let me know what are my renter rights

From your “Red” text, I bet you’re mad! It looks like you wear your emotions on your keyboard. hehe… I’m sorry you’re disabled and out of work, but it has little to do with the bed bug infestation, unless you can find some type of community program to help you because you’re disabled, but unlikely– at least not for bed bug removal.
I don’t know much about bed bug infestations… so I guess I’m out. Sorry, not much help.

Extermination cost have been a long age old debate effecting rental properties. I manage a large apartment complex of over 1500 units. We provide basic extermination at our own cost, but then again, its not too bad to spread these costs over a large number of units. The fewer units a landlord has the more expensive the extermination cost are per unit.
With that said, you will see why landlords will pass that extermination cost directly onto their tenants. For one, there is no black and white law that spells out who is responsible for extermination costs… so, if the cost can be passed onto the tenant, it probably will be.
Bed bugs though, aren’t your average pest or infestation. I would much rather deal with cockroaches, or spiders than bed bugs. I read a post here on the RPA site talking specifically about Bed Bugs… I will do a search for it and provide a link. If I remember correctly unlike cockroaches, bed bugs can actually make a unit uninhabitable. According to the previous blog post talking about bed bug infestation in an apartment someone was explaining how bed bugs are actually “Parasites” … so, that really puts them in a whole new class!
Let me do some searching and I’ll post some links that could be helpful to you… more to come soon!

Okay, I’ve been researching the Apartment Bed Bug infestation issue for you… I educated myself quite a bit, thanks for the project!
Firstly, as for getting your landlord to pay for the extermination costs, there are some low cost programs for you. Obviously, hiring an attorney would not be very effective, due to the high costs! But, the RPA (Rental Protection Agency) provides a Mediation Program that allows tenants to file a complaint.
You can file a complaint with RPA and they will negotiate with your landlord to pay for extermination costs: Click here to File Bed Bug Complaint
Here’s a link to another blog post going into specifics about bed bugs… be warned, if you’ve got bed bugs it could scare you to learn too much about them, use this link with caution: All about Bed Bugs (scroll down to read comments posted by “BedBUGGER,” if you dare, seriously!)
So, here’s what I know about the RPA Mediation Program:
1) Your complaint will be handled by an RPA Mediator experienced specifically in Bed Bug Removal. (I couldn’t believe that!! The RPA actually has specialist trained specific to bed bug removal, wow! I guess they get enough complaints that they can assign specific agents to work on Bed Bug disputes…? That’s huge!)
2) The complaint is recorded as an Official case with a case number that can be tracked online. Supposedly, the Agent will update the case as updates come in.
3) Legally binding paper trail… the process is documented and legally binding.
4) Minimal fee… according to chat support, its only $35 to file a complaint and doesn’t require any other charges, even if it takes the agent several hours to resolve. The chat agent did tell me that with bed bug removal it is best to also pay to have the case certified which is an extra $19. So, for around $50 you can get the RPA to negotiate with your landlord to have the Bed Bugs exterminated at the landlords cost. I was told be RPA Chat that bed bugs are actually considered a “Breach of implied warranty of habitability” which would require the landlord to cover the cost.
DISCLAIMER: I’ve never used the RPA Mediation program myself, but according to my research it seems like a really good option. Looks like the lowest legal option available to tenants. It would be nice to get some other people to comment on their success using RPA Mediation to resolve bed bug problems. Anyone out there want to update us on your own experiences?

I’ve had the same problem. I was living in an apartment complex that got infested by bed bugs. I tried to get the manager to agree to pay for the treatment but she said that it wasn’t her responsibility. I argued back and forth for about 2 months, then I couldn’t take it so I moved. Now I’m fighting the Property Management Company on lease termination fees. They want me to pay $2250, becuz I broke the agreement. Thats wat they are sayin. Its frustrating those stinkn bass terds.
But guess wat. You can’t run away from bed bugs. Those stupid things followed me to my new apartment. Yep, now I gotta pay like $900 to $1200 to treat it. I don’t think its fair to try to get my new landlord to pay, since it wasn’t his fault.

