By JENNIFER BROKAMP
Youve finally made it to New York City for your first job out of college. As you step into the pristine major office tower, you cant believe how lucky you are to get to work in such an impressive place. Three whirlwind days of work later, everything is going great, that is, until you notice dozens of red bumps in sets of three all over your body. Bed bugs. And theyre coming from your office.
You might be thinking, arent bed bugs only in dirty homes or run down buildings? Unfortunately, no. Many people have been lulled into a false sense of security by believing that because they have a nice, clean living environment, they are immune to bed bugs. But bed bugs can infest any place where humans spend large amounts of time; cleanliness has nothing to do with it. Bed bugs began making their way back into American homes, retail stores, movie theaters, public transportation and anywhere their tiny apple seed-shaped bodies can be concealed. Infestations can start by picking up a bedbug at any of those places, and the public which had lost the ability to combat these pests was taken by surprise and left with minimal knowledge on how to eradicate them.
What makes these pests so particularly horrible is that they feed on blood while their victims are sleeping. Their bites cause bumps that can resemble mosquito bites or can become large, bulbous welts, depending on the person and their allergic reaction. Bed bugs can survive up to a year without food and can hide under floorboards even if an apartment is empty. While there are various methods of keeping a bed bug infestation at bay, full eradication is extremely difficult, especially in apartment complexes or offices because the most effective treatment must be applied to the whole building. Meanwhile, tenants must be meticulously clean, heat treat their possessions and throw away mattresses or large pieces of furniture that cannot be saved.
The social stigma, the difficulty of eradicating the bugs and the physical repercussions that victims face causes sometimes severe psychological problems. These problems unequivocally distinguish bed bugs from other types of pests, and it is imperative that lawmakers appreciate the difference. Bed bug victims can become paranoid, extremely anxious, depressed and overly emotional, leading to a great reduction in quality of life. Luckily, the experiences of victims all over the country has spurred a lot of legal action that caused some landlord-tenant lawyers to specialize in bed bug law, especially here in New York.
As the bed bug menace began to spread throughout North America once again, different states took different measures against them. Some states enacted legislation to help regulate the treatment of bed bugs, while others relied on the courts to settle the wide range of issues that result from bed bugs. Because of the difference in treatment of bed bug cases among states, some victims find themselves in better circumstances than others based solely on location.
After watching bed bugs in the courts for years, states have begun to consider and enact bed bug legislation. A handful of states, including New York, have passed legislation which varies somewhat from state to state but generally includes mandatory inspections by landlords and disclosure, followed by timely treatment. Ideally, citizens of every state should be protected from these debilitating pests and as awareness grows, hopefully more states will take aggressive action.
When a tenant brings a bed bug case to court in a state without bed bug legislation, the lawsuits often turns on who is at fault for the situation. There are a couple of methods that plaintiffs often try, including constructive eviction, implied warrant of habitability and, in extreme cases, negligence. These cases have a mixed level of success depending on the situation. Sometimes, the judge must agree that a bed bug infestation makes a premise uninhabitable. Other times, tenants must prove that the landlord had prior knowledge of the bed bug infestation before leasing the infested apartment to the tenants, all of which is very difficult.
A bed bug infestation creates massive amounts of stress for everyone involved. Unfortunately, most people are unable to conceptualize the magnitude of such an infestation and are unable to respond properly. While landlords do not deserve the entire burden of a bed bug infestation, courts and legislation must be more favorable to tenants simply because landlords, especially ones who have not dealt with bed bugs before, tend to underestimate the seriousness of a bed bug infestation and are in the best position to effectively combat an infestation. Since time is exceedingly important in controlling and eradicating an infestation, legal pressure on landlords might spark them into taking effective action before infestations get out of control.
Meanwhile, you can protect yourself from bed bugs by examining apartments for telltale signs of infestations before signing the lease and asking lots of questions. After returning from trips, immediately wash and dry your clothes and suitcase with high heat. If you suspect that your apartment is infested, early detection will greatly help with the eradication process, so call your landlord immediately. By raising awareness and taking a few easy precautions, we can help to stop the spread of bed bugs and work towards getting rid of them permanently.
