Landlord Bed Bugs Victim,
I’m a customer service rep for the Rental Protection Agency, and I’ve gotten a lot of inquiries about bed bug problems in rentals. I just saw your post and thought I could provide you with some quick answers. Yes the RPA handles bed bug complaints. In fact, bed bug complaints are quickly becoming more and more popular as infestations are spreading quick and fast across the rental industry. The apartment industry is being hit the hardest, next to hotels, due to the constant flow of new tenants. You do have rights and in most case we can negotiate to have your landlord cover all cost associated with bed bug removal. To file a complaint click on the link below:

Apartment / Landlord Bed Bug Complaints
File Bed Bug Complaint
Landlord or Property manager not paying for bed bug removal? They should! File a complaint to have an RPA Agent negotiate fair bed bug removal terms.    
COMPLAINTS ARE PROTECTED FROM LANDLORD RETALIATION

Once a complaint is filed you will immediately receive a case number. Your bed bug complaint will be assigned to an RPA Mediation Agent whom will negotiate with your landlord or apartment complex to have your unit exterminated. Also, if you file a complaint, I highly recommend selecting the “Certified Case” option… it will be available after you pay the $35 processing fee. An no, there aren’t any hourly fees. You will need to pay the $35 processing fee, but that’s it. The fee covers basic administrative cost. Rest assured, we understand exactly how frustrated you are and can usually help.
I hope that puts you at ease. You do have options, and there’s no need to hire an expensive attorney.

I’m having this exact same problem! I’ve got bed bugs in my apartment and my landlord refuses to pay. I went to the Arizona bar association to see if I could be referred to an attorney that deals with this kind of thing. The Bar found me 4 attorneys that could help me. After calling them, I found out that I would have to pay a $5000 retainer. (one was only $3500) plus pay $350 per hour. OUCH! Only one of them had actually dealt with a bed bug case, but it was in defense of a local hotel. So really, none of them really had much experience dealing with landlords and bed bugs. They all said they could easily get the landlord to pay for the cost and hopefully attorney fees. Uhhh, yeah, that makes no sense! I would’ve been better off paying for the treatment myself.

I’m a bit confused about the RPA Bed Bug complaint thingy… how much is the fee? Is it really only $35. There’s gotta be some hidden cost. Can you explain that to me? I really need help with this bed bug issue, but I want to know what I’m getting into before I file an official complaint.
Thanks!

Hi Anne.
I’m an agent with the RPA. I didn’t post the above response, but I can still help you with this. Agreed, its very expensive to hire an attorney, and usually they don’t have the experience dealing specifically with Bed Bugs. Going the route of court can be lengthy and will be expensive. Since the laws haven’t caught up with the bed bug infestation trend, a court case could go either way. It might come down to who has the better attorney.

The RPA Bed Bug Complaint option is designed to provide tenants with a low cost legal option. I’m certain you won’t find a less expensive legal option for fighting bed bugs. So what are the real cost? In actuality to file a bed bug complaint you will need to pay the processing fee of $35, that’s it! However, due to requests the RPA has provided some new services that are designed to help you further. All of the additional services are completely optional, BUT, can be a huge help to your end results. If it were me being attacked by Bed Bugs, I’d probably get all the added services that could expedite and resolve the case. For example you can have your case “Rushed” for $18. Another popular and highly recommended option is the “Certified Case.” This option will have the agent prepare two separate notices, one standard first class mail and another with signature required. This option is $19.
So, all in all– to file a bed bug complaint against your landlord or apartment complex, it will cost you $35. Possible an extra $18 to $19 if you choose to add the options mentioned.
I hope that helps.
I know our agents deal with these bed bug cases all the time. It would be interesting to here from some actual tenants that have gone through our Mediation Process. Anyone out there willing to share?