Megan..
Just wanted to say thanks! I just filed an official apartment complaint. My case number is 20-74XX. From start to finish it took me like 6 minutes to file… pretty easy. I’m asking my previous apartment complex to drop the charges of $2250 and to pay for the extermination cost in my new apartment, yeah its probably a stretch, but I figured I might as well ask for everything now, then negotiate back.
Here’s wat it cost:
$35 RPA Filing Fee
$19 Certified Case
$9.50 Bonded Copy of Completed Case.
The last 2 options I chose to add myself, but weren’t required. Yeah its still money, but compared to wat I could pay its worth the small investment. I hope it turns out ok. If not, at least I didn’t just roll over. It feels great to stand up for my rights.. I feel like my previous property manager has caused me all sorts of grief… now its their turn to feel the pinch!

Brian,

Please let me know what happens with the complaint process. I have roaches in my apartment and have a claim against the property management company as well but havent gone any further. I talked to a lawyer and he said to file a complaint with Code Enforcement and then to call him if it is not resolved. I am kinda just going through all of these sites trying to find advice on what to do. Grrrrrrr

Laura,
My bed bug complaint I filed with the RPA seemed to do the trick. My bugger of a landlord acted much different towards the issue once I made it official. It really made me laugh becuz once my landlord was notified by the RPA he hired his attorney to respond to the RPA Mediator, he probably paid some $300 an hour– dork! It didn’t do him any good. He ended up settling with me. I didn’t get all that I wanted, but the landlord agreed to drop lease termination fees and paid $500 towards moving cost and extermination of new property (doesn’t quite cover it, but I was happy) Oh yeah, I did have to agree to drop the public record of the case. No big deal, that seemed fair.
I imagine a public record showing a complaint about bed bugs could really hurt that landlords rental business, which to be honest, I wished could have remained in effect- but the money was more important to me than the revenge.
Is my landlord a Dink Head, ohhh yeah!! The dumb bass terd could have settled without paying his attorney a dime. The whole complaint thing was sweet, I felt like the control was on my side. So, Laura, you should do what you think works better for your situation. For me, the complaint did the job. Would I recommend it to you, yeah probably. If you can afford the attorney, maybe go that route and sue the socks off your landlord. I couldn’t afford too much, so I went through the RPA Complaint option. I did call a couple of attorneys– but they all wanted retainers of $3500 just to start working on the suit, one even told me that if they can’t get the landlord to settle outside of court that it would cost around 3 to 5 times as much to go through the court process, but that I shouldn’t worry becuz I could sue my landlord for legal cost, if I won. He said he thought my chances were okay. That’s why I went this route, I couldn’t afford the attorney and quickly learned that $60 I would pay here was actually pretty cheap legal help. Can’t complain.

My Mother is 87yrs. old & is being pushed around by the woman over the elderly housing apartment in which she lives. Bed bugs have been discovered in the building & they are forcing her to pay for extermination & also to toss out her furniture. She is literally “in house arrest”!! She can not use the laundry, visit any neighbors, or even go into the hallway. She is becoming severely depressed & cries all the time. I hate to see her done this way! What can she do?!

The bed bugs followed you because that’s what they do. People don’t realize that bed bugs aren’t a pest that comes from outside. They travel mostly by luggage or on your clothing or on guests who stay with you who have been traveling, you may have gotten them from a hotel or some other stay and didn’t realize that they hitch hiked a ride back with you. The landlord should check if neighboring tenants are also affected, then, treat your unit for the sake of protecting the other tenants. By no means does this mean that they shouldn’t be able to bill you for the costs which are usually reduced greatly because they tend to get discounts for the business the send to their normal vendor. I feel that it’s the tenants responsibility because they are the ones who brought the pests to the property. Kind like when roaches come outta no where when a new tenant moves in! They bring it from their past residence thorugh personal belongings. We had tenants who were here for exactly 6 months before being asked to move via 3-day for breach of contract. When we got in there I couldn’t believe how infested the apartment had became! They were falling on your head! ( yuck!) took us 2 RidX Treatments and lots of work at getting rid of the pests. I can tell you that they were not present at time of tenants moving in yet the owner absorbed the cost for treating a problem that could have been handled by proper housekeeping. I feel this is also true with the bed bugs.

