Maplewood Apartments    |    Monica    |    COLORADO SPRINGS    ,    Colorado 80906    Landlord Complaint 23-3047

When I moved into my apartment on June 1st, 2013, there had been no mention of the preexisting bed bug infestation. After I found a dead tick in my bathroom on the second day, the apartment manager (Monica) told me that Global Pest does a bi-weekly preventative spray. So for almost three months, I cooperated with the spraying preparations, moving my furniture away from the walls, laundering my bedding and keeping them in plastic bags in my kitchen for 24 hrs, etc. On Aug. 30th, I experienced my first Bed Bug bites, and on Sept. 2nd, inspected my mattress and found over 20 bugs and eggs. I collected them with a piece of clear tape and sealed them in, and on Sept. 3rd I showed them to Monica. I showed her the bites on my legs and arms (now over 25 of them) and asked about scheduling a spray for my apartment. I let her know that I had the next two days off. For a full week, I did not hear anything from Monica. During that time, I sprayed rubbing alcohol, sprayed "JT Eaton Kills Beg Bugs II", vacuumed and laundered religiously, and I was still getting bit. On the 7th, I found through some research that Deltamethrin, the pesticide in JT Eaton, is a neurotoxin, and I stopped spraying it. On Sept. 11th, I went to the office and Monica gave me a flyer stating that Global Pest would be spraying on the 14th. I told her about everything I had done, that it wasn't working, and asked about getting out of my lease. She said she would look into it, but that I would probably have to pay a penalty. I called Sam at Global Pest and asked what pesticide he uses to spray for bed bugs, and it was the same (Deltamethrin) that was in JT Eaton, only at a higher concentration. I was uncomfortable with that being sprayed in my unit, but decided to cooperate anyway. A few days after Global Pest sprayed on the 14th, I was still being bit. I mailed a written notice to Monica and to the Paramount Group on the 22nd stating that after all the spraying, the bed bugs were still in my unit. After further research, I found that 88% of all bed bug populations in the U.S. have developed a mutation that makes them immune to Deltamethrin. I talked to Monica about using Heat Extermination (the only sure method), and her response was to schedule another spray. The bugs are not going away, and my bites are infected and scarring. I'm losing sleep, work, money, and sanity. I want to leave, but I do not want to carry the bed bugs with me. Please help me. My next step is to contact a lawyer.