My neighbor has bed bugs. What should I do?

Q: My neighbor has bed bugs. What should I do?

Ask to be inspected, especially if you are directly next door, above or below. NYC Health advises building owners to notify and inspect surrounding apartments when an infestation is found. And if the case resulted in an HPD bedbug violation, the accompanying Commissioner's Order specifically requires inspection of the adjacent, above and below units along with common areas.

Ask to be inspected, especially if you are directly next door, above or below. NYC Health advises building owners to notify and inspect surrounding apartments when an infestation is found. And if the case resulted in an HPD bedbug violation, the accompanying Commissioner's Order specifically requires inspection of the adjacent, above and below units along with common areas.

Guidance, and enforcement

Worth knowing the difference between those two. The first is guidance a good building follows. The second is an enforcement requirement that attaches once a violation has been issued. Either way, asking is reasonable.

Look for evidence rather than waiting for bites

Mattress seams and piping, box spring folds, frame joints, behind the headboard. Dark rust-coloured spots, shed skins, live insects.

Say yes to an inspection if it is offered, and ask for one if it is not.

What not to do

Do not preemptively treat anythingStore-bought products can interfere with a professional program, and NYC Health advises against foggers and bombs generally.
Do not start moving furniture or belongings outOn the theory that you are protecting them. Moving potentially exposed items is how a problem next door becomes a problem in your apartment.

Interceptors are worth asking about

Interceptors placed under the legs of the bed are worth asking about. EPA recommends them for detection and for monitoring after control work, they are inexpensive, and they are passive.

What to tell your building

I understand there has been a bed bug case nearby. I have not seen anything in my apartment, but I would like it inspected, and I am happy to have monitors placed.

Why your building matters

Pest control in an apartment building requires treatment, repairs, access and information working together. See how the pieces fit.

Send this to your building

If other apartments have the same problem, one message to your super or managing agent does more than ten calls about one unit. Copy this and send it however you already talk to them.

Edit it before you send if you want. No sign-up, nothing collected, and we do not see who you send it to.

Where this requirement comes from

Jurisdiction New York City Instrument The DOHMH Order of the Commissioner, issued to the owner alongside an HPD Notice of Violation Applies to The adjacent, above and below units, and the common areas Stage After a bedbug violation has been issued. Before that point, inspecting the surrounding apartments is NYC Health guidance rather than an enforcement requirement.

Sources

We are a pest control company working in Bronx and Brooklyn apartment buildings, and this is general information rather than advice about your apartment or your lease. Where our sources conflict with each other, we say so on the page rather than picking one quietly.

I think I have bed bugs. What should I do tonight? What helps tonight, and the instinctive moves that make it worse. How do I prepare for bed bug treatment? What preparation is trying to achieve, and what to do if you cannot do it. I'm moving. How do I avoid bringing bed bugs with me? The empty apartment is the easiest inspection you will ever do. Pest help for residents Every page in the resident library.