Is Your Landlord Responsible for Bed Bugs?
When dealing with bed bug infestations, it is generally the landlord’s responsibility to pay for an exterminator. Under California Civil Code section 1941, landlords are required to provide habitable living conditions for their tenants.
However, if the landlord can prove that the tenant caused the infestation, then it is expected that a tenant may be required to pay for the cost. Under California Civil Code section 1941.2, tenants are responsible for repairing any damage caused by their neglect or abuse.
How is responsibility for bed bugs proven?
Generally, landlords will try to prove a bedbug infestation is a tenant’s fault by providing pictures of an apartment’s sanitation conditions before and after a tenant moved in. Another possibility is the extermination company’s report, which may indicate the likely source of the infestation. If a tenant is proven to have caused the infestation, they are expected to deal with the infestation quickly and efficiently.
However, if there is a dispute about who caused the infestation and you believe there is insufficient evidence, then it is best to get legal advice on the issue.
What do you do if you have an infestation?
When dealing with bed bug infestations, there is a major risk that pests can spread to adjacent apartments, which could potentially escalate the costs of extermination for either the landlord or tenant. This is why it is important to work closely with your landlord and ensure that the infestation is promptly dealt with.
When preparing your apartment for exterminators, it is important to clean your apartment and reduce any clutter. Keeping your apartment clean is important for removing any hiding places for bedbugs. Additionally, it will help you prevent any infestations in the future, particularly if your landlord attempts to claim that you caused it.
However, it is extremely important that you do not move anything from an infested area to a non-infested area. For infested areas, things you plan on removing should be placed into plastic trash bags and promptly moved to an outside trash bin. If you are unsure about which areas are infested, do not move any item from one part of the apartment to another, and continue to follow the same protocols for any item you wish to remove.
How do protect your bed from bed bugs?
Another important part of preparing your apartment for exterminators is to ensure your bed is properly cleaned. Aside from cleaning bed bugs from your bed, frame, and headboard, you should place bed bug proof covers on your mattress and boxspring which will trap and starve any bed bugs underneath the covers.
Bed bug interceptors should also be placed on the leg of each bed to trap any bedbug trying to climb up a leg. Your bed should also be kept at least six inches away from any wall so that there is no way to access your bed. Lastly, all bedding should be tucked under your mattress, ensuring that none of it touches the floor.
What should you do to protect your rights?
In case there is a dispute about who is ultimately responsible, make sure to save the receipts of the extermination company.
Following these tips and contracting a pest extermination company should ensure that your apartment is rid of any bedbugs. Not only will these tips speed up the process of cleaning your apartment, but it can also help reduce the costs of extermination.
Bed bug infestations are complicated to navigate, and contacting experienced attorneys is crucial. Tenants Law Firm is here to help. Our team specializes in these cases to protect you against landlords who neglect the habitability of the property. If you think you are entitled to a bed bug infestation lawsuit, contact us by calling (310) 432-3200 or by using this form.