Got Bed Bugs? Bedbugger Forums » Tales of Bed Bug Woe
moved into an already infested apartment!
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TeresaAnn
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Joined: Sep '09
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Posted 2 months ago
Sat Sep 19 2009 21:25:01
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So my fiance, my 2 year old, and myself all moved into our new apartment on tuesday. Most of our furniture was moved in, with one more load in the uhaul. So, its 130 am and I've been in the apartment for aproximately 1 hour, my furniture has been there for maybe 12. I notice a small bug on the arm of my couch...one I've never seen before. I kill it, don't think twice about it. To me, it looked almost like a beetle of some kind. Then, maybe 20 minutes later, I go to the bathroom...there's another one! Now I'm wondering what the hell it is. My fiance mentions maybe its a tick, we kill it and go to bed exhausted. 6 am my fiance gets up for work, finds another one of these bastards in the bathroom. I start to worry. He leaves for work, I start googling bugs. Cockroaches, ticks, beetles, you name it! Finally, I come across bed bugs...sure enough, there are the bugs we found! Now I'm freaking out. I start tearing apart the couch I found the first bug on...I find 5 more! Two larger ones and three nymphs! I'm
hysterical at this point. I have never seen a bed bug before, I knew nothing about them besides that they fed on humans. I strip my clothes off, put clean ones on...rip my child out of her bed, where I find more! One nyph extremely engorged! I strip her down, change her clothes...all the while on the phone with my fiance who keeps telling me to calm down and then on the phone with my landlord who says he will be right over.
I'm out the door when the landlord shows up, I'm screaming like a psycopath. He says my unit was treated the week before we moved in, there shouldn't be any more bugs. Now I'm pissed! He knew about these bugs, didn't mention a thing and let me move in! Now my things are covered with these awful devil bugs! I tell him I want my money back, I do not want to live in an infestation. I moved in bug free, I want to leave that way. My landlord says okay, we'll meet later.
I spend the entire day at my mothers house, crying my eyes out and doing research. Now the landlord tells me I can not have my money back unless I sign a release stating he is not at fault! He most certainly is! I can not take anything out, in fear ill bring unwanted guests with me! I had to leave my poor cats in there. Finally I went in and got the cats and took them to the vet. She combed them out agressively and found nothing. I pray she's right in saying they are safe! I took all of my clothing and linens out of the apartment and washed them on hot and dried them on hot for ever!both times I went into the apartment I stripped down, washed the clothes and changed. I sprayed my shoes with hot shot for bed bugs. I'm so paranoid and depressed. I left everything behind. Am I still at risk? I'm so depressed. I have lost everything so quickly. My world turned upside down in mere hours! I have no hope left. I am traumatized, can't eat, can't sleep, having nightmares, having feelings of bugs crawling on me and inspecting every spec of dust or dirt I see! I feel so bad for those of you who have been fighting this for so long! I pray for you and hope that you'll have some words of wisdom and comfort for me.
I also had found out from a neighbor that most of the other apartments in the building have been infested and are dealing with the bugs as well! The whole building needs to be burned down to the ground! And that jackass landlord needs to pay for what he's done! -
TeresaAnn
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Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 13
Posted 2 months ago
Sat Sep 19 2009 21:42:46
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I'm sorry this was so long. I'm so overwhelmed.
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Reallytired5
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Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 15
Posted 2 months ago
Sat Sep 19 2009 22:10:03
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TeresaAnn,
I'm so sorry you're going through this! It really sucks! But don't lose hope. The depression/hysteria and lack of sleep do eventually go away. I would recommend you contact your local housing authority to see what your rights are and what options you have as far as moving out and getting treatments. I would also recommend contacting a few Pest Control companies to get some facts on the best ways to treat your living space. You may need to educate your landlord on some good practices.
As far as your daughter is concerned, try not to panic too much. We have three younger kids and I do understand. These bugs are annying and expensive and a complete pain, but they can't make your child sick.
Good luck with this!!
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BuggedInSomerville
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Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 65
Posted 2 months ago
Sat Sep 19 2009 22:13:27
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Where do you live? If I were you, I'd take your landlord straight to court. A lot of cities have laws against this sort of thing. The landlord has a legal responsibility to provide an inhabitable environment for tenants, and having an active bedbug infestation is an obvious violation. It sickens me that landlords either lack the proper knowledge about bedbug treatment, or are simply too cheap and shrewd to properly handle the situation. I know how terrifying an infestation could be and I don't want to add to your stress, but, please make sure you take the necessary precautions when traveling to your mother's, to avoid bringing them there: shower before leaving, change into a fresh set of clothes (wash and dry your clothes on HIGHEST heat settings and place them in airtight bags, like ziplock bags) immediately before going. I agree: that landlord needs to control the situation that he's obviously fueled through his lack of care. Like I said, there are legal components to this: I live in Boston, and here, the landlord must cover all extermination fees for bedbug infestations.
