Continuing from Monday…

The clause in the Ohio renter’s pact about keeping pet food in sealed containers may keep other unwanted household pests such as cockroaches, ants, mice and rats away, but certainly not bed bugs!  Bed bugs feed solely on the blood of mammals.  Unless the pet food is filled with wet blood, which is simply impossible, adding this clause into the “pact” is strange at best.

Vacuuming regularly and inspecting used furniture is absolutely a good idea.  New Jersey pest control professionals say that any used clothing should immediately be laundered in hot water and dried on hot heat to avoid bringing bed bugs into a home.

This new bed bug pact is supported by the Columbus Apartment Association.  Reports are that failure to follow the guidelines in the pact could result in the eviction of the tenant.

The contract also states that if bed bugs are found in a rental unit after a tenant moves out, the tenant will be held responsible for the clean-up involved to eradicate the creepy crawlers.  Legal eagles believe that this part of the contract may be difficult to enforce and will likely be challenged by tenants.  In multi-unit buildings bed bugs can easily travel through walls via plumbing and electrical wiring.  Because bed bugs can be on the move quickly and can travel with great ease, it will be difficult for anyone to prove where a bed bug infestation originated from in a multi-unit building.  Additionally, in Ohio, if there is more than one unit that has a bed bug infestation, it is the responsibility of the landlord to provide eradication services.

By all estimates, Ohio’s bed bug problems rival that of New York City’s bed bug problems. It will be interesting to see if these new additions to rental contracts will stand up to legal scrutiny in a court of law if and when they are challenged.