Hi all!
I saw this post and thought I could add to it. About a month ago my apartment got overrun by bedbugs. I talked to management about it, and they told me they weren’t responsible and that I would need to pay for bedbug treatment. I found a company that could spray for about $700. I was shocked at the price tag. I couldn’t afford it so I did a google search and found the RPA.
I decided that I didn’t have anything to lose so I filed a complaint with the RPA. Honestly, I thought they would send out a letter and that would be the end of the mediation process. I was wrong! The agent assigned to my case was awesome! He followed up with management several times to see that they were following through with the agreement he negotiated. It was smooth. The Agent provided regular updates on the case, so I always knew what was going on. It did take three full weeks to complete the process, mostly due to slow response from management, but ended up fixing my bedbug problem completely. The Agent suggested a couple of more effective treatment options that were safer and more effective than the chemical spray I had originally quoted. Through the mediation process I was able to get management to pay for Cryonite Treatment ($1167) plus get a credit on my next months rent for the days I was without use of the rental. I’m happy with the results, and still on good terms with management. I think they finally understood the seriousness of the situation after talking with the Mediator about it. The whole process cost me $54, much less than the cost of me paying for the treatment myself.

The only thing negative about the mediation process is that on the renters side all communication with the agent is done electronically. So, if you hate email or responding online, it may drive you nuts. It wouldv’e been nice to actually speak to my agent on the phone, but for me the electronic communication was okay. My questions were always anwered. BTW: If I wanted to I could have paid an addtional fee to have phone support, but I was trying to go cheap as possible. I’m just glad the bedbugs are gone, that’s the important thing. If you have bedbugs, the RPA Mediation option mentioned early is effective, at least it was for me.
Sleep tight and don’t let the bedbugs bite!

I filed a bed bug complaint with the RPA around November 15th (can’t remember the actual date) I just wanted to tell everyone what happened with my complaint.
I tried to get my landlord to pay for the bed bug treatment, but he refused and said it wasn’t his responsibilities as a landlord. But, then after talking with the agent he told me that he understood that the bed bug problem isn’t a typical infestation and that he could see why he might be more responsible for the cost of removal. Via the RPA Mediator we came to the following agreement:
Landlord:
Pay for bed bug removal
Tenant:
Remove record of complaint

I was okay with that. I didn’t really want to hurt the landlords reputation, I just wanted to enjoy the rental unit. I still haven’t authorized the Agent to remove the complaint from record, I’m waiting to see that the bed bugs are really gone. So far it is much better. The treatment took 2 times, but seemed to work. I’m going to wait another 2 weeks to confirm that the bed bugs are gone, then I will have the complaint removed. I’m glad I filed. I’m sure nothing would have been done had I continued to negotiate with the landlord myself. I don’t have many complaints about the process… it worked well. I think it cost me around $60 dollars to file, simply because I added a couple of features to the case that I felt were of value to me.

I had bedbugs to. I got help from RPA and now gone. I so thankfull that no more bedbugs in my house. Landlord no work with me, but he work with RPA Agent. I no like to file complaint but i had do something. I glad I did. Landlord now take care bedbug problem.

Hi y’all!

Thanks for the info on this bed bug problem. I didn’t know how to take care of bed bugs until I googled it and found this site. I’m living in a rental home that has a bed bug problem. I’ve told the landlord about it but he hasn’t really made any effort to kill these bugs. After reading your responses I decided to file an official complaint with the RPA. So, far I have my case number and am waiting for an update for the landlord.
I can’t wait to see what my landlord does with this whole thing, I’m hopeful We’ll see how it ends up. I’m asking for the landlord to pay for chemical free treatment, about $1000 plus RPA Filing fees.

