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Exterminator Guild

Who pays for pest control, the landlord or the tenant?

The short answer

In most of the United States and Canada a landlord has an obligation to provide habitable premises, and a significant pest infestation generally falls inside it — particularly where it arises from the building rather than from the tenant's conduct. The rules are set state by state and province by province, so the specific answer is your local landlord and tenant law.

What to do first, whatever the jurisdiction

  1. Report it in writing, dated, with photographs. A verbal report to a manager is the thing that is disputed later.
  2. Keep everything: the report, the reply, receipts, and a log of what you saw and when.
  3. Do not arrange your own treatment and expect reimbursement unless your local law or your lease provides for it. In many jurisdictions it does not.
  4. Find out what your state, province or city actually requires. Several cities have specific bed bug ordinances that override the general position.

Where the argument usually turns

On cause and on building type. An infestation originating in shared walls, a common area or the structure is generally the landlord's; one clearly traceable to how a unit was kept can be argued the other way. In multi-unit buildings the practical reality is that treating one unit rarely works, which is itself an argument for the landlord treating the building.

Several cities and states have specific bed bug laws covering disclosure, response times and who pays. If bed bugs are the issue, search your city's rules specifically rather than relying on the general landlord and tenant position.

Also asked

Can I withhold rent until it is dealt with?
Some jurisdictions permit rent withholding or repair-and-deduct under specific conditions and procedures, and others do not, and getting the procedure wrong can put your tenancy at risk. This is the point at which a local tenants' advice service or a housing lawyer is worth the call.

Read next

General information about pest problems and about hiring, not advice about your specific property. Pest control licensing, wildlife protection and landlord and tenant law are all set state by state and province by province across the United States and Canada, so your own regulator is the current answer. How we read the data.