Bed Bugs Nyc Landlord Responsibility
Generally the type of infestation is what you ll look at first.
Bed bugs nyc landlord responsibility. Right to a bed bug free environment. New york s housing and maintenance code subchapter 2 article 4 states that tenants have the right to a bedbug free living environment. Even if there are no applicable bed bug laws where you live there. If you suspect a bed bug infestation in your unit or building contact your landlord or manager right away.
Responsibilities and rights of landlords and tenants and the plague of bed bugs which had once been a phenomenon of the distant past is now back with a vengeance in new york. The law requires that the landlord. Bed bugs mice and rats etc. The landlord is responsible for the cost of treatment needed to eradicate bug bugs.
Preparation is key to a successful bed bug treatment and prevention of further infestation. To address a common misunderstanding. The duties of landlords and tenants with regard to the treatment and control of bed bugs. If it s something that is common to the area or to that building than it will generally be the landlord s responsibility.
Bed bugs travel so easily and spread so quickly that an infestation can happen almost anywhere. This means that the landlord may not rent out a property with a current infestation. The new york city housing and maintenance code subchapter 2 article 4 states that all new york tenants reserve the right to live in an environment free of bed bugs. Your landlord should hire a qualified exterminator to inspect for and measure the concentration of bed bugs in your rental and also adjoining units.
Bed bugs landlord s responsibility in new york state. For tenants in new york the right to a bedbug free environment is included in new york city s housing and maintenance code subchapter 2 article 4 which specifically names bedbugs in the list of insects the landlord is legally obligated to eradicate. Bed bugs are generally not considered by law to make a dwelling unsafe for occupancy. Landlords even have to disclose a history of bed bugs.
Recognizing the problem bed bugs pose in rentals some states and cities have bed bug laws requiring landlords and tenants to take certain measures to prevent bed bug infestations. The law requires a landlord to provide a prospective tenant on and after july 1 2017 and to all other tenants by january 1 2018 information about bed bugs as specified. Bed bugs are indiscriminate equal opportunity pests that will go wherever there are plentiful blood meals for them. A select few localities such as florida and new york city require the landlord to exterminate bed bugs.
Nyc bed bug law also makes taking. A bed bug infestation is a serious violation and landlords have 30 days to deal with the problem. However if the treatment is successfully completed and the bed bugs return the tenant would then be responsible for the cost thereafter.