Category Archives: Bed Bugs California

Although bed bugs are small and do not transmit diseases, they can cause giant problems. Their bites can cause severe allergic reactions and secondary skin infections and their presence can lead to significant economic consequences, as well as mental health problems for people residing in infested places.

Multi-unit apartment buildings provide particularly fertile environments for bedbugs, as new tenants may bring new bed bugs and infestations may easily spread to adjacent units. The California legislature has not taken the bed bug problems lying down. It recently imposed statutory duties regarding bed bugs on both landlords and tenants.

New Laws with Bite The legislature amended the California Civil Code to protect tenants who complain about bed bugs. New subsection 1942.5(a)(1), effective on January 1st, 2017, forbids landlords from raising rents, reducing services, or otherwise retaliating against a tenant who notifies or complains to the landlord about a suspected bed bug infestation. This amendment merely clarifies that longstanding laws protecting tenants from retaliation for making habitability complaints include complaints about bed bugs.

California Civil Code sections 1954.600 et seq., which also went into effect on January 1st, impose new duties on both landlords and tenants. Section 1954.602 provides that a vacant unit that a landlord knows to be currently infested with bed bugs may not be shown, rented, or leased. The statute does not impose a duty on landlords to inspect their properties for bed bugs. However, if the landlord has notice of suspected or actual infestation or if infestation is evident on visual inspection, the landlord is presumed to know about the infestation.

New Civil Code section 1954.603 provides that commencing on July 1, 2017, landlords must notify new tenants in at least 10-point font of the following: "General information about bed bug identification, behavior and biology, the importance of cooperation for prevention and treatment, and the importance of and for prompt written reporting of suspected infestations to the landlord." The statute provides the language necessary to comply with the notice requirements. Landlords are also required to notify new tenants about the "procedure to report suspected infestations to the landlord." The notifications required in this statute must be provided to all tenants by January 1, 2018.

Section 1954.604 requires tenants to cooperate with pest control operators who seek to enter their units to inspect units for bed bugs.

Finally, section 1954.605 directs landlords to furnish a copy of a pest control operators report to tenants whose units were inspected for bed bugs. The report must be provided to the tenants within two business days of receipt of the pest control operators findings. If the pest control operator finds bed bug infestations in common areas such as building hallways, shared laundry rooms and staircases, elevators, and designated garbage areas, notice must be provided to all tenants.

Wallet Infestation Bed bug infestations may inflict landlords with painful figurative bites. Even before the new California statutes took effect, lessors who ignored bed bug infestations were sued in individual actions and multi-party lawsuits for negligence, constructive eviction, breach of warranty of habitability, negligent infliction of emotional distress, breach of the covenant of quiet enjoyment, nuisance, and other causes of action. In some circumstances, landlords who lost these lawsuits had to pay the tenants attorneys fees. For instance, in the recent case of Hjelm v. Prometheus Real Estate Group, Inc., 3 Cal.App.5th 1155 (Cal. Ct. App. 2016), the California Court of Appeal affirmed an award against a lessor of $326,475 in attorneys fees on a $72,000 judgment.

Counsel Concerning Critters One obvious suggestion for avoiding lawsuits over bed bug infestations: Dont let the bed bugs bite. Landlords might save money in the long-term by hiring pest control operators in the short-term to regularly inspect tenant units. These regular appointments may head off infestations. Furthermore, they may make the exterminator, rather than the landlord, liable in a tenants negligence action stemming from bed bug infestations.

Of course, landlords must follow the dictates of the law. They may not retaliate against tenants who complain about bed bugs, rent out infested property, or fail to disclose bed bug problems to affected tenants. Even if there is no infestation, landlords must provide new tenants notice about bed bugs beginning on July 1, 2017 and must do the same for all tenants beginning on January 1, 2018.

The new statute requiring tenants to provide necessary access to pest control operators should provide landlords with legal recourse against tenants who refuse to cooperate.

Bed bugs infestations can make landlords want to hide under their covers. But both landlords and tenants will sleep easier if they understand the laws concerning bed bugs.

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California Landlord-Tenant Law is Crawling with New Statutes About Bed Bugs - Lexology (registration)

By Mike Nemeth

A bill that spells out what landlords and tenants need to do when confronted with a bed bug infestation is closer to becoming California law.

Assemblyman Adin Nazarian

The Assembly Judiciary Committee on Tuesday voted 7-0 in favor of Assemblyman Adrin Nazarians AB 551.

The proposal from the Van Nuys Democrat comes as bed bug infestations continue to spike both in California and across the United States.

Despite the spread of these bloodsucking pests, California law hasnt adequately defined the role that apartment owners and renters must play in preventing and killing these bugs.

Nazarians bill addresses this by offering specifics. And it starts with education and candor.

Under AB 551, landlords must provide tenants with information about bed bug prevention. And tenants cant knowingly bring items into apartments if they suspect they have bed bugs.

Fighting bed bugs in rental housing takes the cooperation of both lanlords and tenants. AB 551 provides a framework of rights and responsibilities for both. Among other things, the bill would:

If tenants suspect their apartment is infested, they must tell the landlord, who then must hire a pest control company to check it out. If an infestation is confirmed, the landlord has to notify the tenants and have a pest control operator prepare and implement a bed bug treatment program.

Tenants then have to cooperate with pest control operators and make sure their property isnt in the way of treatment.

This bill ensures protection for both tenants and landlords who do what theyre supposed to do.

It protects landlords from liability for any delays in treatment that are beyond their control.