Thanks everyone for the advice. After checking into all options I decided to do the RPA Complaint thing. Today the Bedbug removal company just finished their last treatment. I was surprised at how detailed these guys were. I thought they would just come in a spray in general areas, but instead they took about an hour or so searching and finding the bed bug hiding spots.. they checked everything, the light covers, box spring, corners, drawers, everything! It felt good to have someone that knew what they were doing. They were able to identify 3 main locations in my bedroom; the dresser, box spring, and oddly enough behind a big painting I have hanging above my bed. They treated all suspected areas and almost instantly they were gone. They said they would come back in 2 weeks to do a final treatment, just in case any remaining eggs had hatched. They just finished today. But to be honest, after the first treatment, they seemed to have been eliminated. YEAH!!
Okay, so now let me tell you what process I used to get my Landlord to treat for bedbugs.
1) I called 5 different Attorneys and discussed in detailed the bedbug problem and asked them what they could do for me.
(one of them actually referred me to the RPA– two said they wouldn’t take the case and the other three said they would but it would cost several thousand dollars to have them represent me.)
2) I researched the RPA site and posted my Bedbug post on November 16th.
3) I then researched every other solution or option I could find online. Kept bumping into the RPA site. (FYI spent hours and hours)
4) On November 19th I pulled up my blog post and saw the response made by Erin Huntington (above) and decided that the RPA Bedbug complaint seemed to be a good option, so I filed a complaint. And per suggestions above I did Add the Certified Case, Toll Free Phone Updates, Rush and an Official Bonded Copy of the completed case. (I think it cost me around $80 total)
5) My case was immediately assigned a an RPA Mediator who did an excellent job. He contacted my landlord and dealt with everything. The only thing I did was follow-up to see the latest status. All in all my landlord agreed to pay for the entire bedbug treatment (not sure what he paid, but from my research its not cheap) he also paid for my RPA Filing fees. So after everything was done, it didn’t cost me a dime– just some research. I can’t say enough about the process and how smooth it was. The only thing I had to do was agree to not make the bedbug problem public.
Thanks everyone for your help on this. I’m just glad this nightmare is over! If anybody else is suffering from bedbugs I would tell you to file a complaint. I’m glad I did.

Hold on a second.. I’ve had a tenant for 3 years. When he first moved in I had the entire building inspected by an exterminator, it was free and clear of all pests. This March I had it inspected again, one unit has bed bugs. I have 3 exterminators claiming that NO WAY could there be an infestation in this unit for 3 yrs and not in the rest of the building. I can’t get him to clean and prepare for extermination, in fact HE is suing me for $8000. I am evicting him, and in the process, my other tenants and I get to sit and wait for the infestation to get worse.
I hope you guys do your homework before you just automatically slam Landlords. I would LOVE assistance in reporting HIM as a dead beat Tenant. He brought the bed bugs in, is spreading them, and doesn’t care.

Do landlords have any rights when in comes to bedbug infestations? If the tenant brought them in? I lived in my condo for 4 years with no problems whatsoever. The first renter I had once I moved out  had a huge problem with bed bugs.

Renee,

I hear ya!  You hear all this talk about tenants rights to bedbug infestations, but what about the landlord.  Don’t we have any rights?  If you’re a landlord member, there’s a certification program via your landlord panel.  You can become a Bed Bug Free Property, which provides a lot of insight about what you can do to protect you and your property. 

The cost of treatment is usually passed onto us, the landlords.  So, the best option is to defend from infestations.  The program helped me discover how to check for signs and how to treat them without huge cost. 

The problem is that its way too hard to prove where the bed bugs came from… So, my policy (and requirement for my Bed Bug Certification) is to treat each vacancy.  Sounds a little over whelming, but the technique taught in the landlord certification only cost $10 to treat a 2 bedroom unit. 

Its a lfe saver.  Now if tenants get bed bugs, I can put an end to it before it makes me go bankrupt.  I once heard of a landlord that had to pay $40,000 to rid his 12 plex of bed bugs.   That’s too high of a risk to me.

Just login to your landlord panel and check under the section titled: Certifications, then click on “Bed Bug Free Property”

Hope that helps. 

