Bedbugs can enter apartments by latching on to used furniture, luggage, and clothing, and by traveling along connecting pipes and wiring. Landlords should:
- Seal any cracks and crevices to prevent bedbugs and other pests from entering apartments.
- Advise tenants to never take in furniture found on the street.
- Advise tenants that if they think that they have been around bedbugs, to immediately wash and dry their clothing for at least 30 minutes on high heat, or store them in a sealed plastic bag until they can wash them
- Encourage tenants to report bedbugs as soon as they think they have a problem.
- If an apartment is found to have bedbugs, notify and inspect all units that are across, above and below the infested one.
- Hire a pest management professional to treat for bedbugs.
- Give advance notice to tenants of the planned use of pesticides.
- Be wary of companies that make unrealistic claims about controlling infestations with just one visit. Find a pest control company that provides a warranty as well as a follow up visit.
- Inspect the units after vacancy. Make sure vacant units are thoroughly cleaned and free of pests before a new tenant moves in.
- Provide tenants with a written bedbug history notice.
- Include a bed bug addendum with the lease.
Tenants in New York City have the right to a bedbug-free environment. Bedbugs are specifically named in the list of insects that building owners are legally required to eradicate. New York City lists bedbugs as a Class B violation. This means they are considered hazardous. The landlord has 30 days to correct this problem. The landlord must get rid of the infestation and keep the affected units from getting infested again.
Free bed bugs resources for landlords:
- Disposal Protocol (PDF) Other languages: Español | 繁體中文 | Русский | Kreyòl ayisyen | 한국어
- Is it a Bed Bug, Cockroach or Carpet Beetle? (PDF)
Other languages: Español | 繁體中文 | Русский | Kreyòl ayisyen | 한국어 - Minimal Pest Control Practices (PDF)
- Preventing and Getting Rid of Bed Bugs Safely (PDF)
Other languages: Español | 繁體中文 | Русский | Italiano | Kreyòl ayisyen | 한국어 - Choosing and Working with a Pest Control Company (PDF).
To obtain a bed bug lease addendum and disclosure notice, register here for the “Twelve Lease Riders That Protect Landlords – Webinar” on June 12, 2024: 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM.
Call or text experienced Rochester Landlord Tenant Attorneys Justin Friedman and Robert Friedman at 585-484-7432 for guidance on protecting yourself as a NY landlord.