Tenants rights bed bugs

By Paul

I am about 3 months into a 2 year lease and found bed bugs about a month and a half ago at the condo I’m renting. The owner claims that the bed bugs were not there before we came, but we did not have bed bugs before we moved in so I think its difficult if not impossible to prove if:a) We brought the bugs there b) The bugs were there alreadyc) The bugs arrived after we got thereSince I have a friend in the pest control industry I decided not to bother the land lord right away and just try to deal with the problem myself. Here is what we have personally done over the past month to get rid of the bed bugs:1) Sprayed the entire house 3 separate times. The cost of the chemicals at wholesale price was $70. Besides the cost spraying for bed bugs is time consuming and my wife developed an allergic reaction to the spray for which she needed to go to the doctor.2) Threw away our two year old mattress. It will probably cost $700-$900 to replace and we’ve been sleeping on an air mattress for the past month. We will continue to sleep on an uncomfortable air mattress until our lives are bed bug free.3) Laundered all our clothing and bedding twice. I estimate that this has cost us about $70.4) Sprayed bed bug foggers from Home Depot twice. Cost for foggers: $60.In summary we’ve spent a substantial amount of time and about $200 + the cost of a new mattress to deal with these pests on our own and they are still around. My two questions are:1) What legal rights do I have to request that my Landlord take care of the problem? Is it his responsibility or mine? I don’t plan on trying to charge him for the work/money I have already spent but it is obvious to me that this is a problem that needs the help of a professional pest control agent that specializes in bed bugs. 2) If my landlord does not or cannot rectify the bed bug problem am I entitled to break the lease without penalty?Thanks for any advice you might have. Paul

Edited on: Sunday, November 10th, 2013 12:34 am

55 Responses to “Tenants rights bed bugs”

My response: (We welcome stories, examples, explanations, answers and a touch of your personality)
 

Scott

August 27th, 2009 10:05 pm

Heres the problem with bed bugs. Once you have them, even moving will not get rid of them. Bed bugs will go right with you to a new apartment. These little buggers lay eggs in furniture, clothing, etc. So, you can run but you can’t hide! Its best to continue to rid yourself of the pests before moving. But if your’re in a large complex it can be tough to get rid of them unless surrounding units are treated too.


BedBUGGER

August 27th, 2009 10:52 pm

Nighty Night, don’t let the bed bugs bite.
Its a fact Paul, the USA hasn’t seen an infestation of bed bugs like this since the early 1900’s. Bed bugs are on the rise and are difficult to kill. Let me give you a little insight on these bed bugs. To kill your enemy, you must know your enemy:
Bed bugs are actual considered parasites that seek human hosts or other warm blooded animals. The scientific name is Cimex Lectularius which literally translates to Blood Sucker! Now here’s the reason these blood suckers are so hard to get rid of… as with any parisite, they have perfected procreation. Male bed bugs will mate with as many females as it can, yes, they’re immoral buggers but the more freaky thing is the way these guys have sex. Males actually stab through the females abdomen with there sex organ. The more times they stab the female, the more effect it will be for the female. Each time the bed bug stabs its partner it injects her with semen. Once a female has been attacked by the male it will lay anywhere from one to a dozen eggs daily. The eggs are coated with a sticky substance the adheres to many surfaces. Eggs hatch in 5 to 15 days.
Baby bed bugs, called nymphs can start feeding right away. Although, bed bugs can live for many months without food (Blood). When they feed they prefer to do it at night after their host have gone to sleep. Bed bugs are equiped with a straw-like mouth that easily goes through the skin. When bed bugs start feeding they produce a chemical that numbs your skin so that you don’t feel a thing, the also inject a anticoagulant that prevents the blood from clotting while they suck. Later this saliva flulid causes skin irratations that vary per person but mostly cause itching that can last from hours to days. The feeding process will take up to 15 minuets for adults, less for nymphs. Bugs will engorge themselves to about 3 times their original state. After feeding they return to their dark hiding spot to digest.
Bed bugs are flat and extremely small. During their life cycle 12 to 18 months they will molt 5 times before they reach maturity. Bed bugs like to hide near the host. The best way to find them is to look closely at the seems of your matress, inside your box spring, and even under picture frames, between cracks in walls, light switches etc. Bed bugs are visable to the naked eye about 3/16 to 1/5 inch long and are redish brown in color. Look for redish stains on sheets and mattress. You may also find shed skins from moltations. Bed bugs do have scent glands that release a sweet musty like odor, that can be detected by humuns only if the infestation is major. However, specialized companies will often use dogs to find bed bugs… their smellers are up to 10,000 times stronger than humans.


