A Senior Assisted Living facility in California gets fined $15,000 and causes the resignation of one of its owners due to a severe infestation of bed bugs. There were over 4000 bed bugs in a 20 room facility. Unfortunately the infestation was left untreated for months causing the problem to be exasperated. A local exterminator was able to solve the problem and allowed the facility to remain open, but the effects of the fines and bad press were devastating.
As the government cracks down on situations like this stories are popping up all over the country on bed bugs! Here are some other examples and the HUGE FINES that go with them.
Are you a landlord? If so, and if you live in Chicago, you could be fined $1000 per day if you fail to take steps to eradicate a bed bug problem. The worst part is that there is no ceiling on how high the fines could go. Unfortunately for Chicago it is well known that it is one of the most bed bug infested cities in the country. The crazy thing is that even if you are a tenant you may be fined as well. This ordinance has been in place since 2013.
Have you ever had code enforcement rain down on you? Well, in Concord Massachusetts property owners have 30 days upon receiving a complaint through codes to eradicate bed bugs. If there is no response to a complaint within 10 days then the rain falls and codes is knocking on your door. The fines go from $100 to $500 for each citation, as well as inspection fees. In 2016 there were $175,000 in fines alone.
In Albany, New York, if you have bed bugs and don’t specifically place your infested items into sealed trash bags you could be fined up to $325 – all since 2016. Landlords are irritated as it makes them responsible for their tenants garbage. Proponents say it keeps bed bugs from spreading. There was even talk of requiring all mattresses to be sealed with plastic – government over reach for sure.