Code enforcement will get the problem initially treated. Make sure you clean up really well after chemicals have had chance to kill those roaches. if you don’t clean up you can still have eggs that continue to thrive- then a new generation!

will i also own a home and it may responsibility to maintain the property so feel that this is a landlords job to do the same that is why many people rent . i had a bad mice problem do to the fact i live next to a large field and when it was cut they ran to the buildings is that my problem i don,t think so! same with bed bugs surely one would not bring them intentionally

I recently discovered that I have bed bugs! I want to get them taken care of right away, and I have the distinct feeling that my landlord is going to resist paying for the fumigation— should I report to the RPA before I talk to my landlord, or after?
A hasty reply would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you so much

-nathan

There is nothing wrong with filing a complaint before you talk to your landlord. In some cases it may be better to file a complaint before you accidentally admit or commit to something that is not fair. Ultimately, its a personal preference. If you think it would be better to contact your landlord, then do it. Hopefully with any luck the landlord will agree to pay for prompt treatment. BUT, if you think he may hassle you over it, then I would say file the complaint and let the RPA Agent contact the landlord.

I was just wondering if your mother lives in an assisted living or a nursing home? Either way, I think you need to help your mother find a new place to live. They are obviously not taking into affect the emothional problems that your mother is having. With that is mind, what else are they neglecting?

I moved into my new apt a few weeks ago. Shortly after moving my son and I began getting huge welts and bite marks. I took him to the Dr and they confirmed these were indeed bed bug bites! I was mortified. I know that we did not have them in our old place. So I can’t see the possibility of us being the ones to carry them in. As of right now we seem to have only gotten bit while sitting on our furniture. I just bought this furniture new( microfiber suede) . My question is, why is my living room furniture seem to be the only place I’m having an issue with these pests? And do I bring it to the attention of my landlord? They do pest spray every month from what I’m told. Sorry so long winded. Just frustrated. Any help wld be appreciated!!! Thx. By the way, not sure if it matters, but I live in crappy Iowa lol

Sorry to hear Julie:( which state are you from? Some states have passed laws, particularly new York on who is responsible for the payment. You can complain to your landlord like I did and are adamant that you didn’t bring them in. But if your landlord is anything like mine, it will get you no where:( mine told us that there were no other complaints even though there was furniture in the garbage which surely showed signs of bedbug.

i recently had noticed that i had bed bugs i contacted a personal exterminator to determine what the problem was and he confirmed it was bed bugs i contacted my landlord who then contacted terminex same conclusion bed bugs. she told me it wasnt her responsibility to get with the other tenants in the building to pay for it. by the way a month ago my down stairs neighbor got a sofa out of the garbage which had bed bugs and she had told the landlord who is responsible to pay for it

I am having the same problem with bedbugs. I noticed them when I first moved in to the apartment. They were coming out the walls. once you have treated the bedbugs, you have to wash EVERYTHING in your house. Bedbugs do live in clothing. I live in Illinois, and I am trying to find out if I can sue my landlord, because a neighbor asked him who lives like this, and he stated ” POOR PEOPLE”, I was hurt by his statement. there are other things going on with my apartment. Paint peeling in the bath tub, leaking ceiling, paint peeling from ceiling. I have documented every call to the landlord office, I have taken pics, of the tub, bedbug bites, and my ceiling. If anyone knows if I have a case or not please reply. I have been sleeping on the couch, and my living room floor, and due to that I had to go to the doctor for back pain. Please Help.Other tenants have moved out due to the problem.

you brought the bed begs with you to the new place.probally because you didnt throw away your bed and get a new one.you have to literally throw everything away to ensure you wont bring them back to where ever you move too.that means your couch ,bed.box spring,bed frame,curtains,tables everything must go.also all your clothes need to be washed and dryed at a laundry mat before entering the new house.sheets blankets clothes everything.even your shoes .it sucks but you have to do it.or you will have them again.id rather do that than have to deal with those gross things.p.s i know a friend that had them.we think they were already in that house before he moved in.he had exterminater come 2 times and they were still there.he broke the lease and moved.theres a 4 rent sign in front of the old house a week later for rent.those landlords did nothin to fix it and are gonna let sumone else move in and not tell them about the bed bugs just like my friend, he had to throw everything away when he moved.i feel that landlord cant do that,renting the house knowing it has a bed bug infestation.thats just wrong.

