Does Renters Insurance Cover Bed Bugs?

Bed bugs usually aren’t dangerous, but scratching their itchy bites can lead to irritation and infection if you’re not careful. Add to that an off-the-charts yuck factor, and it’s clear that you need immediate action to get rid of the bugs.

If you’re a renter, you should know that landlords are sometimes responsible for exterminating bed bugs. Even if that’s true for you, the treatment won’t eliminate bed bugs on all your personal property. Unfortunately, the renters insurance you bought to cover damaged and destroyed belongings is unlikely to cover expenses related to bed bugs.

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Why renters insurance doesn’t cover bed bugs

Your renters insurance policy covers your personal belongings against 16 specific disasters, but pest infestation isn’t one of them. Neither is damage to the home’s structure.

Insurance companies consider pest infestations to be maintenance issues rather than the result of an unexpected disaster. Although bed bugs and other bug infestations are unintentional, they’re also largely preventable, and they fester over time.

For example, bed bugs could enter your apartment from an untreated infestation in another unit in the building. Or you could inadvertently carry some into your home and not notice until they reproduce and reach your bed months later.

It’s important to note that you might be able to add bed bug protection to your renters insurance policy for an extra fee. The availability of this coverage varies by insurance company and location.

Is your landlord responsible for getting rid of bed bugs?

Bed bugs have become a major tenant-landlord issue, in part because it’s not always easy to figure out who’s responsible for them.

If you’ve been renting the same single-family house for several years and just now discover bed bugs, it’s likely that you inadvertently introduced them. In that case, your landlord is likely to charge you for the cost of exterminating them.

But what if you live in a multi-family dwelling? Or you discover bed bugs one week after you move into a rental property? In these cases, your landlord is probably responsible for paying the extermination fees.

Statewide bedbug laws

About two dozen states have passed bed bug regulations, but only a few apply to residential housing.^[2]

Colorado’s regulations are a good example. Landlords can’t offer units for rent that they suspect have bed bugs. Further, they have 96 hours after a tenant reports suspected bed bugs to inspect the unit and the adjoining units. If bed bugs are found, the landlord pays for extermination.^[3]

Tenants are responsible for promptly reporting suspected bed bugs. They also have to comply with the landlord’s request to inspect or treat their rental units for infestations. If they don’t, and their noncompliance makes further inspections or treatments necessary, the tenant has to pay for them.

New York’s bed bug rules are more ambiguous. In that state, whenever a tenant signs a lease, the landlord must disclose the past year’s bed bug history for the unit and the building.

But owners and occupants are equally responsible for avoiding conditions and “harborages” that might lead to an infestation. If one occurs, the “owner or occupant in control” is responsible for eradication.^[4]

What to do if you have bed bugs

Discovering bed bugs in your home is understandably unsettling. But quick action can help limit the infestation and eliminate it faster.

1. Remember that landlords require tenants to immediately report serious maintenance issues, like bed bug infestations or suspected infestations. If you hold off, it could get worse, and you could be responsible for paying extermination costs.

2. Empty closets and drawers, and remove curtains. Dispose of soft items you can’t launder, such as pillows. Also, dispose of paper and cardboard clutter.

3. Launder washable items in hot water, then dry them on your dryer’s hottest setting for at least 30 minutes. Afterward, store them in sealed plastic tubs until treatment is complete.

4. Vacuum your mattresses and box springs, carpets, and upholstered furniture. Be especially thorough along baseboards and seams, where bugs might hide.

5. Purchase bed bug encasements for your mattresses and box springs. Mattresses can’t be treated, but any bugs or eggs the vacuum missed will be trapped by the covers and eventually die.

6. Follow any instructions your landlord or pest control vendor provides. Cooperation is key to avoiding delays.

Cost of treating bed bugs

Bed bug treatment can cost anywhere from $1,000 to $5,000, according to websites Angi and HomeAdvisor. Factors like the size of your home, the infestation size, the treatment type, and the number of visits needed all affect the cost of a given job.

Most jobs include an initial inspection to determine the extent of the infestation and plan the best way to eradicate it.

Fumigation is generally the most expensive treatment type, and it’s also the most invasive. But steam treatment costs almost as much and often requires multiple treatments. Chemical treatments are slightly less expensive, although multiple treatments might be required with that method, too.

The vendor might need to inspect again after treatment ends to make sure it was effective.

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5 ways to prevent bed bugs in your rental

The good news about bed bugs is that unlike ticks and mosquitoes, they don’t carry disease. The bad news is that they still pose a public health threat because of the potential for severe allergic reactions and secondary infections, as well as the emotional trauma of living in the midst of an insect infestation.^[5]

The Environmental Protection Agency offers these tips to help you prevent bed bugs in your home:

1. Check used furniture for bed bugs before bringing it into your home. Consider scrubbing down wood and other non-upholstered items.

2. Install bed bug encasements on your mattresses and box springs, especially if you’ve already had an infestation. The encasement will trap any remaining bugs and eggs and make new ones easier to see.

3. Keep your home vacuumed and clutter-free.

4. Avoid putting your clothes on surfaces in a shared laundry room or laundromat. Carry clothing in plastic bags, and return clothing to the bags directly from the dryer.

5. If you live in a multi-family building, install a sweep under the door to the hallway. Seal up cracks around switch plates, electrical outlets, baseboards, and other areas that might give bugs a way into your unit from the hall or a neighboring unit.

Renters insurance and bed bugs FAQs