$10M Lawsuit For Bed Bugs And Cockroaches

Many cities across the United States have adopted laws to help set guidelines as to what protocols must be followed when pests are present in a dwelling.  Because of their extreme complexity, most recently, laws in some states have been developed to include bed bug infestations.  The laws that have been enacted have helped to protect both the tenants who are suffering through a bed bug infestation and the owners of the building.  In some states, some laws tend to favor tenants slightly more, others favor the landlords, and some are evenly matched.  When no laws are in place, or when regulations are not being followed, it is time for the courts to step in to sort out the trouble spots.

KCRA.com reported on December 20, 2011 that 97 tenants living in an apartment building in Rancho Cordova, California have filed a joint lawsuit against the owner of their building seeking $10 million in damages!  According to their report, the tenants have filed their lawsuit because the owner “did not fulfill his duty to maintain habitable apartments for tenants.”  The tenants complain of cockroaches from floor to ceiling, mold in many locations throughout their apartments, and the lack of working heating equipment.  They also complain of persistent bed bugs hiding, creeping, infesting and biting throughout the apartment complex.  Code enforcement officers say that the owner is facing more than 150 violations on the property and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines if the sub-standard living conditions are not corrected quickly.

You may read the article here.

Once apartment tenants inform their landlord that bed bugs are present, it is imperative that a licensed pest control professional be called.  It is the tenants responsibility to follow the guidelines set forth by the pest control expert to prepare their apartment unit for eradication services.  Bed bugs are very difficult to eliminate from multi-unit housing. Both the landlord and the tenant have significant rolls and must work together to a fully eradicate bed bugs from an apartment building.