Bed Bug Treatment for Tacoma Apartments, Landlords and Property Managers

Why multi-unit is different

Treating one unit in a building where the neighbors are infested is renting a solution. Bed bugs travel through wall voids and along pipe chases; the unit that complained is often not the source. Our standard for a building: inspect the complaining unit and its neighbors above, below and beside; heat every unit with activity on the same day; residual barrier at shared walls if the owner wants it; one report per unit.

The documentation your obligations run on

• RCW 59.18.060(4) — the “reasonable program for the control of infestation” a landlord owes at move-in and, outside single-family homes, through the tenancy. A dated inspection-and-treatment report is what “reasonable program” looks like on paper.
• TMC 2.01.060.II — infestations “promptly eliminated by extermination,” with precautions against reinfestation. Prompt and documented.
• TMC 1.95 — rent increases, notices to vacate and evictions all depend on certifying units comply with RCW 59.18.060. An open infestation is a problem for that certification; a closed, documented one is not.

Working with managers

Flat per-unit pricing that drops when adjacent units are done together; tenant prep sheets you can hand out (they are short — here); scheduling in a single day to minimize notice and disruption; and a written report per unit with probe readings and findings. If a tenant disputes causation, the inspection report is the fairest evidence either side will have.

Turnover units

A vacant unit is the cheapest heat day there is and the best time to do it: no prep, no tenant, no neighbor argument. If a departing tenant reported bugs, treat before the next lease — the move-in duty under 59.18.060(4) applies to every dwelling, single-family included.