questions & answers

Question: My son began renting an apartment 3 weeks ago. He purchased new furniture other than his bed he has had with no issues. In the past four days he and his girlfriend have noticed bites on them and she now has a rash from the bites. To make a long story short they found bed bugs on the corner of his mattress that is adjacent to a electrical outlet. He cut open his mattress looking for tale tale signs of any more only to find nothing. He plans on asking his the apartment to spray his and the adjacent apartments and allow him to move out to another unit. What are his rights?

Answer: The landlord/tenant act requires a tenant to inform the landlord in writing when they discover bedbugs. ARS 33-1319 B 2. There is no specific provision in the act requiring any action by the landlord. Your son could argue that the presence of bedbugs makes the premises uninhabitable. he should write the landlord informing them of the problem and asking for remedial action.