The following article originally was published in the September/October 2011 issue of Common Ground.
The diminutive bedbug—a parasite that feeds solely on the blood of sleeping humans and animals—has been causing big headaches for condominium association managers.
Bedbugs, which are typically bigger than a poppy seed but smaller than the size of Lincoln’s head on a penny, can go several months without feeding and are carried into homes in luggage, clothes, bedding and furniture. They live in the seams of mattresses, electrical outlets, inside cracks and crevices, behind wallpaper and any other object near their next meal. Thankfully, the pests are not known to transmit disease, but they can leave behind small, itchy bite marks, cause sleep loss and infest buildings in no time.
In response, insurance companies have begun offering bedbug coverage, owners are claiming trained dogs can spot the pests and managers are keeping exterminators’ phone numbers handy. Residents also are sounding the alarm if they think they’ve been infested.
“We had a scare, but no infestation in any way,” says one condominium manager who wished to remain anonymous. “We had a resident who contacted me several times expressing concern about potential infestations.”
He wanted the association to hire a bedbug-sniffing dog and conduct seminars. He said he spotted one on a wall in his unit. When the association hired an exterminator to investigate, no infestation was found. A few months later, it happened again. “This homeowner was so panicked and so filled with misinformation,” the manager says.
Whether there’s a reason for concern or not, associations need to have a plan in place. Bedbugs have been found in five-star hotels and resorts and the most luxurious condominiums. Their presence is not an indication of cleanliness or living conditions.
Susan Fitzpatrick, CMCA, AMS, director of residences for The Residences at The Ritz-Carlton, Westchester, in White Plains, N.Y., has never had a bedbug problem, but informs residents to immediately contact management if an infestation is suspected. “If one unit is infested, there’s a chance all adjacent units—up and down, side to side—are also infested,” says Fitzpatrick. “The neighbors need to be informed, and their units need to be checked and professionally treated if an infestation is found.”
Victoria J. Garner, CMCA, AMS, senior community manager for Cardinal Management Group in Woodbridge, Va., says associations have a responsibility to respond when an infestation is reported. “These things can spread so easily and cause thousands of dollars in damage and treatment,” she says.
When an owner reported a potential infestation at one of the condominiums Garner manages, the owner selected her own exterminator. Luckily for everyone in the building, it was a false alarm. “I requested proof from the owner to show that her contractor reported no problems,” she says.
Garner posted reminders and distributed informational fliers to residents. She says the association was prepared to pay for inspections. The cost of extermination, however, could fall to the association or owner if the source of the infestation can be determined. However, it’s incredibly difficult to identify who introduced bedbugs into the building because the so-called source may have been the first to find them. And some people aren’t allergic to bedbug bites; they might not even know there is an infestation.
Garner recommends that the association perform the extermination, and the board can vote on whether to charge the owner.
Fitzpatrick says it’s critical that the board and manager—at a minimum—recommend a professional exterminator and supervise the treatment if a unit needs it. A reputable exterminator is critical. “Avoid companies that have ‘bedbug’ in their name. Many companies have formed in light of all the recent publicity on bedbugs and may not always act in the best interest of the homeowner,” she advises.