I have been trying to find specific information myself about this problem. As a single 32 year old woman who works a full time job and is a full time general of my little cat army (maybe more of a militia than an army), this whole infestation is an overwhelming and seemingly futile undertaking. My landlord is paying for the fumigation of my apartment the end of this week, but I noticed when he sent me a preparation checklist, it was faxed to the rental office over a month ago. Obviously, despite my embarrassment having to call and report this situation, feeling like the lowest of the low, this was an existing problem and was treated on an individual unit basis. All bugs will scatter, no matter the species, and to treat one unit out of 30 and pass this on to unsuspecting tenants who have never had a single pest aside from the unavoidable stink bugs is just horrible.

I have been suffering with severe, widespread hives since March of this year, and I have put out of pocket several hundred dollars in allergy testing, medication, and doctor visit copays. About two months ago, a friend mentioned bed bugs, and I thoroughly checked my box spring and mattress and found nothing. Several of my friends said that I was crazy for even thinking of bedbugs because I am a germophobe and compulsive cleaner, especially when it comes to vacuuming and shampooing upholstery and the carpets. Bleach stains everywhere, overflowing trash can full of paper towels and rubber gloves… maybe. Creepy crawlies, no. I went back to my allergy testing and kept getting the same results: all clear, the hives are from stress. I laid down on my sofa Saturday night to try to sleep, and I could not stop itching, probably slept a whole hour from 6am-7am. I woke to see about 8 bed bugs feeding in two clusters, one on an arm and one on a leg. I don’t think I need to describe my reaction, but I did learn that the resistant little buggers can survive a 90 minute boiling shower and keep crawling around the tub! Went back, ripped my sheets off, nothing but a molted skeleton or two, pulled the mattress up and found about three adults. Didn’t seem bad, then I started looking closely and found dozens hiding in seams. I still haven’t had the nerve to cut open the box spring. I know I have to, but those things give me the heebie jeebies!!

I know I don’t have the capability of decontaminating all of my clothing. I feel the purpose of a walk-in closet is to fill it to the brim with fabulous clothes, shoes, purses, several changes of room decor. Unfortunately, my laundry routine is to fold my clothes in the common laundry room (likely my biggest mistake), bring them up, sit them on the couch, carry them to the bed, empty the basket onto the bed, then get everything on hangers in the closet. Big mistake, my closet is now infested. When all is said and done, despite the landlord paying the extermination cost, I am going to be out a set of living room furniture, a queen sized mattress and box spring (hopefully the wooden frame will be ok), and at best hundreds of dollars in clothes and linens. I have antique mahogany furniture in the room near the horribly infested sofa, and I am praying that it is able to be decontaminated. Since my clothing is infested, I have likely passed the bugs into my car. That will most certainly be my responsibility to either fumigate or risk bringing little klingons back up into my living quarters. I also have to pay to have the cat army boarded during the 4-part weekly fumigation process (during which I have to live in a completely disassembled apartment). I haven’t slept in three days (you can’t fall asleep when you feel nonexistent tickles all over you, you cannot physically feel bed bugs when they are actually on you, but does anybody with bedbugs have a split second of the day that you DON’T “feel” them?!), so I am sure very soon a hotel stay (with a very vigorous bed check) will be needed.

On top of all of that, I have gotten into such a state of anxiety (little blood filled bags of horror are not a germophobe’s friend by any means – who remembers Chewels gum? You bite in and the liquid pops everywhere… that gum was designed based on bed bugs!) that I will likely not be able to get new furniture for fear of further infestation. I am terrified to visit any locations aside from work for fear of spreading this infestation to friends or my family, I cannot have people in to visit. I am already living the life of a hermit and don’t see a realistic solution in sight. I cannot bear the thought of friends risking their sanity (not to mention the safety of their children if they do carry bugs home somehow) to help me clean up and remove the infested furniture, move the remaining furniture, help with the whole decontamination process, and it is certainly not a task I can accomplish on my own.

