Am I responsible for paying for the bed bug extermination that my landlord ordered?
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Am I responsible for paying for the bed bug extermination that my landlord ordered?
It turns out there is an addendum in my lease that is 2 pages long that basically says I must comply with whatever they choose to do about a bed bug situation. I was the one who reported the bed bug problem but the exterminators treated the apartment above mine as well (after bringing out bug-sniffing dogs to establish there were bed bugs present), so how do they even know they came from me?
Asked on January 20, 2012 under Real Estate Law, North Carolina
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
Whether or not you are obligated to pay for the costs of the elimination of the bed bugs in the rental that you have depends upon what the written lease that you have states. As such, you need to carefully read the written lease in that its terms and conditions control the obligations owed to you by the landlord and vice versa in the absence of conflicting state law.
If the lease states you are obligated to pay for the removal costs of the bed bugs, then you seem to have to pay the costs. If the lease states the landlord is responsible or is silent as to who pays the costs, then the landlord is obligated to pay for the bed bug extermination.
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