Bedbug Issue

[midlightfoilist]

I rent in Virginia and a little over a month ago I found that I had bedbugs. The landlord's son is my roommate and at the start he was the one telling them everything that I was reporting. I know that I should have written a letter to report the infestation but there is no address or contact information on the lease. The landlord is saying that I'm responsible for scheduling and paying for treatment and the only reason I've been given is that the bugs weren't there when I moved in on July 2017. It should also be mentioned that during this issue no action whatsoever has been taken by the landlord. The bugs have spread to the whole first floor and I can no longer sleep in the apartment. I don't know if I'm protected under the VRLTA so I don't know what I should do next.

 

[LdiJ]

I rent in Virginia and a little over a month ago I found that I had bedbugs. The landlord's son is my roommate and at the start he was the one telling them everything that I was reporting. I know that I should have written a letter to report the infestation but there is no address or contact information on the lease. The landlord is saying that I'm responsible for scheduling and paying for treatment and the only reason I've been given is that the bugs weren't there when I moved in on July 2017. It should also be mentioned that during this issue no action whatsoever has been taken by the landlord. The bugs have spread to the whole first floor and I can no longer sleep in the apartment. I don't know if I'm protected under the VRLTA so I don't know what I should do next.

The landlord is right. If there were no bed bugs prior to you moving in then you are responsible for them. What you should do next is get a quote for treatment.

I will give you a hint though, that works surprisingly well. If you get 91% isopropal (I don't think that is spelled right) alcohol and put it in a spray bottle, and spray down your mattress and basically the whole infected area, you will kill them off for at least a week at a time, and over time, have a better than decent shot at killing them off completely.

 

[FarmerJ]

Your counties property tax desk is where you can learn where the actual owner of the home gets property tax bill sent to , SEE things like the address a county mails tax bills to is public information and that's to where you can send certified mail to the owner with your concerns.

 

[stealth2]

isopropal

isopropyl.

ETA: Rubbing alcohol.

 

[DeenaCA]

You said that this is an apartment, right? In a multi-unit property the landlord is usually responsible for the cost of bed bug treatment. It's difficult to assign responsibility to tenants (even if there were no bed bugs at move-in) because bed bugs can migrate between units and can "hibernate" for long periods.

Here's an article from VA legal aid. You can check to see whether you qualify for legal services using the link on the upper right. Also see this HUD notice, which applies to public housing units but which provides useful guidelines for private-market housing.

 

[LdiJ]

isopropyl.

ETA: Rubbing alcohol.

Not quite. Regular rubbing alcohol is only about 50%. You need the 91% stuff. Its great for getting rid of gnats too.

 

[stealth2]

Not quite. Regular rubbing alcohol is only about 50%. You need the 91% stuff. Its great for getting rid of gnats too.

Not the one I have. <shrug>