Tropicana Apartments    |    Mike Ginn    |    Groves    ,    Texas 77619    Landlord Complaint 23-0144

My apartment (5041 Monroe Apt. #93 Groves, Texas) was infested with pests (bed bugs). I suspect that Tropicana Apartment’s failure to provide adequate maintenance services to its residents was the cause of these bed bugs (namely, not shampooing the carpets and not changing the carpets in my apartment for over ten (10) years). I find it unreasonable that Tropicana Apartments is providing me with a bill for exterminating my own apartment and eight (8) other units, when I am not at fault for introducing parasites into the apartment that I rent from Tropicana. Moreover, the bill is UNJUSTIFIABLY high. $4700 for removing pests from my apartment and taking precautious measures for the adjacent apartments is a bit ridiculous. Comparable extermination services run for much less. Tropicana Apartments hired Bill Clark Pest Control (without consulting me about pest control options) and exterminated my apartment unit as well as the surrounding eight units on or around August 2, 2012. They did NOT provide me with any sort of estimate beforehand or mention that they would be dumping the entire bill on me. They provided me with a bill of $4700 and require that I pay it in full or else face eviction in three days (they will evict me by midnight on August 24, 2012). Essentially, they are blaming me for introducing bed bugs into the apartment when they have failed to provide regular and effective pest maintenance. According to Texas Property Code (Sec. 92.052. LANDLORD'S DUTY TO REPAIR OR REMEDY), “A landlord shall make a diligent effort to repair or remedy a condition….” In this case, pests are the issue and I have a strong reason to believe that the pests were due to negligence on Tropicana’s part in failing to duly maintain my apartment unit through regular upkeep (they NEVER routinely changed my carpets or shampooed my carpets for the entire duration of my 10 year’s residence in this complex). Moreover, Tropicana Apartments has acted very rudely to me and treated me with disrespect throughout this entire ordeal. I further require a proof of cost on their part detailing this unreasonable $4700 bill that they are forcing upon me. I also require maintenance records (carpet changes, painting, etc) to strengthen my claim that Tropicana Apartments is at fault for failure to regularly maintain the apartment unit, thus providing an environment conducive for pests to invade.