Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in North Carolina

What are the laws in NC concerning bedbugs? If I own a rental property and a tenant has bedbugs, am I legally responsible to pay for pest control, reimburse them for furniture thrown out, let them break their lease without penalty, etc? The tenant in question has lived in the unit for over 4 months with no bug problem until now. I certainly did not put bedbugs in their apt, so it seems to me they or a guest of theirs, brought them in.


Asked on 8/07/10, 4:09 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
Jeff Rosner Rosner Law Firm P.A.

I don't know anything about bedbugs or how they are transferred but landlords have duties to comply with building and housing codes, make all repairs to keep property in fit and habitable condition and make prompt repairs. Everything depends on the facts of each case. If I were the tenant and there was an issue with bedbugs, I would certainly argue that you have a duty to fix the problem and then possibly move out if you were afforded an opportunity to comply with your obligations to fix the problem and failed to do so.

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Answered on 8/12/10, 5:00 am


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