Pests in your rental property can be one of the most frustrating parts about being a landlord, because no matter how well kept your space is, sometimes the outside world just finds its way in. One of the most difficult pest infestations to deal with in your property is bed bugs, and it’s one you need to take care of quickly. Here’s how to deal with a bed bug problem and prevent a future infestation.
Cities With the Most Bed Bugs
Bed bug infestations are actually on the rise across the country. The cities with the worst bed bug infestations in 2019, according to the number of Orkin service calls, were the following:
- Washington, D.C.
- Baltimore, MD
- Chicago, IL
- Los Angeles, CA
- Columbus, OH
- New York, NY
- Detroit, MI
- Cincinnati, OH
- Indianapolis, IN
- Atlanta, GA
- Cleveland, OH
- Philadelphia, PA
- San Francisco, CA
- Raleigh, NC
- Norfolk, VA
You may look at this list and think, “Oh good, I don’t own a property there,” but bed bugs are clever travelers. In fact, you may be surprised as to how easily they spread. Bed bugs can hitch a ride on your tenant’s clothing or luggage and be transported back to your rental property after visiting an infested space. Because it can be difficult to determine how the bed bugs arrived, especially in an apartment building, you shouldn’t concern yourself too much with that question yet.
How Do You Know If You Have Bed Bugs?
If your tenant contacts you claiming they have bed bugs, don’t panic just yet. You could be dealing with a number of other pests that can exhibit similar signifiers. If the tenant has pets, they could be dealing with a serious flea problem if it’s gone unchecked. Here’s how to identify a bed bug problem:
- Blood stain on sheets or pillowcases.
- Dark or rust-colored spots on sheets from bed bug excrement.
- Shed bed bug skins on the mattress.
If your tenant is adamant that it’s bed bugs, it’s time to call the exterminator to diagnose the problem.
The exterminator should look at all mattresses and bedding in the rental property. They should also look in couches, drawers, closets, and shelves, or anywhere bed bugs could settle. Hopefully you’ve caught the problem early, because serious bed bug infestations can be a nightmare to fully remove.
How Can You Rid Your Property of Bed Bugs?
Here’s what you can expect an exterminator to do to rid your property of bed bugs:
Move/Disassemble furniture. This is essential to expose any area bed bugs could be living.
Use high heat/steam treatments. Exterminators have special equipment that raises the temperature in the infested area to 118 degrees Fahrenheit and then maintains that temperature for 70 minutes to kill both adults and eggs.
Use Professional-Strength Insecticide. General over-the-counter insecticides probably won’t work on bed bugs.
Seal Furniture. For furniture that you or your tenant can’t afford to get rid of, it might need to be sealed in a container or plastic covering until the bed bugs die.
Act Fast. The faster you get to work on treating the infestation, the better. Give renters and easy way to submit maintenance requests online if they have concerns, and make sure they have a way to contact you directly if the situation is severe.
Who Is at Fault for Bed Bugs?
An exterminator might be able to tell you how the bed bugs arrived. For example, if a swarm of bed bugs is found in the tenant’s luggage and they just returned from a trip, then you certainly could hold the tenant responsible.
But generally speaking, fault is difficult to prove, particularly in an apartment building. In this case, a resident of another unit could have brought in the bed bugs, and those bed bugs could have then traveled from the infested apartment to your rental through floorboards or small cracks in the walls.
The question of who brought in the bed bugs is easier to determine if the rental in question is a single-family house. But even then, a maintenance person, not the tenant, could have brought in the bed bugs.
How Can You Prevent Bed Bugs?
Ensuring a bed-bug-free property doesn’t stop at extermination. Preventing another infestation is up to your tenant, so make sure you’re both on the same page when it comes to taking care of the property and preventing bed bugs.
Declutter. A cluttered apartment or house is prime real estate for bed bugs. Clutter provides a perfect place for bed bugs to hide, and it makes the treatment process more difficult.
Encase mattresses. Bed bugs didn’t get their name for no reason. Encasing mattresses and box springs in plastic or bed-bug-resistant material can prevent a serious infestation from taking hold.
Avoid secondhand furniture. It’s common in cities like New York to see furniture on the street spray painted with “bed bugs” to prevent hopeful thrifters from taking in infested furniture. It’s good practice to avoid secondhand furniture, especially pieces you just find on the curb with zero clue as to what the condition of the rental they came from was in.
General hygiene. General cleanliness will go a long way to prevent pest infestations of any type. Your tenants should be keeping the rental clean, especially if you have carpet in the unit.
When Can a Tenant Leave Because of Bed Bugs?
Your tenants have a right to fit and habitable housing, and that certainly doesn’t include bed bugs. Your tenant might be able to break their lease because of a bed bug problem, especially if they can prove the vermin were there before they moved in. They can also break the lease if they notified you of the problem and you did nothing or didn’t act quickly enough.
If your tenant is already living in the unit and a bed bug problem arises, they need to give you proper notice (which varies by state) of their intention to break the lease and time for you to fix the problem.
You should never knowingly rent property infested with bed bugs. You could be sued, and if your tenant can prove you knew, you might be ordered to pay damages.
Hopefully you never have to deal with a major pest infestation, especially bed bugs. These critters are the bane of any landlord’s existence. Hopefully you and your tenant are able to spot a bed bug problem from a mile away, and if the exterminator does make a visit, you’ll know what to expect and how to move forward to prevent another problem.
