Pennsylvania lawmakers are currently considering a Bill that would require hotels and rental properties to take swift action to eradicate bed bug infestations. If the Bill passes, property owners would be required to pay for bed bug inspections in all common areas of the building every six months and complete a bed bug inspection in each unit 30 days prior to any new lease term or room rental. Property owners who fail to comply with the new law would face stiff penalties of $300 per rental unit and $1,000 per common area. The pending Bill has some allowances to protect the property owner from tenants who arrive with bed bug infestations.
Despite current Housing and Health Codes that require that property owner address New York City bed bug infestations promptly, City Council recently passed additional legislation to help eradicate the critters that are taking over the city. The new laws require that property owners provide bed bug treatments for units above, below, and to the left and right of any unit that has a bed bug infestation. Property owners will also be required to notify the Health Department, and the residents of a building, when multiple apartments have a bed bug infestation. Property owners that are considered “repeat offenders” of having bed bug infestations at their property must have a licensed exterminator complete an “Affidavit of Correction of Pest Infestation”, which will confirm that the bed bug infestation is being properly treated.
Please check back on Friday for the conclusion.