BedBUGGER

August 27th, 2009 11:11 pm

Now that you know what they are, lets talk about how to kill them.
I mentioned above that some companies use dogs to track down bed bugs. To best exterminate bed bugs it is suggested to hire a company that can provide a bed bug scent dog to locate hiding spots. This sure method is much better than a vague generalized spraying approach. Believe it or not, the bed bug spray that is most effective– in my opinion is not harmful at all to humans.
How to get rid of bed bugs for good?
1) Hire a company that uses K9 (dogs) to sniff out bed bug hiding spots.
2) Use a Cryonite spray to instantly kill bed bugs.
3) Repeat about 2 weeks after initial treatment.
4) Get your landlord to pay for the treatment — the RPA can arrange that when you file a landlord complaint.
What is a Cryonite Spray?
I though you might ask… First let me explain that bed bugs do not do well with the cold. In fact 2 weeks at below freezing tempatures will kill all bed bugs and eggs. So, if you live in a cold climate, you could store your infected belongings in an unheated storage unit in the middle of the winter, and you could be confident that you would be free of bed bugs– but keep in mind at least 2 weeks at below freezing tempature. Probably not going to happen in California.
So, back to the question. Cryonite is CO2 spray that freezes bed bugs and eggs instantly. The spray shoots out a Carbon Dioxide Snow, similar to dry ice (-100 degrees F) which instantly kills. There are no side effects to humans or pets. Its safer for your home and more effective. Don’t waste your money on sprays from hardware stores– they don’t work very well, as you well know from your past experience.
Remember, getting out of your lease will only spread the problem to your new apartment. You gotta deal with it now. Although you should be able to get you landlord to pay for the Cryonite treatment.
Good Luck– and don’t let the bed bugs bite! (Sorry couldn’t resist)


renter

August 31st, 2009 8:56 am

I’ve lived with bed bugs and its not fun. But the above advice from “BedBUGGER” is really informative. The Cryonite treatment works really well, that’s finally what worked for me.
Thanks for taking the time to explain bed bugs in detail, but some of that stuff makes me creeped out. I had no idea bed bugs were considered parasites, yucky!


Tiger

July 6th, 2010 7:42 am

Me and my wife moved into an apartment about 3 months in weve been seeing bedbugs everywhere our income is so limited right now we cant afford to treat it ourselves and sue a landlord. We know how to get them outta our stuff and most of it were going to throw away. Honestly though we need outta this lease what are our options.


expewhets

September 1st, 2010 4:56 am

This is a good blog. Keep up all the work. I too love blogging and expressing my opinions. Thanks
Watch Squirt Factor Online


jerry

October 4th, 2010 1:04 pm

we moved to the area we live in about 6 months ago. We were having trouble finding a place so a woman from my uncles church suggested a landlord she had worked with before. At first he showed us this unit that had been desserted by the previous renters, and told us if we cleaned it up he wouldnt charge us deposit. So we agreed and began cleaning out the unit the next day, and moved our things in a couple days later. Well the next day the lady from my uncles church called a d told us to get our things out of there because she found out the people that were there before us left because tnere were bedbugs there. So we went and got some bedbug spray from home depot and soaked all of our clothes and anything made of cloth little did we know that bedbugs can hide electronics too. Next we called the landlord and told him we didnt want to move into that unit because it was just to filthy and asked him if he had anymore places open so he showed us the one we are currentlly in. We moved into this place and about a month later my girlfriend started to complain that she was gettin bit at night. She would be itching so bad tht she would get up outta bed and go sleep on the couch in the middle of the night. So agin we went and got spray and foggers, the problem stopped for about a week then she noticed she was gettin bit agin, then my daughter began to bet bit and i mean bad. Her arms legs back and stomach were covered with bites. So we got foggers and spray agin, note this is the third time. Now we notice that we are gettin bit in other parts of the house like downstairs in the living room. I thought that my girlfriend was spreading them when she would get up in the middle of the night, but she did some research and found tht when u set off foggers they just move to another part of the house. So now we’ve spent I dont know how much on sprays and foggers and we still have the problem. So we call an exterminator and keep in mind that i was gonna pay for his myself even tho im renting. So the exterminator comes and finds a bedbug on our mattress, then tells me its gonna cost $1600 dollars for the treatment. Then he ask us if we rent or own, I told him we rent and he begins to tell me about all these lawsuits that have do with tenants sueing their landlords for the cost and he ask me if ide be interested in sueing but i told him no we just want the problem taken card of. So he offers to call our landlord and let him know whats goin on( which is a call i wish ide made myself) because the next day they came n served us with a 30 day notice. And when i got pissed and asked, ‘so u mean to tell me we’re gettin evicted?’ His response was no we just have to have the property vacant so we can take care of the problem. So basically we got bedbugs from one of their units and their solution to the problem is to put my 3 year old daughter, myself, and my girlfriend who is 3 months pregnant by the way out on the street, STILL HAVING THE BEDBUGS WE GOT IN THEIR UNIT. Oh yeah and they want us to pay rent for this month before we go or get out now. Can they do this, please gimmie some advise on who to get in touch with or somethin. If they want us out thats fine but they should at least treat this place before we go so we dont just carry them to our next place and have all kinds of problems and expenses with our next landlord.


