried yet, or ANY Help what so ever, I will be extremely grateful. I’m just lost.~bugoff_1
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BugsInTO
senior member
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 408offline
Posted 4 years ago
Sun May 17 2009 11:11:22
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Hi Bugoff_1:
I'm in Canada, so I don't know anything about HUD involvement. I think we can all relate to your situation and your frustration. From the sounds of it, you have kept up an amazing battle.
I have a couple of thoughts -
1) Once again check your tenant rights - Does the landlord have the right to refuse to renew your lease and on what grounds? You'll read elsewhere on this site that proving where bedbugs came from is practically impossible. FYI - In Ontario, a landlord threatening to evict or not renew a tenant on spurious grounds can be considered harassment, and can sometimes give rise to the tenant having a right of complaint against the landlord to the Tribunal.
2) Do you qualify for any kind of legal aid?
3) Go to your neighbors. Again, you'll read on this site that landlords commonly tell tenants that they are the ONLY ones. With the mistreatment your unit has been getting, it seems very likely the bedbugs will have moved into other units. And, it's also likely that is the source of your infestation. If you can get your neighbors involved, there is strength in numbers.
4) I've read here that there are places where landlord self-treatment with pesticides is illegal. See if you can find out anything about that. There is probably a PCO Assoc. in Wisconsin and they might know.I hope others will respond to you as well.
Good luck.
BugsInTO
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bugoff_1
junior member
Joined: May '09
Posts: 46offline
Posted 4 years ago
Sun May 17 2009 21:46:35
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Hey BugsInTo
Ty So much for the support! I've been trying to keep a stand against this Landlord and I am just Exhausted. You brought up a couple very good points, two of which I have been getting conflicting answers about and am trying desperately to find just what applies to my situation.
1) Once again check your tenant rights - Does the landlord have the right to refuse to renew your lease and on what grounds? You'll read elsewhere on this site that proving where bedbugs came from is practically impossible. FYI - In Ontario, a landlord threatening to evict or not renew a tenant on spurious grounds can be considered harassment, and can sometimes give rise to the tenant having a right of complaint against the landlord to the Tribunal.
2) Do you qualify for any kind of legal aid?Regarding tenant rights, I've visited the tenant Resource Center here in Madison, Wi several times and been told each time that it is illegal for a LL to not renew a lease based on pest control which they are by lease bound to uphold. But when I spoke to a legal rep from HUD, I was told LL's do not have to even tell a tenant why they are not renewing. When I read the exact wording from a brochure on tenant rights to this rep, she totally disregarded it and claimed it to be untrue. (HUH?)
This is why I sought help from Legal Action (Wisconsin's equivalant of legal aid) and had the phone convo with an atty who later denied the case in writing, but urged me to continue seeking legal advice before any more of my rights were violated. (HUH?) I feel like a ping-pong ball!You made a very good point stating that there are places where landlord self-treatment with pesticides is illegal. That would explain why he still has not given me a list of the chemicals he's already used. In addition, I was gone for a couple days and returned last week to the strong odor in the hallways of bug spray. When I asked the manager what it was, she claimed that one person had complained of seeing one roach, so they called an exterminator to spray. Knowing that this LL would NEVER take action on just one roach bug is totally suspicious and worth cking into further.
You're imput has helped me alot and I will be cking out more on this forum regarding your own findings. Thank you again for helping me keep going.
If anyone else has any words of advice, my thanks in advance. I'll try about anything at this point.
~bugoff_1
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