Suing a Landlord for Bed Bug Bites

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Suing a Landlord for a Bed Bug Infestation & Bed Bug Bites

The chances of making a successful disrepair claim against a residential landlord for bed bug bites will depend on whether a property was infested prior to tenants moving in. This will usually mean that one or more tenants are bitten within days of the start of their tenancy, making the infestation and its eradication the clear responsibility of the landlord.

Often the specific cause of the red marks disfiguring a person’s body may not be immediately obvious, and sometimes it is only after multiple tenants have been bitten at a rented property that a bed bug infestation will become apparent. The critical factor therefore is for tenants to notify their landlord at the earliest opportunity that their rented property is infested, and then wait to see the efforts the latter makes to resolve the problem.

When Can a Tenant Sue Their Landlord for Bed Bug Bites?
Compensation for Children Bitten by Bed Bugs at Rented Properties
Solicitors Helping Tenants Sue Landlords for Bed Bug Bites

Landlords have a legal duty to provide tenants with accommodation that is reasonably safe and habitable. Once a landlord is informed about a bed bug infestation, they must address the issue within 20 working days, and take the necessary measures to deal with the problem within a reasonable timeframe. Bed bugs can be extremely difficult and costly for a landlord to eradicate, and too often they will seek a cheap solution that ultimately fails to deal with the problem. Furniture may need to be replaced, while tenants’ clothes and soft items will need special treatment to kill the bugs and make sure that they do not reinfest the property. Disputes may arise if a landlord denies responsibility for an infestation and refuses to deal with it. In these circumstances a tenant may then need to seek legal advice.

Bed bug bites can be damaging both physically and psychologically, especially when young children have been bitten. Bite marks and rashes will be itchy, and can become infected if they are scratched. There is also the possibility of a person suffering an allergic reaction after having been bitten, with potentially very serious consequences. Bed bug infestations should not be treated lightly by landlords therefore, as the consequences can be unpredictable, and where a person has been bitten hundreds of times, the physical effects can be both disfiguring and mentally traumatic. Children in particular may struggle to deal with bed bug bites, as their skin is more sensitive than that of an adult, and hence their bite marks will be more pronounced, while the perception of deformity is likely to cause them worse psychological suffering.

If you or your family have been bitten by bed bugs while living at a rented property, if will often be possible to claim compensation from your landlord, for the physical injury, associated mental trauma and the financial repercussions.

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