Question by Geared up:
Who is held liable for bed bugs, the landlord or the renter?
Hi I live in Tempe, Arizona In an apartment called Wilshire Pines (do not move there) and have been living here for 6 months.
And i would like to know who is held liable if bed bugs infest an apartment? Is it the Landlord/apartment manager or the People who reside in the apartment?
Please answer I really would appreciate it, thanks!
And also I’ve been getting these bed bugs when i was heading into my 5th month.
I moved in 6 months ago. We brought our beds, furniture etc. practically everything. Then suddenly on the 5 month of our lease, bed bugs started appearing on our beds and clothes.
Best answer:
Answer by rashiracer
If you brought them into the house from a hotel or trip out of the country, then you would be responsible. Bed bugs are not a typical household pest and need to be treated vigorously. You may have to throw out your linens, take your mattress and couch outside or replace them, and depending on the level of infestation, the carpet may need to be replaced – if an exterminator is unable to solve the problem. At a minimum the place needs fumigation and that should be your responsibility.
If these bugs appeared when you moved in, then the landlord would be responsible.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Bed bugs? You can’t even see them they’re microscopic why would you even care? There’s lots of microscopic bugs on all of us right now so why would a few bed bugs make any difference? They live off of the dead skin you shed while your in bed. If you don’t want bed bugs, shower 3 times a day and wash your bed sheets daily… Simple.
Who’s held liable? Cleaning the sheets will kill 90% of those bugs so I would say land lord coz he didn’t clean the sheets. Anyone that sleeps in a bed can cause bed bugs to lurk, you make it sound likes it was intentional, I didn’t put them there, I laid out the bait and they came to me.
Right now, the landlord is responsible to get rid of them because they are in his building and can spread – regardless of who brought them in.
However, once he is able to nail down who brought them (which is pretty easy as they will be the most concentrated in that person’s apartment), he can sue them for the incurred costs- the longer the tenant waits to report it, the more it’s going to cost to get rid of them.
Check your lease. Typically the renter is responsible for extermination because the landlord has no control over each tenants housekeeping procedures.