Bedbugs - can landlords really charge tenant for treating whole building??

[Butterfly1975]

My friend is in a rented room which she has been in for 2 years. Recently she found bedbugs in her divan bed which she had actually been trying to get landlord to replace since moving in.

She reported these to the agency and they arranged for pest control to come out and treat the room. Subsequently bedbugs have been found in other rented rooms in the house and now the landlord is say my friend will have to pay to have the whole house treated. She's on a very low income and in a complete state about receiving a bill which could be into the thousands.

CAB haven't given her a clear answer about who is liable and we can't get through to Shelter for any advice.

Anyone here work for housing or been through similar that can help. She's so upset and I'm really concerned for her well-being over this

What are his grounds for charging her for the whole building? Why does he think she caused it?

Get her to check the tenancy agreement but I’m afraid it’s likely she’s liable as She has introduced the pests to the property. I’m a landlord and had a similar issue, the flat got infested with them because one of the tenants brought them in and I had to have the whole property treated. They’re a bugger to get rid of unfortunately. Landlord would only be liable if they were there when she moved in. Sorry!

I'm assuming because she reported it first so he thinks she is responsible. From what I understand it can be very difficult to trace the source but apparently this year has been a bumper one for bedbugs due to warm conditions!

Did you charge your tenants bumblenbean? How did you know what the source was?

Does the mattress belong to her or the landlord? Either way, how can they prove which room is the source of the problem?

Who does the bed belong too?

I’m not sure how he can prove that she bought them into the building.
I do know though that bed bugs are a bitch to get rid of (thank you boring talk at work) and treatment often has to be repeated as they can hibernate up to a year

Bed belongs to the landlord but I don't know how they can prove source of the problem was caused by her!

Hi OP, yes the tenants had to pay as the flat was bug free when they moved in and it turned out they had been subletting one of the rooms just before the outbreak, so likely the sub letter brought the bugs in their suitcase etc. Unfortunately it’s very easy to pick them up in hotels etc and inadvertently transfer them, and then they spread through the house.

I did feel a bit bad but I checked with the agents who manage the property for me and they confirmed it was their responsibility. Bit different of course, since they had broken the tenancy agreement by subletting but the real issue was that they had brought the bugs in.

I do feel for your friend but the good thing is it shouldn’t be all that expensive to treat. Good luck!

Doesn't he have to prove she introduced them to the building? If other rooms have more advanced infestations, then he cant prove it was her.

Tell your friend to google for your nearest Law Centre, they give legal advice to people who can't afford a solicitor.

Hi, I work in property management and I've dealt with this a fair few times. Bed bugs multiply extremely quickly, if they're not there when tenants first move in then tenants / their guests have brought them in from somewhere making the landlord not liable for the cost of extermination.

Is the landlord making just your friend pay or splitting the cost throughout the household?

Sorry. Just re-read the end of your post. Realistically your friend is being treated as the sour cream because they were the first one to report it. If there's no proof that other rooms were bug free before your friend reported them then I'd suggest asking the landlord to split the cost between all tenants

Not sour cream! The source 😂 why can't you edit posts on here!

Im a landlord. Im amazed he can charge her at all tbh. Its his house, he needs to treat. When the building with one of our flats in it was infested by sugar ants all the owners split the cost of treatment bw us. None of the tennants paid.

I wouldn’t pay she has been asking for a new bed she has probably been bitten, tell the landlord you will County Court him. It’s his responsibility and could be a potential health hazard. I am a Landlord and it annoys me how some Landlords expect their tenants to live.

Thanks - all really helpful as this will give her a few more options to look into. She was quoted £900 for just one treatment which is twice her monthly income

@user1457017537 @BarbarianMum it's not negligence by the landlord that has caused the bed bugs though therefore not the landlords liability.

A tenant or their guest has brought them into the house which would make the tenants liable for their removal. It's akin to if a tenant or their guest breaks an appliance then the landlord would be within their right to recharge cost back to them.

Bedbugs multiply far too quickly for them to have laid dormant for two years then suddenly become active. The best case scenario would be that the landlord splits the cost evenly between all tenants and potentially (as a good will gesture) includes themselves in the split

Bed bugs can live without feeding for months and can be dormant for a very very long time. They will become active once a sleeping body starts exhaling at night - that’s what they respond to (and that’s why some people use dry ice to flush them out).

He absolutely CANNOT PROVE the bugs weren’t in the carpets or in the bed he provided. He is liable 100%. Bedbugs aren’t like fleas or other pests - it’s impossible to prove they weren’t there when she moved in and it’s not just the heat that’s brought them out from some part of the house.

Just googled... they are less active in winter, adults can survive up to a year without feed and 140 days/20 weeks is quite the norm.

I'm curious to know how the landlord would prove the bedbugs weren't brought in by another of the tenants. Just because she reported them first doesn't mean she introduced them.

If the house is multiple occupancy then the landlord is indeed responsible. How can he/she blame one tenant just because she reported the problem. Anyone could give introduced them. Also many landlords are so tight-fisted that they buy second hand beds and bedding thus introducing a problem.

Yes absolutely user1457017537 the divan is really old and the mattress is truly awful. He's refused to replace or remove it since she moved in.

I just really need to help her get legal advice - they are assuming she won't be able to afford it so can force her to pay up or lose her whole deposit.

Fiesta interesting as I didn't know about the bedbug dormancy period. It would be perfect conditions for them to emerge this year!

Just a thought is the landlord complying with all the health and safety, fire and other requirements in the property. It may be interesting to get an opinion on this as the laws are being tightened up all the time

Does she have photos of the mattress and bed looking crappy from the beginning of her tendency.

He’s using a bizarre logic along the lines of “She who smelt it dealt it”. (Sorry!)

Way to put people off reporting.