With cases of bed bugs on the rise, landlords must be prepared to absorb the cost of dealing with an infestation, the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA) has advised.
Bed bug infestations have risen significantly in the UK in recent years, with figures from pest-control company Rentokil showing a 65% increase year-on-year in 2023. According to the British Pest Control Association, bed bugs usually thrive during the warmer months of the year and are more active during these times.
The NRLA has advised that in the event of an infestation, landlords deal with the issue as quickly as possible and avoid using amateur products to control it. Instead, they should 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,” said a spokesperson for the NRLA advice line. “Landlords are reminded they should give their tenants appropriate notice of the pest controller’s visit – the usual 24 hours’ notice is required,” they added.
While each case can be different, the NRLA advises that landlords absorb the costs associated with eradicating bed bugs “as it will be impossible to apportion blame on the tenant in these scenarios”. Bed bugs can be present regardless of the level of cleanliness, and there is no association with a disrepair issue; therefore, a tenant can simply be unlucky in introducing them to a property.
The NRLA spokesperson said: “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.”
What am I missing here? A tenant moves into a clean, unfurnished property, and some months later the place is infested with bedbugs, fleas, or some other creepy crawly that’s likely been brought in through the day-to-day activities of life. Maybe the neighbour’s cat wanders in through the open patio doors, drops off some unwelcome hoppy guests, and then clears off. How is that the landlord’s responsibility?
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Won’t be long before tenants expect the landlord to mop their brows and feed them chicken broth every time they get a cold!
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An unfurnished property where a tenant has been living for years suddenly complains of bed bugs. Easiest way to get rid is dump the mattress steam clean the room and invest in a new bed. At the tenants expense.
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Agree with the above comments. How can this article say ‘a tenant can simply be unlucky in introducing them to a property’ then expect a LL to cover the costs? Utter lunacy… the property is the tenants home, therefore they should be expected to undertake the necessary basic things of a householder (have we forgotten ‘Warren vs Keen’?
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I too am at a loss as to how the landlord is responsible. Like most rentals mine are unfurnished. I dont provide a bed, a matress, bedding, and I don’t wash the sheets for them. Got bedbugs? Unlucky. Want me to sort it out? That’s going to be expensive. When they move in the oven is clean, doesn’t mean you ring me when its dirty…
Reminds me of the student tenant who complained when the second months rent was due.
Student: “How much?? And the toilet roll ran out last week and you haven’t even replaced it!”
Landlady “You didn’t ask!! Youv’e got a tongue in you head hven’t you?”
Student: “Yeah but I haven’t got a neck like a giraffe…”
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