And renters insurance doesn’t cover a single piece of the financial burden, let alone the psychological burden and extreme physical discomfort. There need to be laws in place outside of NYC for innocent, clean tenants who contract these foul little beasts at no fault of their own. We don’t deserve this, no matter where we live, be it low income housing to the nicest luxury townhouses. It should be required that at the first sign of an infestation, all apartments are checked. Good exterminators bring in the dogs to sniff them out, so why can’t they sniff out the whole building before and after fumigation? A pro-active approach could save the landlords money in recurring infestations and save the tenants all these absolutely ridiculous burdens. Who among us can afford to refurnish an apartment and rebuild a wardrobe? Not anybody living in an apartment, that’s for sure!!! Well, I guess we could always trash pick a nice new couch and mattress, there’s no risk there, right!?…. 😀 Strict laws would also prevent the landlord nightmare of having an infested family move in with bugs out of frustration over their previous landlord’s indifference.

Ranting aside (sorry about that, but I heard a few “amen”s when you were reading this!), does anybody know what the actual requirements are in Pennsylvania for landlords to approach this and what their responsibilities are? I am consulting an attorney this week (free consultation), but I am pretty sure that there is no legal liability for directly causing thousands of dollars in damage per apartment. I am going to contact my adjoining neighbors on fumigation day to see if they were notified; it seems that this should be standard landlord procedure since they will be put in direct risk when my bugs scatter, and they will. It just seems like blatant negligence to me.

I just found out we have bedbugs, I was wondering where my toddlers red spots kept coming from after being crawled on in the middle of the night I know. We live in upstate ny renting a house and believe they came from here that was an issue before we moved in. I wondered why so many people would leave so many useful personall items in good condition(blankets, nice clothes) and a few gallon sized bottles of bug spray. We have been here 6 months and this issue has just surfaced. We believe they were dormant and possibly in the laundry area and baseboards of our bedroom.

Basically I want to know nystate, not just nyc laws, I am fairly certain that I had a copy of the llr and tenent rights online before, but cannot find it now. I am certain it stated it’s the landlords job, but I want to be certain before I call him.

Why do tenants feel the owner is responsible when they tracked the critters in themselves? Watch where you sit, step and sleep. Remember, in most cases your unit was bed bug free before you moved in. So ask yourself….. Where have you been lately and did your landlord bring you there?

I’ve been living in this condo since Dec. 2011. Its now almost April and for the past 3weeks much daughter has been getting eaten up. it was not until watching the show Infested that i decided to really check my bed. I have bed bugs!! My bed which costs me 3k from Bassett alone amongst other furniture had been in a climate controlled storage for 6 years so it was not from there. i have seen bugs on the ceiling but would kill them and move on but now Im livid. its 4 am and cannot even sleep(in the living room floor on the hardwood). An exterminator is coming in a few days but reading how i may have to dispose of things concerns me.

Some people are ridiculous. How do you know if someone brought bed bugs with them from a previous location? A location where they never had bed bugs over the course of 3 years. You have no clue where they came from. The landlord won’t see the bed bugs in their unit unless they are looking for them, which they won’t unless they have a reason. The nature of the bed bug is to hide unless there is food to eat, namely you. They will hide in walls and cracks until they have found a source of food. They can live 12 months without feeding so they can reside in the rental property even if it is empty. Also if your neighbor has bed bugs and they fumigate they will come to your home. You can’t tell me I’ve brought bed bugs with me from a previous residence when I’ve never had them. NEVER. You would think landlords would want to jump on the problem immediately but they don’t. Your property has bed bugs and when I leave your property it will still have bed bugs. You can try to save a buck by not doing anything there will come a time where you will have to fight these creatures, and it would be better sooner than later. They are the Bin Laden’s of the bug world. They have to be stopped. I read somewhere that it is estimated that 90-98% of residence in the city of Chicago have bed bugs. There are over 4 million people in Chicago and no one has done anything? Where did they come from? Did someone bring the bed bugs with them on their clothing? Should we find that individual and make them pay for the extermination of these parasites? So if you go to Chi-town should you leave all your belongings there as you are almost guaranteed to pick up a few friends? So for all the landlord geniuses that always state that the tenant brought the bugs with them please stop it. You haven’t a clue as to where they came from. No one does. But the problem does exist so instead of blaming others do what is best for everyone. Kill the bugs. It’s not your fault that you feel like you do. Redirecting blame has become the way of the world.