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TeresaAnn
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Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 13
Posted 2 months ago
Sat Sep 19 2009 22:35:03
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I haven't been staying there, as I said we spent one night...maybe 6 full hours in that apartment total. I only went back to bag up clothes and went straight to the laundromat and then took the clothes to my mothers. I also went back for a total of 5 minutes to get my cats out of there and let exterminators in. They retreated the apartment, I don't know with what. I don't even care, I will not risk bringing anything else out of there! I'm in rhode island. I would love to take legal action, but can't afford a lawyer. I haven't been to work in days, and I have no money until that scumbag gives me my rent and security back. I called everywhere for help! It is rediculous how no one is willing. I called the housing authority, the department of health, some place to do with human rights, the red cross, united way...ugh! They all kept directing me to different places and no one was helpful. I am exhausted, and as I said earlier...hopeless.
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BuggedInSomerville
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Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 65
Posted 2 months ago
Sat Sep 19 2009 22:46:34
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Don't feel hopeless -- I know it seems impossible to feel any other way, but there will be an end to it. Where in RI are you? Go to bedbugregistry.com and write a listing for your apartment - at least you can alert others to this scummy landlord and hopefully not only prevent someone else from having to deal with this, but also prevent the general spread of infestations.
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BuggedInSomerville
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Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 65
Posted 2 months ago
Sat Sep 19 2009 22:51:53
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(Unless you're the one at 1 Eric Pl. who already wrote in...)
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TeresaAnn
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Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 13
Posted 2 months ago
Sun Sep 20 2009 1:25:16
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Yes, I already reported it heh
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TeresaAnn
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Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 13
Posted 2 months ago
Sun Sep 20 2009 12:19:59
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My landlord still refuses to give my money back. I guessd right now my main concern is how likely is it that I brought bugs out with me eventhough I left everything behind??
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BuggedInSomerville
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Joined: Aug '09
Posts: 65
Posted 2 months ago
Sun Sep 20 2009 14:56:52
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TeresaAnn:
I'm so terribly sorry for all of the trouble you have to go through with this. Worrying about bringing them elsewhere should be on your mind, but not your main concern. I've heard stories from many people who've had infestations for months and during that time visited and *stayed overnight* with friends and brought luggage with them, without taking any precautions, and they didn't bring the bugs with them. So keep track of the people you've visited, but know that you're now armed with valuable information and knowledge that only people who've had bedbugs first-hand know, and if anyone *did* catch them from you, you'll be well-equipped to tackle the problem before it really becomes one.
About your landlord: You wrote earlier that he wanted you to sign something saying it wasn't his fault. If I were you, I would get assertive with him and tell him it absolutely was his fault. If he treated an infested unit only once, and didn't go and carefully inspect the unit before leasing it out, he is the one responsible. It is his duty as a landlord, his LEGAL duty, to provide the lesees, who are PAYING him for his "service," a safe and healthy living environment, and he has obviously failed to do so. Do some digging online and find sources that cite landlord responsibility, specifically for bedbugs. (I sent my landlord this release from the City of Somerville, where I was living at the time: http://www.somervillema.gov/newsDetail.cfm?instance_id=703 -- the paragraph third-from-bottom clarifies that, as far as the Somerville government is concerned, the tenant is NOT AT FAULT for a bedbug infestation.) Send him these sources and tell him he has not held up his end of the deal and therefore you have no obligation to pay him. I can't believe these jackass landlords who get away with such sloppy handling of bedbugs - they're seriously the most at-fault for the pandemic of infestations that's exploding.
I feel terrible for you and will keep you in my thoughts.
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TeresaAnn
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Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 13
Posted 2 months ago
Sun Sep 20 2009 15:47:44
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Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kind words! I feel as though I'm all alone and I can't imagine living with bedbugs for months or even years as I've read some people on here have had to do! This is why I'm so terrified of bringing them with me. I do feel a little better, knowing people have taken no precautions and ended up okay. I have litterally lost everything and its been a constant fight with my fiance about risking taking anything out of that bed bug haven.
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your host
Joined: Mar '07
Posts: 5,547
Posted 2 months ago
Sun Sep 20 2009 16:53:00
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I am not a lawyer but I suggest you consider legal avenues, since the landlord had the place treated a week before, they should have known they put you at risk. You may be able to price Vikane gas or thermal treatment of your belongings (in a pod or truck), and claim for this as well as any rent/deposit you need to recover.
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CookEmDanno
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Joined: Sep '09
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Posted 2 months ago
Sun Sep 20 2009 21:08:16
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Judge Judy?
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spideyjg
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Joined: Jul '08
Posts: 1,405
Posted 2 months ago
Sun Sep 20 2009 21:22:57
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TeresaAnn
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Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 13
Posted 2 months ago
Mon Sep 21 2009 10:58:30
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Judge Judy scares me. Haha. I called the attorney generals office today, they suggested a small claims suit. The max you can sue for is 2500 which is not enough to cover the items I have lost. This all completely sucks! *sigh*
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TeresaAnn
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Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 13
Posted 1 month ago
Wed Sep 23 2009 16:58:56
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So, a little update. I've called everywhere in this god forsaken state..from the attorney general's office to the news stations to the department of health. No one would help. I ended up signing a release to get my money back and left everything behind. Now I find myself completely terrified that I brought them with me some how...some way. I keep inspecting everything including dark spots on the hardwood and dust bunnies. I'm so paranoid. This is seriously taking a toll on my mental health. How long would it be before I'd notice a problem! How likely is it that I brought them with me eventhough I left everything behind?
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