New bill will be more help in getting rid of landlords that getting rid of bed bugs.
There has been a bill passed that will require New York City landlords to tell prospective tenants a properties bedbug history. Once signed into law, landlords will be obligated to inform potential tenants whether the unit has been infested within the previous year.
Bedbugs do not discriminate between rich, poor creed, religion or geography. So it would be a bill that does not discriminate either. There will be disclosure forms supplied by the landlord that will be monitored by the State Division of Housing and Community Renewal.
The bill passed despite opposition from some Republicans who, Ms. Rosenthal said, argued that the disclosure would stigmatize buildings and drive property values down.
Complaints about bedbugs in New York City have escalated to the point that they cannot be ignored. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development fielded 11,000 calls regarding bedbugs to the 311 help line. In the same time period in 2004 there were 537 calls and confirmed infestations have risen over 4,000 last year from 80.
There are fears that the reports will drive down property values and place a stigma on properties that are experience a problem. There has also been a bill introduced that will give bedbug victims a 15 percent credit on the state personal income tax, for up to $750, to compensate for replacing furniture infested by bedbugs. Of course replacing furniture and clothing only exacerbates the problem and spreads the infestation even further.
There are cost effective ways to prevent and combat bedbugs that include mattress covers for bed bugs, bed bug spray, hypoallergenic mattress covers, bed bugs traps, bedbug detection devices and an arsenal of counter measures. The most important weapon is understanding bed bugs. Want to know how to kill bed bugs in New York? Get the facts at resatassuredmc.com and theallergyguy.com.
Sincerely,
Lorne
