Candlewood Apartments    |    Cindy Woods    |    Huntsville    ,    Alabama 35816    Landlord Complaint 23-0082

I just recently moved into my apartment .... I found out that I had bed bugs. I told my landlord and they had their pest control people come look at the situation... Nobody was able to give me any documentation other than the fact that I need to pay 570 dollars in pest control fees. Just word of mouth... My landlord is now saying that I have to pay for the bed bugs in my apartment and all of the units surrounding me. According to the pest control man the bugs are full grown. In a document that I read from the landlord they stated that It is the landlords obligation to maintain the multi-dwelling free of an infestation of bed bugs... If this nest is huge and it has full grown bed bugs then that means it was not maintained infestation free, before I even got here... The pest people did a treatment in june.... and they said the apartment only lets them do it for spiders and roaches, which I still continue to see in my apartment 5 weeks later... How can you maintain a infestation free dwelling if your not treating for it? or even checking for them yourself? According to multiple sources that I have read bed bugs can live for 12 months. I have been wronged as a tenant and the apartment has been negligent in the prevention of bed bugs. I just want a fair case. I would also like to add that according to the bed bug addendum. I can be held liable for the damages after 7 days of dwelling; however infestations can arise well after that 7 day assumption of infestation free, however the landlord can be held liable if negligent for prevent, no such documents of bed bugs or history of treatments has been given, although requested, meaning there is no justification that I was the cause of the infestation, neither the pest control nor landlord has provided any other documentation of infestation to the unit.. The infestation source was found in the phone jack on the wall. Under the lease I have to use the exterminator that the apartment chooses. They aren't allowing me to seek another opinion competing price. The same investigator of infestation and extermination is the same contracted company and resulting in possible conflict of Intelsat or price gauging. Being a attentive tenant should not result in fiscal penalty.