I have been renting from the same landlord for the last 5 years, last June Daytona had some wicked rainstorms that flooded alot of the area, my apartment’s roof caved in and I lost all of my stuff to water damage, they moved me to another apartment complex they owned, said I could have for same price, once I got moved in, replaced all of my ruined stuff I found out that they jacked the rent up 50.oo and cable was no longer included. Since I live week to week (like most in this area) I couldn’t afford to move and provide 1st, last and security so I sucked it up. Last week I kept getting bit and had welts all over me, I showed one of the girls at work, at the same time we found a small bug on my shirt low and behold I had bedbugs, I was freaking out  while trying to find a solution on the web. I went home and my next door neighbor was in the hall and their carpet from the apartment was torn out, she informed me that the landlord had known for 2 months about the bedbugs and because neighbor was withholding rent until landlord resolved problem she would not pay, and the landlord would not resolve problem until she paid. In the mean time I GET BEDBUGS even though I paid my rent early every month. When I called landlord she said there was an exterminator on his way, I bearly had time to get my cat before he was foaming my apartment. Landlord put me up in hotel 1st night and since I cannot go back to my apartment for 2 weeks she provided a vacant unfurnished apartment at a different complex for me to stay in (I have had to buy new clothes, tolietries, ect) My lease is up in August but I want out now what is my recourse all of my stuff is ruined and frankly I am afraid to take anything that is cloth (bed, couches ect) So what are my options?

Hello Everyone, I thought after reading all these posts that someone could help. I have just recently moved into an apt. complex. There are 12 units here in total, so far 3 of them have a bed bug infestation. These bugs are so bad apparently these renters kids are being eating alive while they are home. One of them stated they are so bad, she can see them crawling on her kids. Your home is supposed to be a safe comfortable place! I have done a ton of research on bed bugs, made complaints to the health dept. and the landlord and no one wants to help? They said it was not a health concern. I am confused? Bed bugs FEED on you….how is this not a health concern? Anyway, back to my story. We all share just a few washers and dryers, our kids ride the same bus and they are always together or around outside. I also read that they climb in walls and empty spaces. The renters directly above me have them. How long till my family is infested! The landlords solution is to evict the people that have them, can he do that? They were here before they moved in. The pest control tech. confirmed that statement. Also, the landlord said he is going to rent a giant heater and try to cook them out. He is not certified in any way to treat for these pests! I’m afraid he’s going to burn my building down. Please…if anyone can help, I would love to hear what you have to say! I do not want bed bugs. I will not be able to sleep, it is seriously stressing me out!!!

Bed bugs are in fact feeding on your blood. So, yes; you are absolutely right– you don’t want them!! Bed bugs are actually not bugs at all, but instead are classified as Parasites. So, since you have an apartment that is infested by bed bugs, you have right to have the unit treated.

If you landlord isn’t will to pay for bed bug treatment or, is attempting to hold you responsible, you will want to file a complaint. Once you file a complaint with the RPA https://www.rentalprotectionagency.com/complaint_center_form.php you will receive a case number which then gets assigned to an RPA Agent who will resolve the complaint for you.

Sorry you have bed bugs… but the RPA can help you resolve this if your landlord is not working with you. The biggest thing is that the RPA will be able to educate your landlord as to why it is there responsibility.

Good luck.

I would like to thank you for your response, and up-date the situation a little bit. The landlord has decided he is not going to pay for the bed bugs. He says he has to draw a line between tenant and landlord responsibility. My families apt. does not have them yet, but all of these apts. are connected. I have contacted the local health dept. and they are sending him a letter. Attempting to explain his responsibility to him. The sad thing is, they can not force him to do anything. He has made a decision though. He has decided to rent industrial propane heaters and have our UN-licensed maintenance man bake the apt. complex. We all have to leave for the entire day while he does this, as well as pay for the cost of electricity to bring the 150degree temp in the apts. back down.

Question?… Can an Un-licensed person treat for bed bugs, and how safe is it to heat the rooms of our homes up? Isn’t he running the risk of burning down the complex? Should I be contacting the local fire marshal?

