What should you do if you have bedbugs in your New York City apartment? If you have bed bugs in your NYC apartment you should take several steps as follows: 1) Make a record of the problem by notifying the proper people of the bed bug problem. 2) Tell your landlord of the problem in writing. If you made an oral complaint, then follow up in writing memorializing who you told and when. 3) Call the New York City 311 hot line to tell them of the bed bugs. You will be provided with a complaint number which you can keep to track the problem. If the bed bug problem is not resolved then HPD will send an inspector and issue a violation if the problem is not resolved. Landlords do not want violations and thus they will have greater incentive to resolve your bed bug problem. 4) Speak to your neighbors. If you have a bed bug problem, then they probably do too. For the bed bugs to be properly exterminated the apartments above, below, and next to the ones where the bed bugs are known to be, should also be exterminated. This is because bed bugs can travel through crevices and conduits between apartments to escape an extermination. 5) If you see a bed bug capture it and place it in a sealed plastic bag. 6) Take pictures of any bed bugs that you see, or evidence of them (e.g. stains, eggs, blood streaks in the sheets indicating that a bed bug was crushed, etc.). 7) Go to the doctor (usually a dermatologist) if you have any bite marks. Have the doctor document the bites, how many there are, and how bad your reaction is. If you captured a bed bug bring it to the doctor. The doctor can send the bug to a lab to confirm that it is in fact a bed bug. 8) Have your NYC apartment exterminated. Help the extermination process by cleaning up clutter, and where possible moving furniture away from the walls. 9) If you do not want to throw out belongings put them in garbage bags and seal them. 10) Wash all clothes in hot water or dry clean them. High heat or very cold temperatures will kill bed bugs. Exterminator most experienced in dealing with bed bugs will use either heat or cold to kill bed bugs, rather than chemicals. 11) Once the bed bugs are gone consider mattress cases and covers, and other means of protection, to keep the bed bugs out of your mattress. This will not prevent you from getting bedbugs, but at least it will keep them out of the mattress, so you will not have to throw it out if bed bugs are in your apartment. 11) You can check out other blog entries and the bed bug article on our website, and/or the New York City bed bug website for more information. If your bed bug problem is not immediately resolved by your landlord, call a NYC bed bug attorney to discuss your legal options.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact us. Zalman & Schnurman is a New York law firm that concentrates in personal injury actions such as construction accidents, motor vehicle accidents, bicycle accidents, premises liability, trip and falls, slip and falls, snow and ice cases, medical malpractice, traumatic brain injuries, etc. Contact us at 1-800-LAWLINE, or 1-800-529-5463 New York City, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Westchester County, Rockland County. The information provided here is for informational purposes only and is not meant as legal advice or to cover all possible facts or factors. An attorney should be consulted to discuss specific facts and laws.