Read more:
BARELY LEGAL: Renter, Beware: Bed Bugs Are Back
- Bed Bug Dog detecting bed bugs in New York, Philadelphia and New Jersey - May 8th, 2011 [May 8th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs Reported At New York Victoria's Secret - May 9th, 2011 [May 9th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs Invade Ohio, NYC Theater - May 12th, 2011 [May 12th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs New York Treatment - May 20th, 2011 [May 20th, 2011]
- Lou Sorkin Discusses: What's the Deal with Bed Bugs in New York City? - May 20th, 2011 [May 20th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs New York - Bed Bugs in the Big Apple - May 31st, 2011 [May 31st, 2011]
- New York Bed Bugs - June 1st, 2011 [June 1st, 2011]
- NESDCA Bed Bug Dogs -- Getting Rid of Bed Bugs in Offices and Homes in New York - June 15th, 2011 [June 15th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs NYC - Call 914-834-1722 - June 16th, 2011 [June 16th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs Love New York Too! - June 17th, 2011 [June 17th, 2011]
- Mattress Covers for Bed Bugs in New York, Philadelphia, Detroit, Cincinnati, Chicago.mp4 - June 20th, 2011 [June 20th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs: Treatment - July 6th, 2011 [July 6th, 2011]
- Louisiana Oil Spill-Bed buds in New York-July 2, 2010.MP4 - July 18th, 2011 [July 18th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs Invading NYC - July 27th, 2011 [July 27th, 2011]
- Bed Bugs 101 - August 10th, 2011 [August 10th, 2011]
- New York Bed Bugs.mp4 - August 22nd, 2011 [August 22nd, 2011]
- New York's 2011 Bed Bug Reports Growing - News - July 11, 2011 - August 23rd, 2011 [August 23rd, 2011]
- Jeff's 180 - Bed Bug Pesticide Resistance in New York - September 10th, 2011 [September 10th, 2011]
- New York Bed Bug Extermination Experts - 347-354-1755 - September 21st, 2011 [September 21st, 2011]
- bed bugs new york city - Video - October 17th, 2011 [October 17th, 2011]
- Bed Bug Bites Brooklyn New York - Video - October 27th, 2011 [October 27th, 2011]
- Bed Bug Removal NJ - Bed Bugs in New Jersey - Video - October 29th, 2011 [October 29th, 2011]
- New York Bed Bug Dog - Demonstration of Canine Bed Bug Scent Detection -- Daisy, Midas - November 4th, 2011 [November 4th, 2011]
- New York Bed Bug Kit Part 2 - Video - November 16th, 2011 [November 16th, 2011]
- BedBug Removal In New York / Westchester / New Jersey Bed Bug Pest Control Exterminator - Video - December 6th, 2011 [December 6th, 2011]
- New York Bed Bug Kit Part 1 - Video - January 2nd, 2012 [January 2nd, 2012]
- NFL action was awesome; goals aplenty - January 28th, 2012 [January 28th, 2012]
- NPMA’s Eastern Conference Highlights Speeches By Industry Notables - January 29th, 2012 [January 29th, 2012]
- Laundry Detergent Additive Is A First Line Of Defense Against Bedbugs Says New Planet Amazing Report - January 29th, 2012 [January 29th, 2012]
- Saratoga Springs seeks answers on housing head's salary - January 29th, 2012 [January 29th, 2012]
- BedBug Shredder Brings a New Three Step Solution for Killing BedBugs - January 30th, 2012 [January 30th, 2012]
- RxProtect Team Announces Bed Bug Heat Treatment Franchise Program - February 5th, 2012 [February 5th, 2012]
- Louisiana family battles bed bugs - February 7th, 2012 [February 7th, 2012]
- 22 Classic Board Game Commercials More Fun Than Their Games - February 8th, 2012 [February 8th, 2012]
- NYC Housing Court Kills Bed Bugs - Video - February 10th, 2012 [February 10th, 2012]
- How Much Is A Bed Bug Exterminator? BedBugExterminator911.com Breaks It Down In Free Webinar Series - February 13th, 2012 [February 13th, 2012]
- "Bed Bug Exterminator" Webinar Released For Bed Bug Sufferers From BedBugExterminator911.com - February 13th, 2012 [February 13th, 2012]
- Not Sure About The Exact Bed Bug Exterminator Cost Of A Bed Bug Problem? BedBugExterminator911.com Reveals Procedures ... - February 13th, 2012 [February 13th, 2012]
- Don’t let bed bugs bite, Region says - February 15th, 2012 [February 15th, 2012]
