Bed bugs in apartment… do we have to pay for it???

By Tiffany Dutton

I’ve been living in the same apartment with my brother for almost two years now. We haven’t really had any issues with the complex until recently. A few weeks ago we found our first bed bug. Last week we found another. We let the landlord know as soon as possible. She sent some exterminators up to spray for bugs, but not stuff that would treat bed bugs. While speaking to them about it, one of the men found a nymph on my brother’s box spring.

We have an extermination appointment set up for tomorrow. My biggest problem is that the landlord won’t seem to give me any information and is blaming ME for bringing them into the apartment and asking us to pay for it.

I do work at a hotel. However, I work for a different company whose office is in the lower lobby inside what we call our "aquarium" (a room surrounded by sliding glass doors.) I never go into the hotel rooms, and my purse is always inside a counter, off the ground. I highly doubt it’s MY FAULT, but I don’t discredit the possibility.

I’ve voice my concern for bed bugs having traveled between apartments. My landlord is adamate that they cannot spread. I know this to be false, but I’m worried that if these did not come from me, my brother, or someone bringing them into our home, that they’ve come from another unit. If this is the case, I don’t believe my landlord is going to at least have the other units inspected.

I’ve tried asking which company is doing the work, what time the appointment is set up for tomorrow so I know when to leave, and how long it will take. The only information I’ve recieved is the repeated message that it’s going to be tomorrow and I need to pick up a list of things to prepare from the landlord.

I have no problem whatsoever complying with my obligations such as the prep work. I’m concerned about the price. I was informed it would cost about $600 and that we have to pay it back. Our lease isn’t actually up till the end of August, but several weeks ago we already signed for another six months (before we found the bed bugs.) I’ve looked at other apartments in the area and we could move into one of those for the same price as we’re going to be forking out to pay back this treatment here.

Is there anything in Missouri state law or renter’s rights that could help me in this situation???

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