I posted here a little while ago about bedbugs coming in from the flat next door into our property (it's a terrace) and our tenants who were threatening to leave etc. It's all moved on now - they have left (we had to settle with a mediator, which wasn't great for us) and we're now in a battle with the neighbours who have the severe infestation which is the source of our problems.
Any advice on whether we can enforce the tenants/landlords (they are social housing, and the house is owned and managed by a private sector housing company, on contract with the council) to treat their property?
We have proposed to pay for a full treatment and decontamination service for them and their belongings (not cheap, could be around GBP 5000), but they refuse to move anything from their property and deny there is an infestation. We have had third party inspectors in next door (landlords and tenants consented to this) who reported that there are loads of bedbugs still in there. So the treatments to date by the landlord have not been effective. One of the rooms wasn't treated at all (tenant refused), so this is not surprising..
The landlord thinks they've treated it, the tenants think there isn't a problem, we know there is one and have proposed to pay for an effective solution.
The bugs come through teeny tiny holes holes in the brickwork (normal for victorian terraced properties) and there is no way of sealing off our property. As a result we can't let our property to new tenants knowing that it is at risk of infestation so are losing loads of money. I mean we could probably legally do it and show we've done everything we could, but I don't want to put anyone through the ordeal of bedbugs, especially a family.
We've kept the council (environmental health and enforement teams) in the loop and they've been pretty supportive so far.
So. Advice? Do we get lawyers involved? Can the council really enforce treatment and decontamination of belongings? has anyone had experience of this?
We're desperate now - we're paying both mortgage on our house and rent where we live, paying for treatments and inspections, no end in sight...
Thanks all. I'll cross post in the property topic as well in case of any ideas there.