bed bug problems

[aquariustwist]

Hi all,

my roomates and I live in Los Angeles, and recently moved into a new apartment. We bought some of the previous furniture from the old roomates, and haven't brought anything new into the apartment except a desk, dresser and our clothing, books, etc. We just discovered (after several weeks of finding strange bites on us- ugh), that our apartment has bed bugs. The landlords are saying that since we can't prove we didn't bring them in and no other apartments are having problems (even though none of us had problems prior to moving in), that it is our fault and we are liable. This seems to be the case from what I've read, but I'm hoping there might be some loophole since we are starving college students... Does anyone know?

My other question is this: if the bugs move into other apartments through the walls, are we liable for that as well? The landlords have been really bad about getting back to us (its been more than a week since we first told them about this problem, and they just let us know today that we have to cover extermination costs), and even though we've been doing our best with the Raid I'm terrified that the bugs might migrate. We're totally uneducated about our rights and I've been having a lot of trouble finding housing information regarding L.A... Any advice would be really appreciated.
Thanks for your help,

ErinWhat is the name of your state?

 

[PghREA]

Call an exterminator.

 

[merraleet]

I certainly dont know the law, but it would seem that the previos tenants had the problem when you purchased the beds and rented the place. I would think that the LL would have had to exterminate (had he known) before you moved in, then he would need to go after the previous tenants for reimbursment. I might want to contact the previous tenant and ask if they had any problems...maybe they were there before them. If so it would clearly be the responsibility of the LL. I don't know if that makes much sense but it sounds good. Good Luck.

 

[nextwife]

It is also entirely possible that the tenants brought the bed bugs in and that the furniture they left behind was what created the bedbug problem for the poster. Especially if the previous tenant did any traveling on a regular basis, or to places that had bed bug problems. Bed bugs can be brought back on/in luggage, etc.

 

[xylene]

Raid is not very effective.

You need to get a powerful pyrethrum based insecticide that is SPECIFICALLY rated for bed bugs.

You will need to treat repeatedly, as there are very few products that will kill the eggs.

Be prepared for landlord resistance to the expense of treatment, and just about any excuse.

Bed bugs are not your pets. They are blood sucking vermin. You are not responsible for them "migating" thru walls

Your landlord is a real scumbag for his head in the sand mentality.

Write him and demand help.