Hello..l’m hoping someone, ANYONE can offer some advice. After gettng laid off, my children & l have had to downgrade from a 3bdrm house to this little one bdrm apt. l’ve tried to make the best of it and was doing a great job until my mom calls me at work & tells me my neighbor found bed bugs in her apt. (My mom lives in the apt directly under mine.) And altho l hadn’t seen any, l knew that explained the bite marks my daughter was getting. We notified the landlord & she assured me it was being taken care of. l was shocked when l seen that her idea of having it “taken care of” was having her brother walk thru the apartments with a can of bug spray and boric acid around the baseboards. Now l’m not an exterminator, but seeing her “treatment” isn’t exactly helping me sleep any better! My children won’t sleep in the bed, so we all sleep in our tiny living room. l’m a single mom & stretching paychecks to make ends meet as it is! Now, besides my everyday worries of raising 3 kids w/ no financial help from anyone including their father, l’m facing the fact that l’m sitting on an infested couch (which btw was my grandmothers, praying l don’t have to trash it!), our clothes are probably infested, and now how do l replace all of that? We (my neighbor, my mom & myself) have been dealing with this for almost 2 months with no other treatment than boric acid on the baseboards. l can’t afford to move & l have noone to ask for help!?! My children DO NOT deserve this! Just because we are below poverty level does NOT mean that we are dirty or that we deserve to have to live this way! lf someone CHOOSES to become a landlord, they need to take care of their rentals! And, as in the case of my landlord, if you have dozens upon DOZENS of low-income houses & apartments, l can almost guarantee you make WAAAYYY more from your rentals than you put into them! So why not make them habitable?? l’m not asking for a freakin dishwasher or for you to even fix the window that fell on MY DAUGHTERS LEG & BUSTED! l’m asking for you to guarantee your tenant a decent night of sleep so l can get up somewhat refreshed to go to work so l can pay YOU! l’m asking for my children to be able to rest so they can do their best in school so they won’t be raising THEIR children in poverty!

My mom is disabled and lives is disabled, where she lives in government a apartment complex. She has lived there for about 4.5 years, and have been fighting a bed bug problem, off/on, for the last year. When she moved there she DID NOT carry the little critters there with her. Her neighbor, that moved in above her, and aleady moved out, carried them in. I’ve done research upon research, and according to Kentucky’s regulations, the landlord is resposible for the exterminatating charges, but my mom, living on a limited buget ($630/month) was made to pay for the exermination. Also instead of the landlord/state of KY exterminating the entire building, steam cleaning the carpeting (as my research said should have been done), and removing the base board (also according to my research), none of this work was completed in my mother’s apartment or in the building. Now the manager and the state is trying to evict my “disabled” mother. If anyone has any suggestions, numbers, or contacts PLEASE post.
-Concerned Daughter

My mom is disabled and lives is disabled, where she lives is in an discounted apartment complex. She has lived there for about 4.5 years, and have been fighting a bed bug problem, off/on, for the last year. When she moved there she DID NOT carry the little critters there with her. Her neighbor, that moved in above her, and aleady moved out, carried them in. I’ve done research upon research, and according to Kentucky’s regulations, the landlord is resposible for the exterminatating charges, but my mom, living on a limited buget ($630/month) was made to pay for the exermination. Also instead of the landlord/state of KY exterminating the entire building, steam cleaning the carpeting (as my research said should have been done), and removing the base board (also according to my research), none of this work was completed in my mother’s apartment or in the building. Now the manager and the state is trying to evict my “disabled” mother. If anyone has any suggestions, numbers, or contacts PLEASE post.
-Concerned Daughter

Tenants in my buidling like to put their discarded furniture in the laundry room instead of carrying downstaris to the dumpster. May 2012 is when I noticed the bed bugs. I finally called the office about it. The manager wanted to know if I brought in anything new, which I hadn’t. Other people I see on a regular basis let me know they were having problems also. They live in another building. I decided my nieghbors should know about this problem, especially since they could come back to my apartment. I found out from a neighbor who lives across the laundry room that someone had left an affected mattress in the laundry room. He notified the office. The office never did a check for bed bugs, even though an exterminator was out after I had the bugs and was trying to use store products. I put notices in every building notifiying people of the problem since the office didn’t think that they should say anything. But, I hope the office doesn’t decide I’m a troublemaker and kick me out for letting the public know something the office should have. All along, the office manager knew where the bugs came from but made it worse on me by making me think it was my fault. She knows the expenses I’ve paid out because of a problem that could have been resolved by them being proactive instead of waiting until tenants call them. I live in a south suburb of Chicago.