AB 551, which now heads to the Assembly floor, strikes a reasonable balance between the needs of landlords and renters. If enacted, it will help reduce the bed bug population throughout the state.

Listen to testimony about the bed bugs bill.

Learn more about the fight against bed bugs from the spring edition of Apartment Management Magazine.

Mike Nemeth is the director of communications for the California Apartment Association. Read more of his articles, or connect with him by sending an email.

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Bed bug bill passes Judiciary Committee - caanet.org

Understandably, the traveling public has become concerned about bed bugs in light of recent media reports around the world. That said, travelers rarely encounter bed bugs and most members of the general public have never even seen a bed bug. This increased public awareness has helped travelers to be aware and, if necessary, modify their behaviors to minimize the risk of a bed bug infestation.

Bed bugs have been household pests for over 3,000 years, however, were all but eradicated in the developed world in the 1950s, through new pest management controls, widespread use of vacuum cleaners and washing machines. The resurgence largely began in the late 1990s with more targeted pest control products and methods, increased international travel and a lack of public awareness.

According to a recent University of Kentucky study, a person is almost one-third more likely to encounter bed bugs at home rather than at a lodging property. Additionally, bed bugs should not be equated with filth or sanitation problems bed bugs are not known to carry any diseases to humans and are only a nuisance.

One benefit to the increased media reports is also increased prevention. Especially in the hotel industry, prevention and control is a top priority the satisfaction of our guests is of paramount importance. Finally, just because someone anonymously reported bed bugs at a particular hotel, does not mean there are bed bugs at the hotel. Many of these reports have been linked to disgruntled guests and even competitive hotels, and shown to be false claims. Even if it says on the internet that a hotel has bed bugs and a hotel has unfortunately had bed bugs, most likely by the time this information was posted on the internet, the bed bugs have been eradicated.

Below are several useful resources for basic bed bug information, frequently asked questions and prevention tips, as well as information on what the hotel industry is doing to educate hoteliers and prevent infestations at lodging properties.

Bed Bug Prevention When Traveling

Bed Bug Frequently Asked Questions

Bed Bug Information from the Environmental Protection Agency

The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) and the California Hotel & Lodging Association (CH&LA) work hard to inform their members about bed bug prevention. AH&LA partnered with theNational Pest Management Associationand created a series of workshop to educate hoteliers across the country on how to effectively respond to bed bugs - including inspection techniques and prevention tips. There have also been numerous educational webinars and symposiums for California hoteliers.

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Bed Bug Information - California Hotel & Lodging Association

Bedbugs have been a serious problemfor people livingin Sacramento, Roseville and Reno, NVlately. Many people have misconceptions about these pesky pests. Check your assumptions against these common myths:

False. When first born, bedbugs are 1mm long, translucent, light in color and are very difficult to find. Progressively, they grow darker and adult bedbugs are reddish brown, oval, non-winged, with several legs and can grow to about 4 to 5 mm - about the size of an ... apple seed.

False. They don't move faster than most insects and if you know where to look and when, you'll find them.

False. Unfortunately, bed bugs can't distinguish between the penthouse suite at the Hilton and sketchy Ted's Red Motel. In fact, bedbugs can thrive in clean environments - which include places like hotels, hospitals, in beds, carpets, clothing and upholstery.

False. While many over the counter products may kill bed bugs at certain stages, it is important to have a comprehensive program targeted at all life cycles.

Advanced provides the most current and effective methods for bed bug control including Heat Remediation.

Most bed bug treatments are extremely tedious, require multiple visits, significant preparation, and use insecticides to control the situation. Bed bugs are growing increasingly pesticide resistant, and there are fewer treatment options available. However, with the use of heat, a bed bug infestation can be eliminated in a short period of time, without the use of chemicals, allowing you to resume normal use of the space quickly.

FAST RESULTS

Heat treament can typically be completed in 1 day and rooms back in use in less than 24 hours.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY

No chemicals, no toxic fumes, and no residue.

EFFECTIVE

Heat kills the entire life cycle of all insects from eggs to adults.

ECONOMICAL

Heat treat an entire structure or spot treat high infestation zones while other sections of the structure remain operational.

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Bed Bugs Exterminators in Sacramento, Roseville and Reno ...

The BedBugNewsReports.com pages are here, so you can learn from the mistakes of others and this new story from Chico California is a sad example. Its just that latest in a long line of charity housing / shelters with BedBugs that are making changes, in attempts to win the BedBug Wars.

Im General BedBug, Commanding Officer of the BedBug Resistance Army and battle consultant to FLfresh.com and , EcoBugFREE, the BedBug Eliminator. You can follow my war-room briefings to see how the battles move from city to city. I am @GeneralBedbug on the Twitty-Toy and I do postings like this one on MrBedBugs YouTube Account @ MrBedbug TV.

Lets see what we can learn from the decisions and actions of the Torres Shelter.

They are on the front lines of the Bedbug Wars, not because of the low-income or homeless population they serve, but because BedBugs are hitch-hikers. They cling to any fabric that smells like a tasty-human all-you-can-eat-buffet. The sad fact is the transient population all across the country are at high risk for Bedbug infestation, because they have no stable home-base.

Most homeowners and apartment renters have some security, that if they protect the home-base, that they will have stability. Thats not true with transient populations, who return time after time to the same locations, to come into contact with Bedbugs over and over.

What we can learn here is that awareness and the inspection program has greatly reduced to likelihood of a Bedbug infestation returning to the shelter property. These very same awareness steps can be done by every homeowner. Your kids []

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Bed Bug News Reports Bed Bugs in California