Bed bugs and landlords don’t always mix well, and for further proof, we need only refer to a recent story from Plattsburgh, New York. Local resident Dan Hill has been living on Elizabeth Street for more than three years, and up until recently has had few if any problems to report. However, in October of this year, he began to notice something strange in his home. More specifically, Hill began to notice the telltale signs of bed bug activity. Naturally, he did what any renter would do – he immediately contacted his landlord.
A Landlord Responds
In an ideal world that should have been enough to get the ball rolling, with the landlord contacting a reputable pest control service to inspect the property and develop a plan of action. Unfortunately, this is not always an ideal world and Mr. Hill soon found himself dealing with a landlord that was slow to respond to his concerns.
As the days and weeks dragged on Hill’s bed bug troubles began to escalate. As anyone who has ever had to deal with bed bugs can tell you, the pesky little bloodsuckers are quick to breed and can spread through a property in no time at all if left to their own devices. Well, that’s just what happened here.
An Infested Apartment
Before long Mr. Hill’s apartment was well and truly infested. Beds, couches and other furnishings were covered in bed bugs. Eventually, Hill and his wife were forced to throw a good deal of their furniture away and still, they waited for action from their landlord. But as is so often the case with rental properties, the landlord insisted it was the tenant’s responsibility to deal with any and all pest control issues. The Plattsburgh Housing Code inspector echoed the landlord’s opinion. The Hill’s were summarily informed that if the bed bugs were confined to only their apartment then they were the ones responsible for their removal. The to-and-fro continued until Hill’s landlord began to threaten eviction.
A History of Bed Bugs
This is not the first time Plattsburgh’s been in the news for bed bug related troubles. The city’s Housing Authority has been locked in an ongoing battle to remove bed bugs from a number of apartment buildings in their district. Plattsburgh Housing Authority officials have encouraged renters to report signs of bed bug activity in their homes and apartments as quickly as possible to better aid in their identification and removal.
In the meantime, Dan Hill and his wife continue to lock horns with their landlord, trying to get some relief from a bed bug invasion that shows no sign of abating.
Published by Scott Palatnik
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