One NYS Assemblymember is pushing legislation that would require landlords to divulge any history of bedbug infestation to potential renters and another that would offer compensation for expenses accrued from dealing with infestations.
Linda B. Rosenthal, who represents the Upper West Side and parts of Hell’s Kitchen, introduced the two-bill legislation in mid-March as an effort to combat New York’s growing bedbug problem.
The first bill would require the disclosure of any instance of bedbug infestation dating back five years. A memo in the bill states that the justification for the legislation is that “prospective tenants have a right to access relevant documentation regarding the history of bedbugs within their new living spaces” because the information is essential to making an informed decision.
After the bill was referred to the housing committee, it was amended and recommitted on April 20. The bill originally included the more complicated issue of apartment sales as well, so was amended to make the bill easier to pass. Rosenthal does support the protection of homebuyers and seeks to advance it in the future.
The second bill provides a tax credit of up to $750 to help with the cost of replacing property lost due to bedbug infestations. This property includes furniture, bedding, clothing, and any other belonging discarded during the extermination process. Since most renters or homeowners insurance does not cover bedbug infestation, the bill seeks to assist affected New Yorkers by offering a “modest tax credit.”
It is not clear when the two bills will be voted on in Albany.
(Source: NBC New York)
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2 Responses
The U.S. Gov’t should allow the use of DDT when bedbugs are present. It was the most effective pesticide against the bedbug.
At present the only insecticide that works is pyrethrum, but it’s not as good as DDT.
Bedbugs for a landlord is a nightmare and impossible to control. No matter how meticulous they may be on exterminations, you will always have tennents that bring them into the apartment on their own, many times without realizing it. They can buy second hand clothes and furniture or get them from someone else’s house that is infested. And then it can easily spread from one apartment to another.
Requiring a landlord to divulge that information is very damaging to the reputation of the building especially when there is no way to adequately control it. There is no easy solution to the bed bug problem.