Who has to remove infested furniture from a disabled tenant's apartment?

by Kenneth F.
(CT)

A legally blind, disabled friend in Santa Monica, California, has had a hard time getting her bed bug problem resolved. Exterminators have been out several times, but no one will remove her infested couches, and the complex manager won't remove her infested carpet, saying it's not their responsibility. In Connecticut, the manager wraps infested furniture and removes it for the tenant so bugs aren't dropped in hallways. What can she do?

Editor Response

Hi Kenneth,

We're not lawyers, so this is general information only. Under California law, an insect infestation can make a rental legally substandard, which local health and code enforcement officers can act on. Landlords must also give tenants written results of any pest control inspection of their unit within two business days of getting them. Your friend should put her requests in writing and keep copies. Because she's disabled, she can also ask in writing for a "reasonable accommodation," such as help preparing the unit for treatment. Under federal fair housing law, landlords must grant reasonable requests unless they would cause an undue financial and administrative burden, and they should discuss alternatives rather than simply refuse. Local resources that can help include the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the Santa Monica code enforcement office, and legal aid or tenant rights organizations. You're right that infested furniture should be wrapped in plastic, marked, and removed carefully so bugs aren't spread through the building.