Fighting Bed Bugs

April 28, 2016

This is something I advocated for as a constituent and now as a Representative. It outlines the duties and responsibilities for both landlords and tenants regarding notice, inspection, and treatment of an infestation.

House Bill #5335, among other things:

  • Directs landlords to retain a third-party inspector or inspect the unit themselves if tenants report that they know or suspect their unit is infested with bed bugs.
  • Requires landlords to hire and pay a pest control agent to treat bed bug infestations if they are unable to successfully treat the infestation themselves.
  • Requires a landlord, if he/she treats the infestation him or herself, to have a third-party inspector confirm the treatment's success.
  • Makes tenants financially responsible for subsequent treatment costs for their unit and contiguous units if they knowingly and unreasonably fail to comply with treatment measures.
  • Prohibits landlords from renting units that they know or suspect are infested with bed bugs.