Bed Bugs, Property Management, & Landlord Liability

A lot of people found out the nursery rhyme forewarning, “Don’t let the bed bugs bite,” but grew up without even being knowledgeable of just what this mythical bed bug was. Regrettably, bed bugs made a very rampant come back, and they are appearing to be a large annoyance in numerous cities.

Bed bugs tend to be reddish brownish in coloring, have an oval form, and tend to be about a fraction inch in length. They want to exist within just five feet of their host, which means mattresses in addition to clutter around the mattress may very well be most likely spot for them to gather and reproduce. While they do not reproduce nearly as quickly as various other unwanted organisms, they may be highly tough, fighting off both chemical solutions and starvation (they could live up to eighteen months with no feeding).

One of the very few consolations is the fact that bed bugs usually do not have just about any known pathoenic agents or medical conditions. Nevertheless, they might cost land lords as well as property management businesses in lost rent money, battered reputations, and law suits, despite the fact that it is usually the actual tenants who bring the bed bugs inside apartments and rental dwellings.

As a property manager or property management firm, you will desire a extensive bed bug policy to prevent contaminations, eradicate colonies should they crop up, which will help prevent law suits and other risks attributable to bed bugs.

Step one: Prior to signing a Lease Agreement with New Renters

Whenever your rental unit is vacant, have it examined and certified bed bug-free by a licensed pest control management business. Train your staff to recognize bed bugs and clues of the infestation, in order that you are in a better position to trap an infestation at the beginning, when it is nevertheless relatively simple to take care of.

Step two: The Lease Agreement Itself

Where allowed by the law, your rental agreement really should consist of language that makes it obvious that the renter is responsible for paying all pest elimination companies necessary, which includes bed bugs treatment. It should also require tenants to document all infestations sightings – including bed bugs – to the property manager or property management company without delay. It is suggested that the rental agreement require synthetic encasements surrounding the tenants, bed mattress and box spring, in order to avoid bed bugs from creating a residence there, and make sure you restrict tenants from having furniture from dumpsters or different unknown places. There are a few states where the property manager or property management firm are automatically liable for bed bug treatment and problems, for instance New Jersey, Maine, and Massachusetts, so make sure your lease agreement is state-specific and conforms with all state laws concerning bed bugs and pest management.

Step three: Add a Bed Bug Lease Addendum

Tenants must be given, upon signing the rental agreement, a copy of the bed bug certification, and should sign an addendum acknowledging both receipt of the documentation and that the rental unit was bed bug-free upon move-in. Specify that the tenant is contractually required permitting access to pest management exterminators to treat a bed bug infestation if this comes up, and to cooperate thoroughly in eliminating any bed bug infestations. In addition, indicate that failing to report bed bugs or to cooperate in their treatment is a breach of the rental contract, and is cause for lease termination.

Step four: Incorporate Bed Bug Facts Along with your Lease Contract

Train tenants about what bed bugs look like, how to identify signs of their presence, where they like to live, how to prevent their entry to the rental unit, knowning that cutting down debris in the apartment minimizes the number of places they can live. It’s also worth mentioning that often tenant furniture must be burned or otherwise destroyed once an infestation occurs, an outcome that most tenants will go to lengths in order to avoid.

Step 5: Bed Bug Treatment

First of all, the sooner you treat a bed bug infestation, the easier it is to contain and eradicate. Contact your pest elimination business promptly upon proof of an infestation. Secondly, inform renters to not move any of his or her pieces of furniture or possessions before the bug control exterminators arrive, transferring belongings can pass on the infestation.

The items which can be washed, such as bed linens, blankets, sofa covers, and apparel, really should be cleaned in the hottest possible water, with soap, and dried with high temperatures. Home furniture ought to be destroyed, depending on the suggestion of the pest elimination company.

The pest control company offers a variety of remedies available at their disposal, including the utilization of heavy steam, intense heat or cold, chemical carpeting treatments, and fumigation. These treatments should only be performed by a licensed professional.

Liability

The legal liability for bed bugs is largely legislated on the state and local levels, so it is important to check the laws in your area. That said, landlords and property management companies can minimize the risk of bed bugs, and their legal liability, by following the recommendations above, and for that reason building a paper trail of their diligence. A proper lease agreement that outlines the tenant