Follow Up

The last post, though posted today, was originally written August 28th.
I was wrong about the "guy" not being a professional exterminator - he was. Of course, that is not the end of the story (is it ever?). To follow is a letter I'm sending the landlord as step one of a two thousand step plan to hopefully get out of my lease. I'm no longer living in my apartment, just my stuff is. I pop in when I have a chance to inspect, treat and seal my belongings. Anyway - chapter two (most of it) is here. The names have been excluded to protect the guilty and innocent alike.
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This letter is a re-cap of and follow up to the events and conversations since the discovery of the bed bug infestation.

On the evening of Monday August 25th I called Mrs. X of the XX Management Company that owned the building at that time. I informed Mrs. X that my unit suffered a bed bug infestation which would require professional assistance. Mrs. X told me that she did not feel responsible for said infestation and suggested I call an exterminator. She did grant permission for said exterminator to enter my unit. On August 26th I spoke with a representative of the County Health Dept. who informed me that the property owner is required to handle such infestations. On the morning of August 27 a representative from [Extermination Company], inspected my unit (#z) and confirmed a bed bug infestation. On the evening of August 27th, I spoke with Mr. X to make him aware of the Health Ordinance. Mr. X then contacted his own exterminator (PCM) who visited my unit on the evening of Thursday August 28th. While we (Mr. X & I) waited for the PCM to arrive, Mr. X asked the tenants in the unit below mine if they were having a problem with these bugs (based on the research that I’ve done it seems most likely to me that these bugs have entered my home from an adjacent unit). The tenants in that unit confirmed that they are also having trouble with these bugs.

The PCM contracted by Mr. X confirmed that the insects are bed bugs and began the preliminary treatments of my unit on the evening of August 28th. Treatment included the disposal of mattresses (with the exception of the mattress that had already been encased in plastic by me) and the spraying of pyrethroids (the contact insecticide recommended by Harvard Health as part of a three tier treatment for the extermination of bed bugs). After this initial treatment my son and I stopped sleeping in the apartment, because we have no beds and because the bug bites were causing us a great deal of discomfort in addition to my inability to sleep comfortably in a place where I know bugs will be crawling on me.

To my understanding, the building ownership was changed to YY Inc. on Friday August 29th. On Saturday August 30th, we met and were able to discuss the bed bug situation. You agreed that the contracted PCM could return to treat the unit on Sunday August 31st.

On Sunday August 31st, the PCM returned to the unit. He then treated the baseboards, interior of the walls and beneath the carpets of the bedrooms with Diatomaceous Earth (an insecticidal dust, also recommended by Harvard Health as part of a three tier treatment for the extermination of bed bugs). Before he left that day he said that he would need to return on Sunday Sept. 7th to treat the other parts of the apartment.

On Saturday Sept. 6th I spoke with Mrs. Y regarding the matter of having the other units inspected for bugs. I was informed that a PCM will be inspecting all the units and that treatment will be made not only for bed-bugs, but for other pests as well. I was told that such actions would not be needed for my unit as it was already being treated. (*I should note that I left out of this paragraph to the landlord, but it's worth stating here that Mrs. Y suggested to me that infestation was caused by sexual contact with my boyfriend - 'eh?)

On Sunday Sept. 7th, the PCM contracted by Mr. X neither called me nor arrived to treat my unit.

On Monday Sept. 8th I spoke with both of you (Mr. & Mrs. Y) regarding the matter of the disappearing exterminator. It was agreed that my unit will be inspected and treated along with the others.

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your understanding during what is an apparently difficult situation for me. I have found the Harvard Health article on bedbugs to be quite useful, if you are interested, it describes a bit about their biology and makes recommendations for control (http://www.hshp.harvard.edu/bedbugs/ ).

I would also appreciate if you would please keep me abreast of the bed bug situation as I am anxiously looking forward to a time when I may sleep peacefully and in my own home again.