Bed Bugs

[NathalieLiuHiller]

Hi, I have a multi-unit rental in Edmonton where one of the suites got infested by bed bugs (as what the tenants said). I am calling in an exterminator from ECO-pest who happens to be also my tenant from another property.

The tenant happens to be moving out because she bought a house. But because of these bed bugs being all over their things, they wanted me to pay for laundry for all their clothes, bed sheets and towels, etc. I told her that her personal belongings are not my responsibility. And she threatened to sue.

My question is, up to what point is the landlord responsible in this case? My contracts all state I am not responsible for damages to their personal belongings. But I am thinking if the cost is only $50 for 8 loads of washing and drying, maybe I will pay for it, but if she starts dry cleaning all her stuff, it`s way too much for goodwill, esp if she has to do her furnitures too.

As far as I know, landlords usually take care of these things and make sure the whole place is treated, which I am doing. Any thoughts of paying for their laundry and taking care of their personal stuff in this case is highly appreciated.

Nathalie

 

[invst4profit]

How long has she lived there. Did she report it previously. Did she in fact bring in the bugs.

I would inform her that it was my belief that she or her friends brought them into the unit (if it is likely she did).

I would not offer to pay her anything. The dollar amount is unimportant it is the president that matters.
As soon as the word gets around to other tenants that you are taking responsibility for this type of thing they will all be hitting you up for personal expenses.

If all she plans on doing is washing her cloths she will be taking the bugs with her to the next place and sure as shooting she will be back to you for more compensation.

 

[ChrisDavies]

You`re not liable for damages if you responded to them promptly, and made every effort to deal with the problem.

 

[NathalieLiuHiller]

QUOTE (ChrisDavies @ Jun 25 2009, 06:45 PM) You`re not liable for damages if you responded to them promptly, and made every effort to deal with the problem.

Thanks Chris, we are dealing with it. They called yesterday and we`re having someone come in this weekend to check all suites. As well, I made sure to call every tenant in the building to ask if they have experienced any bites. None of them did. This also makes sure there are other tenants who witness us taking action right away.

 

[NathalieLiuHiller]

QUOTE (invst4profit @ Jun 25 2009, 06:24 PM) How long has she lived there. Did she report it previously. Did she in fact bring in the bugs.

I would inform her that it was my belief that she or her friends brought them into the unit (if it is likely she did).

I would not offer to pay her anything. The dollar amount is unimportant it is the president that matters.
As soon as the word gets around to other tenants that you are taking responsibility for this type of thing they will all be hitting you up for personal expenses.

If all she plans on doing is washing her cloths she will be taking the bugs with her to the next place and sure as shooting she will be back to you for more compensation.

Thanks Greg. They have been there 1.5 years. They were good tenants until this month when they are about to move out. They never complained about bed bugs before. I figured at first that they should pay for it because we never had any problems before their complaint. But it was futile speaking with them and they even threatened to call Capital Health. I looked at the RTA and the landlord has to take care of it regardless of who brought those bugs in.

Also, being that other suites might have gotten infected, which I don`t think they have been due to responses from other tenants I called, I still took it upon ourselves to pay for the clean up. (It helps that one of my tenants works for Ecopest.) But I made it clear today I am not paying for the laundry. Coz you`re right, they might come back for more things to charge me for. And also, the contract does state we`re not responsible. That`s what Tenant Insurance is for.

As for the Capital Health issue, they said they will complain nevertheless. I don`t really care as the building is in great shape and complies with the rules. They actually think (and said) a few bed bugs in one suite will shut down the whole place. I have dealt with Capital Health before and we never had problems. It`s just so much hassle to go meet them. One time, I even had to print out the code because the inspector didn`t know what she was talking about and was about to make us do major renos.

Thanks for the response=)