Paterson Signs "Bedbug Disclosure Act" Into Law

Rest well, residents of the #1 and/or #7 city for bed bugs, because Governor Paterson just signed a law that will help protect you from the critters. Or it just may make you want to move out altogether. The governor just signed New York State Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal's "Bedbug Disclosure Act" into law. Rosenthal said in a statement, “Nothing is more horrifying than signing a lease after a lengthy apartment search only to discover that your new apartment is bedbug-infested. By requiring landlords to disclose infestations before the lease is signed, people will have a means of guarding themselves against exposure to this plague."

The new law will require landlords to disclose to prospective tenants any history of bedbug infestation in the apartment building and individual unit within the past year. Last year, 311 reported 11,000 bed bug complaints, up from 537 in 2004. And needless to say, they've been everywhere. And now, they've figured out how to use the ferry.

Though just 254 Staten Islanders have placed bed bug complaints, the number is up 94% from last year. One exterminator told the Staten Island Advance, "It's become monstrous and it's getting even worse. I've even seen them in exclusive, big beautiful homes on Staten Island when college kids come home for the holidays and bring them from the dormitories. However, Brooklyn wins with 5,000 complaints to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development in the past year.

Rosenthal said she has also introduced a bill that would create a state tax credit for victims to use to recoup the costs of furniture, clothing and bedding that had to be replaced during a bed bug infestation. She said, “It seems clear that bedbugs are here to stay, and I am determined to find new tools to fight this war."