Can someone help me detirmine if I need to get legal help?
3If there is anyone around here that is knowledgeable with law stuff, particularly rental/ tenants rights? Extra bonus if it's about Washington/Seattle. If someone is able to chat with me for a bit it would be super helpful.
The short version for anyone that can give any helpful advice is:
My apartment has bed bugs.
The building has 100+ units but management claims this is the first time there has ever been bed bugs in the building and that it is impossible for us to have gotten the bugs from another unit.
I have not traveled, visited anyone's home, or stayed in a hotel in over a year, there have been no guests in the apartment for over 6 months and even then no one stayed or brought anything in.
The management is being really shitty, and offering pretty much no help, and expects me to pay for any treatment.
The internet tells me that in Seattle landlords are supposed to be responsible for pest control, including bed bugs.
With the way the managers have been acting, I'm assuming if we able to get them to take care of the problem it will be a huge fight.
I don't want to live with bed bugs and want to get them dealt with as soon as possible.
After this incident and how management has treated me I don't really want to continue to live here(yes, I know I have to be treated before I move or I will just bring the bugs with me) but I have 9 months on my lease.
I just don't know how to handle this. Help plz :(
- 14 comments, 13 replies
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Have you tried calling code enforcement? That's where I would start, since the landlord/management isn't handling it.
@Thumperchick Definitely on the list of people to contact, I just want to know what is the most likely to get shit done before I start making calls that could make the atmosphere more hostile and shitty for the next 9 months I'm stuck living here.
My husband (has worked in property management and apartments since he was a kid) said it's definitely possible to spread between units, depending on the degree of infestation and the construction of the building. A property he used to work for had this happen. He thought talking to a lawyer might pay off, but he said you should definitely give written notice of the issue and what you are asking, just to cover yourself. Possibly repeatedly. (Email may be sufficient.)
Also... if the property owners aren't the property managers, he said owners are much quicker to make things right if there is any hint of potential legal action. So you could try that route.
We don't really know anything. And most of his experience has been in Kentucky. Never Washington. But there's his two cents.
Good luck!
i'd start by reading this if you haven't already(notice the second bullet point on the very first page): @pan/documents/web_informational/dpdd016420.pdf">http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/cs/groups/pan/@pan/documents/web_informational/dpdd016420.pdf
page 6 also has this bullet point:
you could also go around to your neighbors and see if any of them have had any issues.
disclaimer: i'm no lawyer.
@carl669 I read this too, unfortunately the management is acting as if it is my job to prove that I did not bring them in and are they are being extremely unhelpful. I was told not to tell anyone because it would cause a panic and that my apartment must be the only one affected since no one else has reported a problem.
@metaphore I would tell everyone.
@capguncowboy Post notices throughout the building anonymously, immediately. Slide them under doorways. Maintain plausible deniability.
@metaphore Of course they don't want you to do the only thing that gives you a real chance to prove that you didn't cause the problem.
As someone who has worked in hotels, Those basturds SPREAD like crazy they kept treating the rooms but they kept hiding in the walls and any where else they could find a crack. I have no legal advice other than document everything.
I'm sorry this happened to such a nice guy and I hope you can get it sorted out
I'd sic @Pavlov on them (both the management and the bugs.)
@Barney
When I had questions about issues in San Francisco tenant laws I found SF Tenants Union very helpful and found this link for you:
http://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/issues/housing/tenants-rights
From what I understand Seattle (like SF - at the time I lived there) has very strong tenant rights. I read that it was difficult to get thru to the Seattle Tenants Union over the phone & best to just walk in for a sit down about your issue. Probably best to bring all the documentation you can with you.
Probably great advice above as well but these people would know the exact laws for your situation and for the other tenants around you.
Best of luck!
RCW 59.18.060
Bed Bugs: Seattle & King County Public Health
Landlords are obligated under state law to manage infestations in rental units, with an exception: in single family residences and in cases where the infestation is caused by the tenant. Infestations are considered repair issues and tenants should follow the steps to request a repair as outlined by their lease and defined by statute. If possible, document the infestation with photographs of signs of the infestation.
