Bed Bugs In Rental Units

Bedbugs are inconvenient and can be incredibly upsetting to discover as a tenant or a landlord. While these pests don’t cause any significant health risk, they can be difficult to get rid of, causing itchy bites and getting into possessions. Landlords and tenants must do their best to prevent bed bugs and work together to effectively eliminate them should an infestation occur.

If you’re wondering if you have bed bugs, click here to learn more about what they look like and the signs of an infestation.

Who is Responsible for Getting Rid of Bed Bugs?

According to Landlord BC, landlords and building managers are responsible for the management of any bed bug infestation that should occur. However, due to their extremely low-risk factor, a bed bug infestation isn’t considered an emergency. Landlords must still respect the tenant’s rights, such as giving 24-hours notice before entering a unit, while dealing with the infestation. In turn, tenants must follow proper protocol as advised by the landlord and pest control company to get rid of the bed bugs as quickly as possible.

How To Prevent A Bed Bug Infestation In A Unit You Currently Reside In

No one likes the idea of waking up with bug bites or finding bugs living in their furniture. Contrary to popular opinion, bed bugs don’t gravitate towards dirty areas; all that they need to thrive is a food source. So how can you prevent bed bugs in your rental unit beyond keeping it clean?

First things first! DO NOT SPRAY YOUR UNIT YOURSELF, Bed bugs are chemical sensitive and difficult to kill with household or consumer level pesticides. Please leave the pesticide application to an experienced pest control company, contact your landlord, and request professional assistance.

The first step once reported or if identified by a landlord is to complete a thorough inspection of the suite/unit. This will give the pest control company a baseline to work off of, they will be able to offer recommendations on how to prepare for treatment and outline what the next steps will be to ensure the most successful outcome and elimination of the bed bugs from the unit.

How To Prevent A Bed Bug Infestation In A Unit You Are About To Move Into

The first thing to do, for the landlord and tenant, is a thorough inspection of your new unit. This ensures that both of you are on the same page regarding the cleanliness and condition of the unit. It will also give you a chance to inspect for pest activity, in rental buildings the most common pests found are Mice, Cockroaches, and Bed Bugs. Do some research before moving into a rental building, know what signs to look for. If the building has had previous issues with bedbugs, the tenant should be informed so that they know to stay aware, however, you will need to specifically ask the landlord in order to receive this information.

When moving into your new unit, the tenant should look through all of their own furniture and bedding to make sure they don’t already have a bed bug problem that will come along during their move to their new home.

As scary as this sounds, moving trucks are frequently infested with bed bugs – Think of how many other people like yourself, have hired this specific truck to help them move them into a new home – Make sure to purchase a mattress cover and properly cover other upholstered items, like couches and chairs, to prevent any bugs that might be living in your moving truck from getting into your furniture.

Stay diligent after you have moved into a new unit, bed bugs, mice and cockroach’s primary instinct is to find a food source. Remember to inspect the areas that they frequent and report any sign of activity as soon as possible to the landlord.

Treatment Options

Sometimes, even when we are as aware as possible, a bed bug problem can still arise, either from a guest, a second-hard article of clothing or furniture that was purchased or acquired, a vacation you recently went on or being introduced from a surrounding unit. No matter the case, when an infestation is discovered, it must be treated promptly. When landlords and tenants work together, the issue can be resolved quickly.

1^st Pest Control has many different, effective options for eliminating a bed bug infestation.  These include:

• Pro-Active K9 Bed Bug Inspection: Our K9 inspection team, with dogs specially trained to locate live bed bugs and their viable eggs, will inspect your unit and surrounding units to identify the exact location of the bugs. The strength of the dog’s sense of smell allows you to pinpoint the exact areas where they are living. This is especially helpful for landlords, as they want to make sure that all units in their buildings are free of insects. We recommend this inspection before any bed bug treatment.
• Chemical Treatment: This treatment involves a targeted application of insecticides throughout the rental unit to eliminate bed bug infestations. As we want to keep our customers and their loved ones safe, tenants must make sure to properly follow the preparation guidelines for a chemical treatment which will be supplied in advance, as well as being prepared to have their family, including pets, leave the unit for a minimum of six hours.
• Heat Treatment: Heat treatment is an incredibly effective way of killing bed bugs, as they cannot survive in extreme heat. This, combined with a targeted pesticide application, will effectively eliminate an active infestation of bed bugs in your unit. Heat works extremely well when utilized to kill bed bugs as it draws them out from their hiding spots in cracks and crevices throughout the course of the treatment.
• Non-Chemical Treatment: A Mechanical bed bug treatment comprises of steaming and vacuuming an entire unit, from the walls to the furniture. This non-chemical approach is an environmentally-friendly method of reducing bed bug populations, but it is not guaranteed to completely eliminate the population. We recommend utilizing these methods as addons to support other methods of treatment when dealing with extreme infestations.

We Can Help You!

If you have a bed bug problem within your rental unit, don’t hesitate to call 1^st Pest Control today. We are experienced in helping landlords, building managers, and tenants quickly and effectively eliminate bed bug infestations so you can go back to enjoying your space in peace. Contact us here or call us at 1 (844) 737-8226.

If you suspect a bed bug infestation in your home, the best starting point is to have a K9 inspection completed.  Click here to learn more about K9 services.

We help Tenants and Landlords reclaim their space from pests and wildlife.