Bed Bugs in a Rental

Check the first sentence...meant that I could only seem to find comments/questions from owners.

Anybody got anything here? Or am I just screwed? :(

I'd try calling the Board of Health & then get an exterminator in there YESTERDAY. Keep a running log of dates & times, what you did & who you spoke to, etc. I'm sure it's a horrendous experience but try to stay calm & remember that you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Best of luck to you.

As a LL I am shocked.

The few times I have had to deal with those Fers, I have been overly responsive, to avoid it spreading further to other tenants. In fact, I have had to demand that tenants accept treatments immediately (which I pay for) when they wanted to wait until it was good for their schedule.

If you were my tenants and you had BB, I would also give you the option to break your lease...

When I had a no heat and hot water rental issue in the early 90s -- I opened an escrow acct for my rent and bought a heater. I waited for my LL to bring me to court (his cost) and represenated myself pro se with all the affidavits and docs from health department, etc. I got the rent free and he paid for the cost of the new heater....

so I would get the exterminator immediately and repeat if necessary and deduct the cost from your rent (which should come with a lovely thank you note from the LL!!!)

Just curious, if a renter brought the bedbugs into the apt, why is it the LLs responsibility to remove them?

Because it is the LL's responsibility to keep buildings pest free, which is a joke statement in NYC already, but bedbugs bring it to a whole new level.

Story:
I had a tenant who travels constantly for work and sure enough brought home bedbugs. That was not her story though, according to her, the whole building was infested with bedbugs, and it was my personal fault for 'letting it get to this'. I sent a company to test her apartment, and every apartment touching hers on any side including above and below. Tests came back and her apartment was the only positive.

I called her immediately and told her the news and that I wanted to start the treatment tomorrow, so that it did not spread. Needless to say, the tenants next to her were concerned. She then proceeded to knock on every door (~25) in the building and ask (freak the shit out of) everyone if they were getting bitten.

The next day I came in to ~20 voicemails/emails from tenants demanding their apartments get tested. Testing all of those apartments turned out to be more expensive than treating the one with the problem. At least my tenants are happy and feel safe in their buildings, and I don't have people reporting me to the bedbug registry, which by the way LL's can get falsely put into by anyone with a grudge....

Just a day in the life...

It seems as if landlords had a clause in the rental contract that tenants must encase their bedding in the impervious wraps that are easily found at any Bed, Bath & Beyond, it could help to lessen the spread of the nasty critters.