Statute 59.18.060
Inform the landlord you'll be seeking representation and filing for relief and for damages unless they comply and remedy the situation. Assure them that your attorney will immediately seek to involve both the health department and the local media. Let them know you'd like to work with them with a reputable exterminator prior to that happening.
@Pavlov I echo/endorse everything stated above by @Pavlov. I would also highly recommend pulling out your lease and scouring it for any and all statements, requirements, and exceptions about bug/pest treaments. It may (it should) state in your lease what you are responsible for and what the landlord is or isn't responsible for. If your lease states that bug/pest issues INSIDE the dwelling are your (tenant) responsibility you may have a tough time getting sympathy or relief from anyone including the courts. If you do decide to talk to an attorney be certain that the attorney lists tenant laws as one of their areas of specialization.
Not an answer to your legal problem, but the landlord will probably treat them with some nasty chemical which I wouldn't want to breathe. In addition to your legal approach, you might consider trying to treat them yourself with diatomaceous earth (food grade); it dehydrates and kills the suckers (search the web). It's a white dust that can be an irritant to people if you breathe it in, but you can spread it all over the mattress, rugs, in the cracks along walls, etc. and vacuum it up later. It's pretty cheap too.
Amazon (etc.) sells it, but make sure it's "food grade". Some people mix it in water, drink it, give it to their pets, etc. (it's supposed to kill parasites). I haven't tried it on bedbugs, but I've used it to repel ants around the house & kill some obnoxious garden bugs outdoors.
@WaltC Also they are very sensitive to heat too (no Chemicals) bad for electronics though, but I've read where they will hid in PC's and such. and you will probably need to use a lot of different treatments get them all.
https://www.terminix.com/bed-bug-control/do-it-yourself/heat/
@WaltC I can't speak to how well it works on bed bugs - but it stops ants like nobody's business - and doesn't hurt pets or kids if they happen to ingest it. We found ours at Tractor Supply.
sorry, I had bed bugs last year, diatomacious earth did nothing at all. Vacuuming the bed daily before and after sleep did a lot more, and put upside down cups on the bed legs to keep them from crawling up (make sure the bed is away from walls and nothing else touches the ground). Wash all fabric in the hottest water you can, then seal everything you can live without for a while in vacuum bags. Anything (like stuffed animals) you can't wash, seal up for over a year.
By the time you do that, hopefully your landlord will get their head out of their ass and order pest control. I'm very willing to try holistic and natural remedies for things, but that's like treating cancer with an aspirin
@WaltC Diatomaceous earth does very bad things to your lungs. Using it in cracks is appropriate. Spreading it on or under a mattress is not safe. You won't see short-term problems, but it is damaging your lungs.
In any case, it is not recommended as particularly helpful against bed bugs.
Yes, after careful consideration and reading all of the evidence I suggest you contact a qualified civil litigation attorney, PLUS, I've watched Judge Judy and The People's Court for a long time, so I say go for it! What do I win?
One helpful thing to keep in mind is that bed bugs aren't a serious problem unless you are allergic to them. If you are not allergic, you don't even get swelling. They don't carry disease, or make humans or pets sick or ill.
Try to think of them as mosquitos that don't hurt. Yeah, it is kinda gross to live in a room with a lot of bugs, but at its core it is a serious inconvenience and not the end of the world.
@bdb Are you his landlord? ;-)
@bdb well, no. It's a health hazard and can easily spread to others. It's not an 'inconvenience' - it's a serious issue and should be handled immediately.
Post signs in the lobby asking anyone who has seen signs of bed bugs to contact the building manager
Read your lease, fine print and all.
Determine whose responsibility the problem is. Links above should help with that.
Be sure to do all you are legally required to do and document it.
If the management/owners are not holding to their legal responsibilities then THEY are breaking the lease and you can get out of there.
If you know the rules/laws they can't push you around.
I am in PA. My son got bedbugs in an apartment he was renting. He ended up throwing away everything that had stuffing and having a professional come in to get rid of the nasty critters. His landlord refused to cover the cost. He ended up moving over the whole deal. They are hard to get rid of.
Here we have a few resources through the county's consumer services offices including services for renters, landlord-tenant issues, and commonly-owned communities (condos and coops). The state has extensive resources through the Attorney General's office. There is also a state legal-aid office that can provide legal assistance.