Sanity from the City of Chicago on Bedbugs

bbugWell, thankfully sanity has prevailed for now on the issue of bedbugs.  The Chicago Tribune is reporting that alderman on the City’s housing committee have declined, for now, to pass an ordinance that would declare bedbugs a nuisance and fine landlords up to $2000 a day for renting infested unit.  The alderman were smart to step back and reconsider the issue.

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What happens when bedbugs move-in?

bb2I was not planning on discussing bedbugs this week, however, in the wake of Orkin’s recent report that Chicago has the worst bedbug problem in the nation, the City Council of Chicago has proposed a new ordinance that would impose a responsibility on Chicago landlords to address bedbug problems and the law is getting quite a bit of press.  We’ve been discussing tenant move-in and move-out this week, so let’s talk just a bit about when bedbugs move-in and what, if anything, landlords have to do to move them out.  The Chicago Tribune reported that alderman had a hearing this past Tuesday at a joint meeting of the City Council Health and Housing committees on comprehensive new proposed ordinance to deal with these increasingly common pests.

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