HELP...BEING EATEN ALIVE AND THE LANDLORD DOES NOT CARE

by Kelly
(Rochester, NH)

Our apartment complex has 3 apartments that have bed bugs. We notified the landlord and she in turn notified the owner who lives in Mass.....that was on April 10th. It took her a week to have someone come in with a dog to verify that they were bed bugs.... She then told us they would come in and exterminate on April 32rd at 8 am... We spent all week doing the stuff on the list to "ready" our apartment. Monday morning came and the Pest Control Company showed up but then left because the owner DID NOT pay the security deposit up front....but they didn't bother calling to cancel so the company came down from Portland, Me. for nothing.

When they got here the owner told them that she decided to "shop around" for a cheaper price....meanwhile my family and the other families are getting eaten alive. When asked if she found any other company for a cheaper price she said she doesn't have time to search around right then and would get to it in a couple of weeks or so.....DOES ANYONE KNOW THE LAW ABOUT THE TIME PERIOD IN WHICH THE LANDLORD HAS TO TAKE CARE OF THE PROBLEM?? Or should I contact the town code enforcement office?? PLEASE HELP...... (eaten alive in Rochester, NH)

Bed Bugs Handbook Editor Comment:

It is a violation for a landlord to willfully fail to investigate or fail to take reasonable measures to remediate an infestation within 7 days in the State of New Hampshire (Bed Bug Law HB 482, effective January 1, 2014). Landlords are required to pay up-front for all bed bug remediation costs.

Landlords may recover costs for remediation in the tenant’s unit only, and only if tenant is considered “responsible” for the infestation. The tenant is presumed to be “responsible” if only his/her unit has bed bugs and there have no other bed bug reports in the unit or adjacent units in previous six (6) months.

We suggest you call New Hampshire legal aid at 1-800-639-5290 for assistance with enforcing the law. You can also learn more about New Hampshire tenant rights and bed bugs here.