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Property Management – Northridge – Bed Bugs?

NORTHRIDGE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

What Landlords Can Do About Bed Bugs

It’s Summertime, and that means bedbug season (June-September) is in full effect. This statement may bewilder some because, until recently, bedbugs were all but eradicated in the U.S.

However, when the EPA imposed regulations on the chemicals used to exterminate the bugs, they were once again infesting homes and businesses across the country. This year, according to the National Pest Management Association, 99 percent of pest control companies in the U.S. have treated homes and buildings for bedbugs.

If you are managing a rental property, this should be concerning. What do you do when your tenants complain about bedbugs?

About Those Bedbugs

Bedbugs are wingless insects. They have a flattened, oval shape and are reddish-brown in color. Bedbugs are warm-blooded and extremely tough. They feed on the blood of their hosts, making them easily transferable. Yet, experts claim that they can live for up to a year without nourishment, which makes them relatively difficult to treat. The size of bedbugs also makes them tough to detect. They are tiny- about the size of a poppy seed, allowing them to hide in the smallest of places.

Bedbug bites leave bumps and can even cause rashes or allergic reactions; however, symptoms typically present well after the culprit has retreated to its hiding place.

Addressing An Infestation

Most of the time, it’s near impossible to know how bedbugs came to exist in a property, making it very difficult to prove who or what “caused the problem”. When new tenants report the presence of bedbugs shortly after moving into a property, the odds that they were brought in by the previous occupants are high. Because of this, many states have laws requiring landlords to treat a property for bedbugs if they are reported within the first couple weeks of occupancy. There may be a fair amount of finger pointing, but what it really boils down to is that tenants have the legal right to a safe and sanitary residence.

Unless the pets are exterminated promptly after they are detected, tenants will be subject to attacks from the bedbugs, putting landlords in an even stickier situation. Eliminating bedbugs can be expensive, but not as costly as it may be to let the problem persist. Many tenants have successfully sued the party responsible for not addressing an infestation.

Solutions And Prevention

Property managers should devise with their owners the ways in which they will promptly address an infestation, should one arise. Here are a few ways you can protect your tenants and your business from bedbugs.

Find out as much as you can about bedbugs. You can find a wealth of information about the pest and how to safely eliminate them on the EPA’s bedbug page.

Look for experienced pest control companies. Not all contractors will know how to exterminate these resilient insects, and the company you usually hire may not have the skills or tools to handle the situation.

Look over your rental agreement to make sure it contains language that gives you the tools you need to efficiently handle a bedbug infestation. Many leases will specify what the tenant’s responsibility is in terms of pest control, such as moving or discarding personal items or even vacating a unit completely. Discuss this section of your lease agreement with your lawyer.

Infestations of any kind can be quite a shock to your property owners, so educate them about what could happen. You can do so by sending a letter, email, or putting it in a landlord newsletter.

Do not wait until bedbugs present themselves to discuss them with your tenants. You can enlighten them to this possibility by including it in the rental agreement, putting it on your website, or adding to to your tenant handbook. Whichever method you choose, it’s always best to make them aware of bedbugs ahead of time.

Bedbugs are a real, detrimental problem. It is critical to minimize their effects by planning ahead and tackling any bedbug infestation immediately.

By Sara J Thompson

Since 1946 the Carnahan name has had a reputation for honest and ethical Real Estate Property Management services in the San Fernando Valley, Santa Clarita Valley, Burbank/Glendale, Los Angeles, Westside and Conejo Valley areas.

The reason for our success is helping owners like you when they need it. Below is a partial list of property management services we provide to help you protect your real estate investment.