One more question…I promise! When you treat with heat, especially in apts…won’t you just push the bugs in the walls and on to the next apt.?

I truly appreciate hearing what everyone has to say, I can not wait to hear from you! Thank you!!

What?! They melted the apartment…

This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a bed bug removal company melting an apartment. Clearly the company you hired should be responsible, even if you signed a contract with them that says you’re not responsible. Most likely the contract is designed to avoid litigation, however, its probably non-enforceable as they should be responsible for damaging the property.

If the company you hired to heat treat for bed bugs still isn’t willing to pay for the damage; then I would file a complaint with the RPA (you’ll need to list them as the landlord, but it will work the same). The formal complaint will definitely lead you down the right legal path. I would guess that the company would attempt to resolve the matter, if not, now you have a solid case against them for court. You can use a copy of the complaint to show how you reasonable attempted to resolve the problem with the company.

You have rights in this situation. While, it may be true, that small damage to heat sensitive items such as: Lip Sticks, Food, etc could easily be your responsibility (assuming you failed to remove them prior to treatment) BUT, melting an apartment is much different!! The damage was caused due to neglect. The company should have never allowed the temperature to go much beyond 150 degrees… bed bugs and their eggs are effectively killed at 120 to 130 degrees. (it is common to heat to 150 ish in order to get the temperature to 120ish into deeper areas such as walls, mattresses, etc)

Please share! Can you tell us who you hired (lets not hire them!!) , how much they charged, how big your unit is, their treatment process (time needed, etc) and what preparation did they require from you?? This can be helpful to all the other tenants / landlords considering heat treatment for bed bug removal.

Good News! At least now your unit is completely free of bed bugs, even if you nearly burned down the place!!

NOTE: Heat treatment for bed bugs is considered the most effective option to completely rid apartments of bed bugs. The experienced explained by the tenant is rare and should NOT ever happen when using a professional company. Also, you do not have to sign their contract– there are plenty of competitors willing to do it without the contract. If you run into a company that demands on a contract, print out this post to express your concerns. All contracts are negotiable. Ask them if they are bonded. (insured) If they are, you should not be required to sign such a ridiculous contract.

Peace. (Don’t let the bed bugs bite)

Ok, firstly, let me define the situation. I purchased my upscale unit which was newly renovated in late 2007, only to purchase a home elsewhere all of 3 months later in early 2008. I immediately rented out my unit at that time to my current tenant. I have had my share of issues with the tenant from smoking (and having weed) in my unit several times, and from him being late virtually every month with the rent (although I have assessed no late charges which I could have EACH time). I’m not going to mention the 4-5 times he has left his tv on full blast at all hours of the night without him even being there or having the cops called on him for other excessive noise … or maybe I will.

He is a rather dirty tenant, but that is his choice and lifestyle. However, it let to a roach infestation, which I promptly took care of with an exterminator. That corrected the problem right then and there, but the professional told me that he saw signs of bed bugs, and that the tenant brought that in and would be his responsibility. I notified the tenant about it and told him that he needs to throw out or treat his mattress and box spring immediately. He did not.

Now, about one year later, his unit is completely infested with bed bugs, and now they are coming through the floor boards of a unit above his. We have gotten a professional to quote $1,200 a unit to rid them but they may travel to other neighboring units. However they offered to sell the concentrated chemicals (3-step process) at $300 and train (for 30 minutes) a couple of the property maintenance guys on how to apply it correctly. I offered to split the cost with the other affected unit tenant (NOT OWNER!). Anyhow, our maintenance guys offered to graciously do it for $60 cash per unit .. so that is roughly $210 my cost. I offered to only assess $25 extra rent for the next three months ($75 total), which the tenant initially agreed. But now he is saying that he is not responsible for any of it, and that it is my issue and problem and I need to deal with it 100%!