- Get Rid of Bed Bugs Naturally Without Using Pesticides, BedBugExterminator911.com Reveals Exterminators Secrets - February 17th, 2012 [February 17th, 2012]
- Best Bedbug Cures Are Now Non-Toxic Says New Report from Planet Amazing - February 20th, 2012 [February 20th, 2012]
- Top Entomologists Call 2012 Pivotal Year in Bed Bug War - February 29th, 2012 [February 29th, 2012]
- According to Rest Assured MC, Freezing Bed Bugs with Cryonite will Become One of the Most Popular Methods for Killing ... - March 1st, 2012 [March 1st, 2012]
- Bed Bugs NYC (718) 303 1052 Bed Bugs New York - Video - March 7th, 2012 [March 7th, 2012]
- Alco NJ Animal and Pest Control Expands into New York in 2012 while Bed Bugs Expand Across the East Coast - March 9th, 2012 [March 9th, 2012]
- A&E Network Premieres the New Original Real Life Series "Rambug" Following a Family of New York City Exterminators on ... - March 13th, 2012 [March 13th, 2012]
- Nina In New York: Bed Bug Torment - March 14th, 2012 [March 14th, 2012]
- REPORT: Cincinnati ranks #1 for bed bugs - March 16th, 2012 [March 16th, 2012]
- San Diego Lets the Bed Bugs Bite - March 21st, 2012 [March 21st, 2012]
- Bed bugs singin' 'We love L.A.' - March 21st, 2012 [March 21st, 2012]
- Study: LA Ranks 5th Among Top Bed Bug Cities In America - March 21st, 2012 [March 21st, 2012]
- Bed bugs spotted in UTSA housing - March 22nd, 2012 [March 22nd, 2012]
- Recent Bed Bug List Provides Insight, but Unseasonably Warm Winter has Experts Worried About Populations for Summer - March 29th, 2012 [March 29th, 2012]
- Bed bugs rampant locally, nationally and globally - April 26th, 2012 [April 26th, 2012]
- Bed bugs are back - and UC Davis has answers - April 26th, 2012 [April 26th, 2012]
- Bedbug Complaints To The City Are Down, Problem Far From Eradicated - April 26th, 2012 [April 26th, 2012]
- Number of Bed Bug Complaints Drops in New York, BedBugBully.com Points Out the Reason - April 29th, 2012 [April 29th, 2012]
- Nina In New York: We’ve Won The War On Imaginary Bed Bugs - May 1st, 2012 [May 1st, 2012]
- Hotel pet peeves from host of 'Hotel Impossible' - May 1st, 2012 [May 1st, 2012]
- 'Hotel Impossible': TV show host lists pet peeves - May 1st, 2012 [May 1st, 2012]
- Nina In New York: Apparently, Liquor Is Like Kryptonite To Bed Bugs - June 5th, 2012 [June 5th, 2012]
- Indy on list of bed bug-infested cities - June 12th, 2012 [June 12th, 2012]
- Cincinnati ranks #2 for bed bugs - June 13th, 2012 [June 13th, 2012]
- Mobile society contributes to Cincinnati's bed bug program - June 13th, 2012 [June 13th, 2012]
- Start Scratching! Pest Control Company Names Philadelphia Most Bed Bug Infested City - June 13th, 2012 [June 13th, 2012]
- Statistic You Probably Didn't Want to Hear: More Bed Bugs in D.C. - June 15th, 2012 [June 15th, 2012]
- Study: D.C. bed bug problem increasingly worse - June 15th, 2012 [June 15th, 2012]
- Anatomy of an Online Flash Sale Addict - October 2nd, 2012 [October 2nd, 2012]
- Dogs trained to find bed bugs near OIA - October 3rd, 2012 [October 3rd, 2012]
- Early Halloween Blowout: MyCleaningProducts Starts Giving Out 31% Bed Bug Bully Price-Cut - October 10th, 2012 [October 10th, 2012]
- Pest Control NYC - Video - November 1st, 2012 [November 1st, 2012]
- How To Get Rid Of Bed Bugs - Call 914-834-1722 - Video - November 1st, 2012 [November 1st, 2012]
- Bed Bug Exterminator NYC | Bed Bug Treatment | Pest Control New York - November 3rd, 2013 [November 3rd, 2013]
- Bed Bugs in New York City | New York vs Bed Bugs - November 6th, 2013 [November 6th, 2013]
- New York's DFS Battling Bed Bugs - PCT - Pest Control Technology - November 27th, 2013 [November 27th, 2013]
- Reports of Bed Bugs in New York City Hotels - New York City ... - November 28th, 2013 [November 28th, 2013]
- New York Bed Bugs | A Complete Guide to Bed Bugs in New York - December 6th, 2013 [December 6th, 2013]
- Quick Tips On Bed Bugs In Hotels From Gotcha Bed Bug Inspectors - December 17th, 2013 [December 17th, 2013]
- New York Bed Bug Kit - Free Shipping - DoMyOwnPestControl.com - January 9th, 2014 [January 9th, 2014]
- Bed Bugs in New York – A City Guide | Bed Bugs - January 16th, 2014 [January 16th, 2014]