questions & answers

Question: I recently moved into a apartment on 3/9/2018, after being fully moved in by 430pm on 3/09/18. by 1230am i observed that the apt just leased to me less than 10hours ago was infested with bed bugs. i provided a written notification by email informing the management of my findings and ask for it be taken care of asap. owners refused to pay for a hotel while waiting for treatment. once treatment was finished it took another 3-4days to replaced the tile and shampoo the carpet. as of today i still have a bed bug problem.. what can i do about this. its clear the apt had this before i moved in. help!

Answer: The Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (A.R.S. Title 33 Chapter 10) only prohibits landlords from knowingly renting out dwellings with current bedbug infestations (A.R.S. 33-1319). It does not specifically require that landlords pay to exterminate bedbugs discovered during the course of a tenancy. Landlords are, however, required to “do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition” (A.R.S. 33-1324). Unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules about who should do what in these situations. If you wish to speak with an attorney about your particular situation, there are links to free and low-cost legal services on this website.