Sleep Tight and Don’t Let…

…the bedbugs bite. We all know that creepy childhood ditty but bedbugs are no longer a problem from the past that we read about in Dickensian novels but a current reality due to the banning of DDT and other pesticides that kept them in check

If you own rental property, especially multi unit property you may have already experienced them. California passed new laws this year that require a written bedbug disclosure be given prior to a new tenancy for a dwelling unit on or after July 1, 2017 and all other tenants must be provided a written notice by January 1, 2018.

The notice has general information about bedbugs and reporting procedures. Your realtor or property manager has access to the proper forms. So what do you do if a tenant reports them? Act quickly before the infestation spreads! In a multi unit building in addition to professional treatment on the affected unit inspect and treat any contiguous units.

Who’s responsible to pay for treatment? Unless you have had the unit inspected by a pest control company and confirmed no bedbug infestation upon tenant’s move in it’s difficult to prove how the insects got in. They can live up to 10 months without feeding and can hitch a ride into a unit on a shoe. Most industry experts are advising landlords to pay for treatment, again, unless a pest control operator inspected the unit and got a bedbug clearance before move in.