The maintenance guys mentioned all of the prep work that needed to be done from moving all furniture and items to the center of the room, stripping beds, and washing ALL CLOTHES and drying in high heat, removing sofa cushions, etc.. and he is now holding up the process not wanting anyone in there unless he is there. I’ve been in his units several times, and it smells like an old locker room after a football game. He has piles, and I mean PILES of dirty clothes everywhere in 3-4 mounds, and I believe he only washes 2 days worth of clothes at a time to work. There is no way he would do all his laundry and all the other hanging (clean?) clothes he had before we did the treatment.

I’ve fought pretty hard for my tenant and have been pretty compassionate about his late rental payments and dirty living habits that have led up to this point, and now I have to take on this too? Is RPA saying that will still side with my tenant? I have been trying to help in every way I can I feel. I’m paying $210 out of pocket for a professional solution that WILL work, and he can’t even offer to help with $25 a month for 3 months?? Is it really all my responsibility?

I have residents with bed bugs that I am more than willing to treat. When the pest control tech advise them to get rid of couches and chairs and purchase mattress covers to be used after treatment, they refuse. Yet they continue to complain. What are my rights as the manager?

I have perused all the previous posts here..and have realized that my problem may be rather unique.

The apartment I have rented in a part of an organized rental agency with official management offices etc. So when I called the management office to schedule an inspection, I was surprised to know that they would do it for free since they are the management. But then the nightmare started. They do it for free.. but wouldn’t come for an inspection whenever we want. They’d do it only between Tuesdays and Fridays and would come any time between 9am-3pm. I requested them to come over at 9am then so that I could still make it to work that day (albeit late).. But they refused and gave some absurd reason like they have no control over how long it takes them, can’t decide where the exterminators go first etc.

Having had gallons of blood sucked out of me by bedbugs, I caved and stayed at home an entire day and waited and my doorbell didn’t ring once (i continually called the management office to check why the exterminators weren’t there, but they claimed they couldn’t tell). But in the evening when I stepped out, there was a sign on my door: ‘We missed you’ from the exterminators. I am pretty sure the doorbell did not ring at all that day..but thought maybe I napped for a bit and missed it…

But turns out, that may not have been the case.. I have stayed back at home once again today.. and no one’s showed up (no sign either)..

I guess they are being so inconsiderate because they are doing this for free. But they are making it as inconvenient as possible for me. I tried to get it done from an independent exterminator, but turns out, legally it is the management’s responsibility.. so they have no authority over our area..

I’m so frustrated with this management… but I’m not sure if I can complain since, they have agreed to exterminate the bedbugs.. but have taken no action towards it yet.

Towards the end of August of 2011, my dad and I got infected with bed bugs. We have no idea where they came from, yet no one knows. We’ve only been renting here at our apartment for a year and a few months. We bought spray from our local food store to try to get rid of them, but it turns out it didn’t work; only made it worse. We have never had this problem before and we keep our homes clean and bug free. My dad mentioned it to our landlord and she called the pest control to have them treat our apartment. For them to come here, we had to do our job and that was to bag all of our clothing and put other things in boxes(like things on our nightstands, dressers..etc). They have came a few times to do what they had to do, but apparently we have so much stuff that the pest control can’t get far with treating our home. Our apartment isn’t the biggest and we have very little room to put things. On their directions packet, they said we can put furniture in a storage unit and that they will inspect it all before it returns in our home, but we can’t afford it because of personal reasons. Also, we’re not allowed to have anything leave our apartment because the bugs could spread to other apartments. Anyways, the bed bugs have stopped after their first visit. Unfortunately, we’re getting blamed for something that no one has proof of and our landlord is making us pay quite a lot of money for the treatment of the bugs and we can’t afford it. I personally don’t think its fair for any landlord to make their residents pay for things that we have no control over and at the fact that there is no proof who brought the bed bugs in. Just because they are in a home, doesn’t mean that the person who lives there is responsible. Please help us! It would be very much appreciated.