Home Properties, L.P., Mill Towne Village    |    Nicole Stanley    |    Owings Mills    ,    Maryland 21117    Landlord Complaint 20-2287

About a month after moving into my apartment in Nov, I began waking up with red bumps on my arms. After a month of bumps I began researching what could be causing them. I wasn't sure if I was allergic to something or if they were bug bites. I made an appointment with my doctor who informed me the bumps looked like bed bug bites. After my doctor's appointment I contacted my leasing office and told them I thought I had bed bugs. The leasing office told me they would have an inspection done. An exterminator visited my apartment and after an inspection determined there were no bugs. I continued to wake up with bumps for the next couple of months. I did not contact the leasing office about this because I was told by the office there were no bed bugs, however a couple of months after the first inspection I received a notice that the apartment was going to be inspected again. I thought it was odd that they were inspecting again when they claimed they had found no bugs with the first inspection. Again I was told the inspector found no bugs. In Aug I found several bugs in my bedroom. I put the bugs in a plastic bag and on Sunday I took them to the leasing office to prove there were bed bugs in my apartment. I was told the manager would call me on Monday. She did call and left a voice message saying they would be exterminating my apartment and I should call back for instructions. I called back several times during the week and she did not take my calls. The following week I received instructions on my door which told me what I needed to do for the extermination. I did everything I was asked to do which cost me approximately $100. After three weeks of exterminating I thought the process was over. The last extermination took place in Sep. In Oct I received my monthly rent bill and a $500 extermination fee was added to my account. At no time during this ordeal was I ever told I would be responsible for the cost of the extermination. I called the office to talk to the manager about the fee. She would not take my call. She told the assistant manager I was responsible for the costs because I brought the bugs to apartment. There is no way I brought the bugs with me. I believe the bugs were in the apartment when I moved in and are in the entire building and moving from one apartment to another. Iâ??m still finding live bed bugs in the apartment. I would like to have the $500 extermination fee removed from my account as well as compensation for other costs I have incurred.