Tenant bed bug infestation problem

[Jason Ellis]

Hey BP.  I have an issue with one of my tenants in a townhome who reported to me that she has bed bugs.  The tenant contacted me on Saturday saying that she had bed bugs and believed they were brought in by her boyfriend who had apparently been cheating at a cheap motel.  She was just telling me this to let me know she had already set an appointment for someone to come in and handle the issue and she would be taking care of it. I didn't get into her personal business and thought nothing of it, as she's been a good tenant for a couple of years now. Today she sent me a message saying that the inspector had come and identified a small hole in the corner of the ceiling (she sent me a picture), saying that the infestation could have come from the neighbors, and the boyfriend is denying being at the motel, saying that the room was for his friend. I again and pretty much ignoring the personal stuff with her boyfriend, but now she's asking if she is no longer liable because the source may be from the neighboring townhome. She ordered the extermination herself before notifying me, so I had no opportunity to choose the exterminator or get multiple estimates. Also, she got no confirmation from the neighbors that they have bed bugs, so I don't officially know the source. There is a clause in her lease about notification of infestation immediately upon seeing it. She did notify me, but it was with the intention that she would deal with it herself. I don't want to be a inconsiderate since this is my only property that I self manage and I've had a good relationship with this tenant for a while, but I also don't want to pay for the $1000 treatment that she ordered before contacting me and I'm not sure that I'm responsible for anyway. Any advice in this situation? What would you other landlords do? Also, I no longer live in the city where this property is located so I do depend on this tenant a lot for maintenance issues. Thanks for your help BP community.

[Karen F.]

I am so sorry for you.  Bedbugs are a nightmare.  We've given up on getting tenants to cooperate with treatments in our C/D multis, or getting them to pay for treatments.  They are becoming more and more widespread, and are VERY hard to get rid of.  They can be a bottomless pit of extermination payments.

Bedbugs don't need a hole to get in from another unit.  They are extremely small, can come in through cracks you cannot see or plug.  The way she thought they got in, is probably how they got in - from the by the hour motel.  She owns the thousand dollar treatments she ordered.  It's ALL on her.  

Update your lease to make tenants responsible for bedbug treatments, if at all possible.