California AB 551 – Rental Property: Bed bugs affects all landlords, tenants and any pest control company that performs bed bug work. Thrasher is happy to provide a brief, in-person presentation about this law to interested groups or associations. Call our office to schedule a guest speaker.
Here are important points about the law summarized by our friends at Green Dog Pest Service:
1: Educating tenants – Requires a landlord, on and after July 1, 2017, prior to creating a new tenancy for a dwelling unit, to provide a written notice to the prospective tenant that includes, but is not limited to: a) general information about bed bug identification, behavior and biology, the importance of cooperation for prevention, treatment and prompt written reporting of suspected infestations; and b) the procedure to report suspected infestations to the landlord.
2: Landlords can not retaliate – Provides that a landlord may not engage in any retaliatory conduct against a tenant who has notified the landlord of finding or reasonably suspecting a bed bug infestation on the property.
3: Must reasonably know – Prohibits a landlord from renting or leasing, or offering to rent or lease, any vacant dwelling unit that the landlord knows or should reasonably know has a current bed bug infestation.
4: Tenants receive inspection findings – Requires the landlord to notify all tenants of units inspected by the pest control operator of the pest control operator’s findings. Further requires the notification to be in writing and within two business days of receipt of the pest control operator’s findings, and requires the notice of any confirmed infestations to be posted common areas.
