In apartment buildings, several households live close to each other. Each family may have different ideas of cleanliness and run their homes differently. This means infestations can occur, even if only one neighbor allows trash to build up or keeps a lot of boxes in their home. If you live in an apartment and have an infestation of pests, it is unsanitary and unhealthy for you to remain there, especially if it gets out of control. If speaking to your landlord has not reduced pests, talk to a Huntington Beach cockroach and bed bug lawyer for help. Our talented tenant rights attorneys could help hold negligent landlords accountable.
Both bedbugs and cockroaches are common in Huntington Beach. They thrive in dark, damp places, so areas with many leaves, abundant trash, or nearby water sources can be breeding grounds for them.
Second-hand furniture and personal belongings, like purses or backpacks, can bring bedbugs into your home if you’ve spent time in an infested or cluttered area. Bedbugs often hide where people gather and easily move between apartment rooms.
Cockroaches are disease-carrying insects that move in the darkness, looking for food and water. Infestations can occur in a home with very little encouragement. Seasonal changes and apartment living can allow pests to move freely from one residence to another.
By law, your landlord must keep your home habitable. Under Civil Code, § 1941.1, landlords have several responsibilities, including keeping the unit clean, sanitary, and free from rubbish, garbage, rodents, and vermin.
If you report a complaint to your landlord that affects your family’s health or safety, they must address it immediately. This includes, but is not limited to, bad wiring, damaged water lines or water heaters, and toilets. Otherwise, they have up to 30 days to attempt to relieve your problems and restore your home. Considering infestations are a health concern, the landlord should address the issue as soon as possible, but there may be some leeway of up to 30 days. A skilled legal professional in Huntington Beach could help you understand your rights and take appropriate action if your landlord fails to meet their pest control obligations.
As a tenant, you also have some responsibility regarding pest control. We recommend you check your rental agreement to make sure you are not responsible for your pest control efforts.
After ensuring the landlord is responsible, it is essential that you keep your home clean and sanitary to the best of your ability and limit the food and water sources available to pests. If you are concerned about roaches or bedbugs, try to avoid bringing in furniture that may contain them and notify the landlord of a potential infestation right away. This will allow the landlord to start treatment early and may prevent the problem from becoming a larger one.
The lawyers at our firm in Huntington Beach could provide local insight into tenant protections specific to the area, where pest problems like cockroaches and bedbugs can sometimes be severe.
When you notify your landlord, you must do it in writing. This includes text messages, emails, or written letters. If your landlord is habitually slow at responding or you have concerns that they may not address the issues, you should:
Documenting your correspondence can help if you need to seek legal action with the help of a Huntington Beach cockroach and bed bug attorney. In some cases, you may even be able to request relocation assistance, according to the Health & Safety Code § 17975, though only if you can prove that the immediate health and safety of the residents are endangered.
If you have given your landlord ample notice of the infestation and have not seen them honestly attempt to help you, you may have grounds for pursuing legal action against them. In doing so, you may be able to get help with pest control or move out of an unsafe home.
Speak with a Huntington Beach cockroach and bed bug lawyer at Elder & Spencer. Let us look over the evidence and discuss your options. Feel free to contact us today.
(714) 587-5150