Margie Lock

October 6th, 2010 11:04 am

I am writing you on behalf of my mother, Margie Lock, who has been living in the Calibre Chase Apartments in Crystal Minnesota since March of 2002. On June 5, 2010, she moved into her new apartment on the 3rd floor from the 2nd floor of the same building. On the morning of October 1st she discovered signs of bedbugs in her mattress. We notified the landlord immediately. The Apartment Site Manager called their contracted pest control agent and at 4pm on the same day Plunkett’s Pest Control came out to inspect the apartment. My mother, my husband, the apartment site manager, Chad Boeddeker and Rocky, the Plunkett’s exterminator representative, and I walked into the master bedroom, which is the only room in the apartment that showed any signs of bedbugs. During the day, my husband and I worked constantly bagging up all the bedding into large plastic garbage bags. We bagged a couple of dead bedbugs for Rocky to see, so perhaps he did not need to perform a more thorough investigation or maybe he felt he did not need to look into the closet or drawers or anywhere else in the apartment because we told him we had gone through the entire 1050 square foot, 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with kitchen, living room and dining room, and found no evidence of bedbugs anywhere other than the master bedroom. Anyone going into my mothers bedroom would have not assumed that there were bedbugs present. The only evidence was under the bed. Her apartment is very clean with no clutter anywhere. The investigation was brief and we left the bedroom in less than 10 minutes and went to the living room where Chad and Rocky told us they were going to get together and let us know what we should do. Chad advised us not to tell anyone about the infestation.

At 4pm on October 1st, Chad came to the apartment and presented us with a proposal from Plunkett’s for a heat procedure costing $2071.50 plus tax. Today we received a letter from Calibre Chase stating that they expect us to take care of the necessary expense via their contracted pest control agent which will be billed back to us from Lang-Nelson, owners of the apartment. They notified us that the soonest date available for treatment is October 20.

Over the last few days, my husband and I have extensively researched bedbugs and have found many horror stories about bedbug extermination and bedbug scams. We read one article that said the heat treatment is overkill, expensive and damaging. Another article said bedbugs could come from the walls, the heating system, vents, and many other places and the only way of getting rid of them is through constant diligence and maintenance. We cleaned, fumigated, wrapped and sealed the bed in plastic and have removed all signs of any bedbugs. We thoroughly examined the apartment and found no evidence of bedbugs anywhere other than her bed. One article we read said that bedbugs are usually found within 4 feet of the bed.

We slept in her guest bedroom from September 29 until October 5th and found no signs of bedbugs at any time. My mother has slept in her plastic wrapped and sealed bed since we discovered the infestation with no signs of any bedbugs. Her rash that appeared on her neck and forearms has improved tremendously.

This morning my 87 year old mother received a very threatening letter from her landlord taped to her door. Needless to say she was very upset and in tears when I spoke with her on the phone. We originally had assured her that she was in no way reckless or negligent and this was not her fault and not to worry, so it came as a tremendous shock for her to receive a letter of this nature. Further more, the heat treatment the landlord is requiring will damage most of the laminated and veneer furniture in her apartment and they want us to sign a document stating that they are not responsible for any damages incurred during the process. Preparing for the heat treatment is an incredible task in itself. The requirements are extensive and seem unnecessary based on our research.

