Tenant Complaining of Bed Bugs 4 months after moving in

Errata

Insist on the tenant setting traps, you need to be completely certain about what is causing the bites.

athina_2

Thanks all for the advice. I asked her to set some sticky traps, which she had already done. The council are coming Friday morning. They'll investigate first & if they don't find anything then they don't charge.

She seems very responsible & happy with arranging everything herself, rather than expecting me to be at her beck and call, which has significantly reduced my stress levels

maninthestreet

Has the tenant been on holiday abroad immediately prior to them reporting this issue to you?

athina_2

She's from a mediterranean country & I believe she's been back a few times & had her mum over a few times too.

If this is still an issue after the council visit, how do I bring this up without antagonising her?

I once rented a house when I was a lodger. The landlady had cats which got infested by fleas. I was waking up & finding fleas in my bed & my body was covered in bites. It took her 8 weeks of me asking her to call the council in to finally eradicte the problem. I didn't sleep well & was in tears so know how distressing it is (even though I don't believe this situation is of my doing).

Errata

If this is still an issue after the council visit, how do I bring this up without antagonising her?

Talk to her about all the bedbugs on planes, trains, cabs that hitch a ride onto unsuspecting tenants. Find some stories on the net to show her, tell her it's becoming a serious problem all over Europe and Scandi and other places. Most importantly, assure her that they love very, very clean people much more than those who are grubby and she clearly falls into the first group.

propertyman

You are both looking it in terms of who is to blame.

The real problem is that there is a form of infestation which will affect you long term as the owner landlord.

As you can see bedbugs can come from any source, even you, from your neighbours, decorator, estate agent, movers, in your new home.:)

the important thing is

a; deal with it

b; your tenants cooperation is key

Good luck

avnire

As a tenant who has just had the experience of having bed bugs I totally can relate to propertyman's comment - a flat can be infested in many ways, it could be the case that they came from a neighbour, or they travelled on her bags back home from a hotel she had stayed.. whatever.. the thing is that the property is yours, if you don't and can't get rid of bed bugs from your flat, there is no way that you can sublet it again! As propertyman has said getting rid of bed bugs is a huge job, and the tenant's help is essential to make it happen: she will have to wash all her clothes, beddings, bag stuff etc. BY the way bed bug straps are useless, beg bugs can detect CO2, that's why they find us in the house, wherever we sleep, they just can't be bothered about straps (apparently they are sold for and they work with cockroaches!). If you shop around you can find cheaper pest control people than £200!

azure2444

Around 10 years ago I had a terrible problem with bed bugs and we had all the symptoms - blood on the sheets etc. We were also in a terrace (Victorian end of terrace) and the adjoining property had a lot of people coming and going. Our bed adjoined that party wall.

One time we returned from holiday in the States and my partner was very tired and went to bed. Just a few minutes later he is crawling with bugs (they must have been hungry). Totally gross.

Called a pest control guy out who said it was the worst infestation he'd ever seen. We were very glad when we moved from the place!

Apart from the story, my point is that I believe bed bugs can come through party walls - especially in older properties.