Call of the month: Dealing with bed bugs in rentals

This month we were able to help one of our members with an issue they had at one of their properties regarding pests.

The tenants reported they had bed bugs at the property. 

Our landlord had never dealt with this issue before, and wanted to know how to correctly approach the issue. They gave our landlord support team a quick call.

Our advice

According to the British Pest Control Association, bed bugs usually thrive during the warmer months of the year when they are more active.

Our advisor began by letting our member know that bed bugs can actually occur independently of the actions of the tenant or landlords. 

In other words, bedbugs might be present regardless of the level of cleanliness of a tenant, and don’t need a disrepair issue such as a hole or break in the exterior of the property which would be the landlord’s responsibility. You could simply be unlucky and ‘catch’ bedbugs from someone in public.

The first step, as with any pest-related issues that crop up, is to address the issue as quickly as possible, to resolve it. 

In the instance of bed bugs, landlords shouldn’t try to use an amateur product to control the issue, but should ideally arrange for a pest controller to attend the property, and then follow their professional advice. 

This will often require several visits of different chemical spraying, in some cases alongside a boiling steam device and most often the mattress will also need to be replaced.

Landlords are reminded they should give their tenants appropriate notice of pest controls visit – the usual 24 hours notice is required.

Who’s responsible for covering the cost?

Each case of course can be different,  but our advice at the NRLA would be for landlords to absorb the costs associated with ridding the bed bugs, as it will be impossible to apportion blame on the tenant in these scenarios. 

In some cases, where it could be proven the pest infestation can be attributed to something the tenant did, it may be appropriate to either pass the costs on to the tenant, or to take the money from the deposit, provided an appropriate clause in the tenancy agreement is present.

It should be noted though that landlords are responsible for providing a home that is fit for human habitation, with the 29 hazards of the Housing Health and Safety Rating System being part of the fitness of the property. Among the hazards under the HHSRS system are domestic hygiene, pests and refuse.

So in the vast majority of cases, landlords should deal with the issue themselves as soon as possible, and pay for the cost of sorting out the issue.