We hope you can help us. If you have any questions, please contact me at 415-488-4969.

Sincerely,
Mary Lock


Debi

February 22nd, 2011 6:31 pm

Is there any situation where a tenant of a 2 unit rental house should be responsible for bed bug extermination? My landlord is refusing to exterminate. He says my cat has caused fleas. I’ve found the bugs and have done a treatment of chemicals which has decreased them but not eliminated them. Also I do not know if the other tenant has them. He told me to speak to her about it.


Nicole Vega

May 31st, 2011 3:55 pm

Even if you brought the bed bugs yourself, the landlord in responsible for dealing with the problem. They have to get rid of the bed bugs in infested buildings and units and they must pay for extermination. According to the California Supreme Court case of Green vs. Superior court it was established that the “implied warranty of habitability” makes the landlord responsible for the repair of serious defects that affect habitability.


Ron W.

July 28th, 2011 10:36 am

The Laurel Village Apartments located at 909 Leslie Road, El Cajon, CA 92020 is completely infested with bedbugs and the management refuses to exterminate these apartments … even after tenants report it on a daily basis!

The manager always tell the tenants to go and buy rubbing alcohol to spray in the apartment and when the tenant insist on an exterminator, she tells them they would have to pay!


Tracy

September 6th, 2011 5:07 am

We’ve lived in our apartment for almost 2 years. The last few months I’ve had serious rashes and bites and just now discovered we have a bad case of bed bugs. I’m reading about these horror stories where the landlord might want us to pay for treatment and will evict us if we don’t pay for it. Is that true? I’m in florida and I can’t seem to find solid advice for my state.
This is a large complex so I would also like to know if any neighbors have them. I was thinking about posting anonymous letters on their door asking if they have the same problem, that way we can approach the landlord as a group and they can’t deny it. What are my rights in Florida?? Any help would be appreaciated!!
Isaacs.tracy@yahoo.com
727-331-5793


Bed Bug Killer Sprays

October 17th, 2011 12:03 am

Bed bugs controlling and killing. At this time we do not know of any product that is in development specifically for bed bug control.we provide a list of do it yourself bed bug control pesticides treatments to kill.


Amit kamboj

October 19th, 2011 3:21 pm

Hi ,

Need some help.

We have been staying in one apartment in Sunnyvale for almost 3 1/2 years.
We did not face any issues. From last few months we observed that my son
( who is around 2 1/2 years old ) used to get some red patches on his body.
We thought he is having some allergy. One day we observed bed bug inside the
apartment. Seeing that we told to apartment’s rental manager. They talked to
pest control(CLARKS ) and they gave one flyier mentioning pre-treatment tasks
we need to do. We did and one day they did the HEAT treatment. After few days we
saw 1 bed bug on curtain seeing that we killed it. Then we went to rental
manager and told about it. They said CLARKS will come to inspect again.
CLARKS told when you see it try to put in some ziplock kind of thing to show
them. After that we did not see any bed bug so far. But after seeing it we
threw our couch/mattress/spring boxes ( not bed as we dont have one :) )

We decided to rent a new apartment in another community. We gave notice
to vacate our current apartment community. Seeing that rental manager told you need
to pay for the bed bug treatment and property manager from management company
( who manage our current community ) will send the bill. We got the bill for
$1774.00 and they are asking us to pay asap. We were not told that cost is
this much ? We were not told if we need to pay.

We came to know that bed bugs have been in other units of the apartment
Also before where treatment was done. May be these came into our unit from those
affected units in past.

Once our rental manager told that their managing company has good lawyers.

Can you please suggest what should I do in this case?

City : Sunnyvale, CA 94086

Thanks
Amit


Misty

February 22nd, 2012 3:42 pm

I live in Utah and I had never seen a Bed Bug till about a month ago ….. I moved into some apartment and my neighbors upstairs have them bad but they don’t seem to mind cuz they are doing nothing to get rid of them. I have talked to my landlord and she had a profesional come out and spray my apartment but informed me it was not her responsibility to pay for them to come spray and that if one spray didn’t get rid of them then i would be responsible to pay for the profesionals to come back so the profesionals sprayed and i wash and dryed every bit of clothing, bedding and everything made with fabric in my house that seemed to work for about a week then i caught one biting me on the neck and started getting bites all over my body. I am afraid to sleep I haven”t slept for two days i don’t want to get bit anymore i am extremely alergic to them my hole body swells when i get bit by one and i get physically sick ….. I am the only one in the house getting bit and i have 6 kids and my husband ….. PLEASE help me what do you suggest i do so i can sleep again.


