Bedbugs in Rental Properties

By E-Renter Tenant Screening
Posted on September 8, 2010 under Landlord Tips | Read the First Comment

Bedbugs, once reserved for run-down motels in far-away places, have found their way to the U.S. in huge numbers lately. Infestations are reported in hundreds of hotels, apartment buildings, and single family homes from New York to California. Even Google’s New York City offices are infested with the annoying little creatures. (Speaking of Google, searches for the term “bedbugs” have increased 83% in the past year.)

Pest management companies report huge increases in bedbug infestation encounters, too—up from 25% in 2000 to 95% earlier this year. Why the increase? Mostly, it’s due to the U.S. ban on propoxur, an effective, but potentially harmful pesticide that had been keeping the bedbug population under control.

Movie theaters, hotels rooms and restaurants also provide a free ride home for bedbugs. And increased numbers of people traveling to the far corners of the globe are adding to the problem.

New York State recently passed a law requiring landlords to declare any history of bedbug infestations prior to renting a property. Is similar legislation in your state far behind? And have you experienced bedbugs in your rental properties? If not, you most likely will. The nasty creatures are everywhere.

Top 10 Bedbug Infested Cities
Source: The Daily Beast

1. Cincinnati, OH
2. Columbus, OH
3. Chicago, IL
4. Denver, CO
5. Detroit MI
6. Washington, DC
7. New York, NY
8. Philadelphia, PA
9. Dayton, OH
10. Baltimore, MD

The bad news is that bedbugs can survive a year without food. And they are becoming increasingly resistant to treatment. They seem to be more prevalent in college towns, for obvious reasons–students from many states and countries are mixing together in classrooms and dorms, carrying bedbugs with them as they go.

Landlords—if you haven’t dealt with bedbugs yet, they are very likely in your future—so educate yourself and be prepared when your first tenant calls to tell you, “we have bedbugs!”