Garden House Apartments 1340 Ring Road in Calumet City, IL has bedbugs. The management will not let the new renters know about the problem.

Garden House apartments 1340 Ring Road of Calumet City, IL has a severe bedbug problem.

I’ve been living in this apartment complex for 2 years and found out couple months ago that i have bed bugs. What’s weird is that my sister who is sharing a room with me isn’t getting any bed bug bugs. I’m the only on that is paranoid about it. My mom who is in the other room did had bed bug bites but then for 3 weeks now she hasn’t gotten any bites. I’m wondering where did these pests come from? My bed is right next to a window and right under a vent. Is that the problem? I’ve been very paranoid about these bed bugs and don’t know what to do. I’m afraid to tell the landlord because we don’t have the money to pay for it. My mom is a single mother of two who works a full time shift to make end meets. Any advises?

i saw a bug and next day my thi was covered with like 5 big red bumps and i got the bottem of my knee cut open cause one had the bug posion and got it inside of my blood and now i got a scar and small bumps all down my leg my house was sprayed but i still dont like the dark

I’m a property manager and have always seen judges ask tenants if there were bugs when they moved in. If not the judge has said, “well they’re your bugs”. Try to keep in mind it may not be the landlords fault. I’ve had tenants who are complete slobs, that don’t take out their trash, leave food laying around ask for the landlord to exterminate when it was them drawing the insects with their unsanitary behavior. Why would you expect a landloard to pay for an infestation you caused. Sleeping in a motel can give you a case of bedbugs. That’s not the landloard/owners responsibility. As a former renter myself I dealt with any bug problems, only ever had ants in the hot weather, without involving the owners. My suggestion to the owners depends on how long the tenants have been there and what type of property it is. Residential home where a tenant has been in residence over 90 days it’s the tenant’s issue to handle. Apartments are different as it could be one of the other tenants causing the infestation.

So i live in a 2 family house, my neighbors got the bed bugs, so my landlord bombed the whole house,now he wants us to sign a new lease if we get bed bugs we pay for it and get evicted. WHAT DO I DO. WHAT R MY RIGHTS.. DO I HAVE TO SIGN???? THANKS BONNIE

My apartment has been overrun with mice. There is an infestation of some kind of biting insect. I have been bitten from head to toe and I am “freaking out.” The development of these subhuman conditions in my home occurred during my absence of four months. This is the second occurance – the first invasion also occured during my absence of 7 months. My roomate is unsanitary and has created an environment that has attracted and sustained a very large population of vermin, which has in turn caused an infectious infestation of what I believe to be fleas. The difficult thing about this situation is that the roomate causing all the issue is also my landlord. He doesn’t seem to see the severity of the problems and he refuses to fumigate because of his birds. I cannot afford to move at the moment. I did not create this substandard uninhabitable living envirionment. I am currently trapped in it. If one brings any of this up with him he says, “Dont like it? Move out.” I am the one covered and scarred (from previous onslaught) from bites.

Hey guys, i discovered a bed bug infestation in my room 2 weeks ago, since then it’s been utter torture, my roommates and i have been fighting this little bastards, and are getting heat treatment wednesday, unfortunately, the landlord is trying to get us to pay for it, we don’t have that kind of money, have NO idea where the infestation came from(we’ve confronted everyone who comes over on a regular basis), and are moving out at the end of the month (it’s the end of the lease). Who is responsible for this, it started in my bed, but i have not been at the apartment in months, as i have been in and out of the hospital for surgery, PLEASE HELP!!!!!

[…] In California, as well as many other states, the law clearly defines that, the landlord will be  responsible for quick and immediate action to exterminate the bedbugs. But… […]

[…] Renter rights | rpa tenant rights blog – rental protection […]

[…] Renter Rights | RPA Tenant Rights Blog – Rental … – let me know what are my renter rights By Tenant. I recently notified my Landlord of Bed Bugs and asked him to please fumigate my apartment. He is very adament about …… […]