Tenants found a bed bug

[Elisha Cram]

My tenant just informed me he found a bed bug and asked permission to use a fogger. It is the only apartment in an owner-occupied building. Any advice for dealing with bed bugs? I am getting exasperated with these tenants. They are genuinely nice guys, but they are slobs. They had a rat about 6 months ago, which we got rid of, and I counseled them at that time about not leaving food out and about keeping their apartment tidier. I have lived in this house since 2002 and had multiple tenants, and no issues with vermin of any kind prior to these tenants. I try not to be too uptight, as I am by no means a perfect housekeeper myself, but I am considering cleanliness inspections for these two. A quick Google search about bed bugs has me terrified. I am concerned they will continue to keep a cluttered and nasty apartment and then I will soon have bed bugs also. I admit to being ignorant on the topic. I simply have no experience here. Has anyone had a similar experience who can advise on how you handled it? Can anyone talk me down from the ledge, or should I be more terrified than I already am...?

[Elisha Cram]

I wanted to offer a follow up on how this turned out. Maine law requires landlords always to pay for treatment of bed bugs. The only exception is if the tenant does not cooperate with the treatment process, they then become liable for all costs. 

These tenants had been in place for 3 years without a rent increase, and the unit was well under market. I notified them of a rent increase and gave them about 4 months of notice so they could plan ahead. They decided to move out. It seems they had some changes to their income in a downward direction of which I hadn’t been aware, and they decided they could not afford to stay. 

The bug treatment was very expensive, and we struggled to get it under control right until the tenants left, then it became rather easy. Luckily, I set aside a portion of the monthly rent for unexpected repairs/issues. This did drain that fund, but it also kept the impact to our personal finances very minimal. 

The unit has been vacant since early February. We are currently renovating, as these guys were a bit hard on the unit, but to be honest, I wanted to make changes in the bathroom anyway. We are removing a tub (with no shower) and putting in a shower (with no tub). We are also removing plaster and updating with drywall, and are adding new flooring in the bathroom and downstairs, and of course, fresh paint throughout. Bonus with the walls being down to the studs with the plaster removal is that we can add in extra power outlets and in more convenient locations.

The delay is mostly my fault... I finished up my MBA this spring and didn’t give the unit the attention I should have while I focused on my school work. However, it was always a cute unit, and it should be very marketable with the new updates and especially replacing the tub only with a shower. I expect to be able to get an additional $200/month more for rent when it is listed, although we are considering using it as an AirBNB instead, as we have had a wonderful experience with our other short-term rental. 

Big thanks to everyone who offered thoughts and advice. This project has taken much longer than anticipated, but I think we will reach a positive outcome very soon, and I’m very much looking forward to getting this cash flow back. 

~Elisha