Landlord and Tenant Rights and Responsibilities

questions & answers

Question: If landlord has sent out previous notice of a bed bug infestation in the complex and notice state to call if you see any. Whom is responsible for the cost of bed bug treatment?

Answer: The Arizona Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (A.R.S. Title 33 Chapter 10) only says that landlords cannot knowingly rent 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 rental agreement. 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). As for tenants, they are required to notify their landlords immediately if and when they discover the presence of bed bugs. A responsible landlord will not make a tenant who bears no guilt for a beg bug infestation pay for treatment, but, unfortunately, there are no hard and fast rules about who should do what in such situations.