Jessi

April 4th, 2012 9:49 pm

We are in a rental in Helena, MT. We moved in three years ago and have had problems ever since with bed bugs. I reported it twice to my landlord and he laughed at us as well. He sold his rental property to a property management company and they gave us an eviction notice because of remodeling, I told them about the problem and that I have reported it alot over the years. He gladly said they would take care of it to save our furniture before we leave. I was so happy that my case was finally getting taken care of. We are still waiting for the dates of the extermination. I am so glad that they are accommodating us and can’t wait for us to not have to live with these pests anymore!!


Genevieve

April 25th, 2012 3:00 pm

I just moved 3 days ago into a larged shared house with several roommates. Yesterday when I woke up I found bites on me me think I had hives from eating strawberries the night before. I phoned the landlord and left a message about the insect bites and that I would buy a fogg from Home depot. He at that time told me he we had bed bugs. I couldn’t believe it. He had already sprayed the room next to mine and the bugs must have came to my room. I stayed again lastnight and was bitten even more. I woke up this morning a left the house at 4am. I went to my office and washed up there and got ready for work. I gave the landlord a deposit as well as aprorated rent for April. What are my legal rights. I don’t want to go back there but I also don’t want to carry them where ever I move. I am so disappointed and I just feel sick today. Not to mention all the bites on my face and body. What can I do now!
Denver, Co.


leeeee

May 18th, 2012 1:09 pm

I just moved into an apartment in cincinnati ohio, and after spending two nights there, am already seeing signs of bed bugs. This includes a multitude of bites on my back, legs and arms. I submitted a service request, which was responded too almost immediately, saying they would spray again in 2 days. The issue i have, is that they said they spray every apartment after the previous tenant leaves, which, seeing as i have only been there for a few days, suggests their spraying isn’t working. I havent moved in a bed yet, for fear that it could also get infested, and wonder how long i should wait until after they spray again, in order to avoid having to trash a new bed. I suspect such infestation would fall under something that i could easily win in small claims court, but who has the time for that, should I meet with the exterminator to be sure that their spray will also kill bed bugs and their eggs.


Peace Maker

July 15th, 2012 7:53 am

first of Bed bugs are not “egg laying machines” as I have seen some say. They do lay about 5 eggs per day. They can be killed on contact with 91% isopropyl alcohol (available at Walgreens)not your everyday alcohol, but 91% only. Just put in a spray bottle, and spray live ones that you see. The problem is they hide and that you can get bed bugs from a lot of sources. Poison doesn’t work well if at all, because they have to spray it directly on them. Crawling through it doesn’t kill them. Now some landlords might be guilty of foul play, BUT, if you bought furniture from a used store, or from a garage sale, or any used arena. Some people pick up great finds thrown out by others. Did you do this? Do you buy items that have been resealed and may have been returns at the store? Have you accepted used furniture, mattresses, bedding from friends or family? Have you had others visit your home? Have you been to the theater? The arms of the seats are often loaded with the bugs, and you can bring them home in your purse, shoes or pant cuffs as well. Be honest, and be fair, because if you have done any one of those things then it is entirely possible that it was YOU that could have brought the bed bugs into your own home, just like head lice, scabies, crabs, and a whole host of other parasites. Now, how to get rid of them cheaply and quickly. Diatomaceous Earth. It kills them, it is cheap, google it and buy it. Make sure you buy Food grade that is important. It is NOT a poison. The bed bugs crawl through it, they get it on their bodies and it cuts their little bodies up, but it will NOT harm pets or children or people. it is non toxic to mammals. use good practices, no used upholstered furniture, wash bedding often, (at least 1 to 2 times per week) get a bed bug proof cover for your mattress and box springs. Clean dust from woodwork on a regular basis. Stay away from places and people that might have them until we get this outbreak in the US under control. Landlords have to work with tenants BUT tenants have to be responsible. If you drag a couch in off the curbside and it is loaded with bed bugs it is hardly fair to make the landlord pay for the treatment of your home. On the flipside, landlords if you will use Diatomaceous earth on your apartments and treat them well, you will not have these problems and you should work with your tenants to stamp out these problems.


