Housing relationships between the landlord and the tenant can sometimes be fraught with stress and often who responsibility falls to between each entity can sometimes be confused.
Whilst usually landlords and tenants generally have very few encounters, i.e boiler repairs, appliance breakdowns etc, sometimes we need to be careful in understanding who is liable when an issue arises.
We often have calls from customers around pest infestations and one of the first questions we generally get asked by the customer is am I liable (if it’s the tenant) to pay the bill for this or is the landlord? When healthy and safety and hygiene issues are involved it’s often difficult to establish who is at fault and therefore liable to pay for any treatment.
Who does the fault lie with? Is it the tenant’s fault for failing to keep up with hygiene in the property? Or is it the landlords ‘lack of care’ that has caused the pest issue in the first place?
Bed Bug Infestations & Housing
Female bed bugs can lay over 5 eggs per day and it only takes a few weeks for these eggs to mature into full sized and sexually mature adults. It’s a common misconception that bed bugs are driven by dirt but in fact they attracted to the smell of human flesh and blood.
Bed bugs are small, brown insects that most often inhabit areas near your mattresses.
- Bed bugs feed off of human blood and their bites can cause painful and itchy skin reactions.
- Bed bugs are most active at night, making it almost impossible for those living with an infestation to sleep.
- Bed bugs are also notoriously difficult to get rid of because of how quickly they can multiply.
The pesky bed bug is a blood sucking pest which can easily be introduced to a rental property through baggage after being on holiday, clothes etc and because of this, it makes figuring out where responsibility lies for the infestation more complex.
Establishing whether or not the tenant has brought the bugs into the property is not an easy task or whether or not the bed bugs already existed in the mattress, couch or the house in general when the tenant moved in.
Landlord’s Bed Bug Responsibility
The landlord owns the property and is ultimately responsible for their tenants peace, comfort and wellbeing to a certain extent. But in this day and age landlords are indeed becoming more hands off and profit driven, so what are their actual legal responsibilities?
- Thorough checks: Landlords by law must conduct in-depth checks into the safety and cleanliness of their property, this before and during any tenancy. If they do their checks properly, they should be able to discover an infestation and ensure they remove it before they allow any tenant to sign for the property.
- Refusal of accountability: If the tenants can prove that the bed bug infestation existed before they moved in, they can report this to their local council. The council will then investigate the case, which will often result in the landlord having to pay for the removal of the pest.
Tenant’s Bed Bug Responsibility
When a tenant signs a new lease to rent a property, they should expect to be able to move into a property in liveable and comfortable conditions such that they should be able to enjoy the property without hindrance.
However, as tenants, they are responsible for the general upkeep of the property which includes cleanliness and basic maintenance i.e cleaning, hoovering, disposal of waste etc
- Establish a timeline: One can figure out who might be responsible for bed bug infestation by establishing a timeline. Responsibility lies the timing and when the bed bug infestation is discovered. If the tenant is immediately experiencing red, itchy bites upon moving into their new home, then it is obvious that the infestation existed before the tenant moved in and thus the landlord is liable. However, if it is a few months after the tenant moved in, it is most likely accidental contamination by the tenant which means they may have to pay for their removal.
How to Deal With a Bed Bug Infestation
Whether you are a landlord or tenant that is suffering from a bed bug infestation, it is always best to call in a professional pest removal team to deal with the bed bug issue. It is essential that you catch a bed bug infestation early to ensure a quick extermination as bed bugs multiply incredibly quickly.
We offer professional bed bug removal services for customers in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Borders.