Can you hear the hallelujah chorus singing in New Jersey yet?  Residents of multi-unit apartment dwellings may be receiving a New Year’s gift based on legislation on bed bug treatments that has cleared the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee and headed to the House and then Senate for vote in early 2009.

The new bill that has been sitting in limbo has just passed muster with the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee panel.   The will bill forces building owners to keep their dwelling free of bed bugs.  If owners are unlucky enough to have an infestation, they are required to pay for eradication.

Lack of extermination can come at a heavy price.  The fines are steep and are meant to make building owners think about the tenants living situations first and foremost.  If an owner does not take action to get rid of bed bugs, than a $300 fine will be given for each apartment that is infested.  Common areas must also be treated or suffer the wrath of a $1000 fine.  Ouch!  The new legislation would also require building owners to distribute educational information by the State Department of Health and Senior Services and have annual inspections of their property.  The next stop for the bill will be for a floor vote in the House and then proceed to the Senate.

If you need to get rid of bed bugs in New York City or New Jersey, contact a professional bed bug expert to get rid of the pesky creatures.   If you’re a building owner, your wallet depends on it!