MELA

November 20th, 2012 10:52 pm

i know 2 people at the present that have bed bug’s and roaches, they have mental problems and seem unable to negociate with the landlords. Personally apt have always been responsible to spray in the past, i have been told by these people that the complex made them sigh an agrreement that they would be responsible for the bed bug’s if they got them!! Is this la legal document or just another way around a bug problem the complex has had for years and didn’t take care of it when it started. I think one of the reason’s most people rent is because these problem’s have been ioncluded in the past with rent along with anything else that goes wrong in the unit like plumbing heat and air etc etc.. I THINK IF YOU ARE RENTING CONDO’S OR APT’S BUG CONTROL SHOULD BE THE LANDLORDS RESPONSIBILITY! IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO KEEP UP YOUR COMPLEX YOU PROBABLY SHOULDN’T OWN ONE ! IT TAKES A GREAT BUSINESS MIND AND LOTS OF MONEY TO BE A RESPONSIBLE OWNER THIS ISN’T THE GAME MONOPOLY IT’S THE REAL WORLD AND HUMAN’S SHOULD NOT HAVE TO LIVE ONE DAY IN A ROACH INFESTED APT OR CONDO THEY ARE PAYING FOR AND IF THERE ARE BED BUG’S THEY SHOULD EVACUATE THE BLDG AND SPRAY ALL UNITS ONCE THEN IN A FEW DAYS SPRAY AGAIN FURNITURE INCLUDED!! THIS IS HORRIBLE AND I WILL SAY IT AGAIN UNHUMAINE


PW

January 4th, 2013 11:07 pm

Hi Amit, Could you please call me on 559-824-1962. I am facing the SAME PROBLEM and need advice. Please call me ASAP , would appreciate it!


Amanda

April 24th, 2013 4:36 pm

Scott
August 27th, 2009 10:05 pm
Heres the problem with bed bugs. Once you have them, even moving will not get rid of them. Bed bugs will go right with you to a new apartment. These little buggers lay eggs in furniture, clothing, etc. So, you can run but you can’t hide! Its best to continue to rid yourself of the pests before moving. But if your’re in a large complex it can be tough to get rid of them unless surrounding units are treated too.

Not true necessarily, I found out that my landlord (whom I was renting a room from) had bedbugs. Since I did not have any furniture I was able to rid myself of them easily before moving. I had to dry ever piece of my clothing and abandoned all my bedding. After drying my clothing they went straight from the dryer to a fresh plastic bag, then straight into my car. This took me all night to make sure all of my clothes were dried. I took some fresh dried clothes and showered and put them on immediately before leaving the house. I then drove to the pharmacy and got a bed bug spray and sprayed my whole car down really well. I left most of my things in the car to bake in the heat for a day or two as an extra precaution. Moved into a bedbug free place and have been good ever since. Though I admit I am afraid to move now.


Ms. Brown

June 19th, 2013 10:46 pm

I am dealing with bed bugs as we speak. I first noticed these little creatures April 1st of 2013. I came home one night and found one on my couch that very next morning I took both couches out of the house to expect them better n sure enough it was infested right then n there we thru them away. I been noticing bite marks before April but just thought maybe my dog brought in fleas from using the bathroom outside. When my son was about 6months old he broke out in a real bad hive all over his body from head to toe but the doctor couldn’t say what kind of bites they were but they did mention bed bugs as a suggestion. so I looked up a pic of a baby broken out in hives and it looked the same as the picture. when I notified my landlord they had somebody come in that next day he came in sprayed n came back every week after that in till may 2nd. Even after spraying we were still getting bite marks and seeing them. My son was sleep in his crib one night and I looked over n there was a bed bug crawling to his face I instantly took him out the bed and put him in my own bed as well as my daughter who is diabetic type 1. so a couple of weeks went by n I kept seeing them come out my sons crib so one morning at 4am I searched his whole crib and sure enough they were everywhere adults babies and eggs I sat it outside n waited in till the office opened so they can come look at it and take pic n know I am throwing away another piece of my furniture due to these bugs. after that I start talking to neighbors and sure enough some of them had them to really bad. I wrote letters to complain to the property management because my daughter can get really sick since her immune system is not as strong n they replied back saying pest control said I was not fully prepared which was a lie and I have pictures to prove everything from all my clothes removed out the house beds token apart and laid against the wall for treatment from my furniture to blood marks they left to black spots to the actual bugs themselves in my furniture and bite marks on my kids n myself as well. I also brought management a bag of them to show them they were actual bed bugs. a week went by and it seemed they were gone but now they are back and biting and they are now infested in my bed that has been treated every time pest control came so now I have to throw out my bed. I have no clue what to do next and can not afford to move at this time and when I do I am not taking anything with me except clothes and im washing everything before I bring it into my new place. can anybody help me with what should I do next please! I am really worried for my daughter since she is sickly and also my son who is now 1 and always seems to get bitten up the worst, I am also dealing with sleep deprived and anxiety as I always think things are crawling on me, it is getting the best of me.. HELP


