Bed Bug Laws – New Jersey Style
Some people claim that the laws effecting bed bug removal in New Jersey actually help spread the bed bugs to more locations. Landlords are required under New Jersey law to get rid of bed bugs from their properties that contain three or more rental units. However the law does not prevent them from passing on the cost to the renters.
An apartment complex in New Jersey decided to charge only the renters that are known to have bed bugs in their apartments for the exterminator service and that’s good news for bed bugs.
Renters often don’t want to pay the fee, so they simply don’t mention their bed bug problem. This gives the critters the opportunity to travel to other apartments in the building and make meals from other human victims. They are not five feet tall and they typically don’t dab on some delightful perfume, thus people don’t notice them when they travel to other apartments by crawling or by attaching themselves to humans.
Is it fair for the landlord to charge a renter for bed bug eradication services when they might have entered from another renter’s enjoining apartment who is not charged a fee because he didn’t complain of bed bugs?
Perhaps the laws need to be reexamined.
Bed bug exterminators can get rid of your bed bugs.
My daughter is a renter in New Jersey. She is immaculate. However; the complex where she lives is not maintained, and has shoddy management. Her unit is infested with mites, chiggers, and bedbugs. She wants it fumigated; however, management over two weeks now has not complied. Meanwhile she cannot stay in her apartment. Everything will need to be steam cleaned or tossed. What recourse does she have as far as expenses to be recouped due to poor management. The mites entered her unit from a roof vent where birds have nested. It’s a real mess. Help!!!!
Barbara M. Stacey
bapanam@comcast.net