myworld6

December 15th, 2013 12:21 am

I feel for you unfortunately I lived at the Bella Vista Apartments for one year I live with bed bugs flying cockroaches and mold my daughters were always sick from the apartment I want my pics in case against the apartment but with out of retaliation they posted it on my credit which I have to go to court to fight I applied at the Laurel village apartments I’m glad I see this post and maybe it was God’s Way of saying that this is not the place for me thank you for posting this… Also one thing I’ve learned about the bed bug situation that was a law that passes call udep violations and managers are supposed to be responsible no matter what you need to look into it there is a law that states managers are responsible and I learned about the slow with voice Pest Control I even have more space control back me up in court this year of September 2013


MTorres

December 19th, 2013 2:22 pm

I have the exact situation as Paul posted! We live in an apartment complex and we are been told that we (tenants) have to pay $1000 for a heat treatment of 3 days! That we as tenants are soley responsible! I live in South Florida and have been renting that same apartment for 2-1/2 years and have never had a problem! I also have a 14 month old who is being bit all the time and am scared for her health. What are my rights as a tenant? Please some guidance? I am going crazy researching as I literally have about 5 days to do something about it as the property management has scheduled the heat treatment for Dec 26th- a day after Christmas! The first time we notified our landlord was before Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving has come and gone and now Christmas will come and go too! We threw away all beds, crib and nightstands! We are sleeping on an air mattress and baby on a pack n play. We don’t even have a Christmas tree up for our baby… Not such a great Holiday for us! Please, any feedback? Thank you!


deborah

April 30th, 2014 6:14 pm

I just recently found out that for some discriminatory reason, the landlord exterminated the whole building and not me. I know this because I called the exterminating company and they told me that they were directed to other tenants and away from me. there are more details I can tell later. What can I do about this?


Pooh

May 3rd, 2014 11:32 pm

Can your landlord ask you to move if you have Bed Bugs???


Meh…

August 9th, 2014 2:10 am

Could be a lot worse, I know the rage everyone is talking about. My landlord don’t believe me, I am so pi**ed right now at him. This was the only option, you could have black mold on the fridge and the bathroom, the floor. Plus get the blame for things you haven’t done. There’s 2 dead birds his son knows about it. But then again they don’t care. “I’m a slum lord I only put people where they need to be, and collect rent.” Imagine my shock, my dad was sleeping week and a half ago. Electric company comes and shuts the electric off. No notice nothing, even though they did turn it back on 2 hours later. I got scared of waking up and finding my dad dead. That day he woke up choking. Now I’m going through rage, trying to keep it under control. It’s a lovely thing that it’s legal to do that to a disabled vet, plus now I have to worry about bed bugs. The birds are just the icing on the cake. I’ve devised a plan I just have to find some how to kill the bugs.


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Jan

April 8th, 2015 11:59 pm

Rubbing alcohol 99% will kill bed bugs, adults, nymphs, eggs on contact. You can get 99% at most retail drug stores. We get our at Fred Meyers in Wa State. Cost for a 16 oz bottle is about $1.60. We put it in a little spray bottle. All it take is one good squirt, they will raise their butts up in the air. And they will be DEAD! Find the eggs, saturate it. Your room will smell like a hospital with the rubbing alcohol. Also remember it’s 99%, so it is flamable. Just don’t shoot a candle or out let with it. Good Luck.


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