Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and the sixth most populous city in the United States according to the 2018 census (Approximately 1.5 Million people).

Philadelphia is home to many universities and colleges making it a top study destination, as the city has evolved to become an educational and economic hub.

There has been a spike in people coming to Philadelphia for its tourism and culture, including top attractions such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rocky Steps, and The Liberty Bell.

Aggressive growth has led this thriving city to face some problems head on, such as a rise in bed bug infestations.

According to the Washington Post, Philadelphia is now in the top 10 of the Top 50 bed bug cities ranking by pest-control company Orkin.

Philadelphia Bed Bug Attorneys

Our teams have noticed increases of Philadelphia bed bug inquires over the past year for claims that are typically brought against hotels or apartments in the greater Philadelphia area.

Get a licensed attorney who can recover maximum compensation for both monetary and non-monetary damages suffered as a result of an infestation.

While all cities have their problems, bed bugs has been one of Pennsylvania’s biggest, so it’s important to be aware of your legal rights if you’re unfortunate enough to have a bed bug encounter.

Legal rights for being victim to a bed bug infestation include potential compensation for the following:

• Bodily injuries
• Emotional distress
• Property damage
• Economic loss
• Lost wages, medical bills, ruined vacation

Pennsylvania Bed Bug Laws & Regulation

If you as a renter have discovered bed bugs in your apartment, you should contact your landlord immediately.

Ideally you should notify your landlord in writing so that you can keep a copy for your records.

If the landlord doesn’t respond to you in a timely manner you have a right to send a second demand letter, that summarizes your rights and cause for considering legal action.

According to Northern Pennsylvania Legal Services, once the landlord is notified of the problem, he/she should contact a professional pest control company to inspect and treat the infestation.

A new ordinance passed in late 2019 requiring tenants to report suspected bed bug infestations to their landlords. If the report is within 365 days of the start of the lease, landlords will be fully responsible for the treatment costs.

Duties of the Tenant

Once the bed bug treatment is scheduled, the tenant has a responsibility to cooperate with the landlord, staff, and bed bug treatment professionals.

There are also some safe DIY methods that the tenant can utilize to help treat and prevent further infestation.

Mainly, the tenant should take the following actions before treatment:

• Make sure the apartment is clean and uncluttered.
• Remove all bedding before the treatment, (wash and dry on high heat). Consider purchasing a special mattress cover to prevent bed bugs from infiltrating your mattress.
• Leave the home for several hours, especially if you have young children or pets, that can be extra vulnerable to the harsh chemicals involved in bed bug treatment (unless it’s a heat treatment).

Bed Bug Basics:

Identification – These creatures are small brown insects with round bodies. They are just under .25” long and can be relatively flat depending on the gender. They have a similar width to length ratio and are oval in their shape.

Biology & Behavior – Bed Bugs belong to the family of insects known as Cimicdae and feed exclusively on blood. They require consistent feeding in order to develop and reproduce, but when it comes to surviving they are able to go months without food.

Diseases & Symptoms – Though there are close to 30 disease pathogens that can be found in bed bugs, transmission of these pathogens to humans has never been fully documented. Therefore it is considered highly unlikely to get a severe or chronic disease from being bitten by bed bugs.

Sue a Hotel For Bed Bugs

A typical hotel claim in this city requires guests who have a hotel stay of around 2 – 3 nights, then after the first or second night begin to notice bed bug bite symptoms. You will usually wake up from the irritation of the skin, and then inspect the hotel room to understand the cause of irritation.

At this point you should take a photograph of the situation, or better yet a video proving that the infestation exists.

The more evidence you can gather from the hotel the better, including images of the nest, infestation, and bites to the skin.

At this point the guest will submit a formal complaint to hotel management, and notify the front desk immediately.

Sue a Landlord for a Philadelphia Apartment Bed Bug Infestation

The city of Philadelphia contains approximately 200,000 tenants.

Many of these renters live in apartments, and thousands of them are college students (undergraduate and graduate) located at more than 30 educational institutions.

Most scenarios occur when clients file a claim because they were unsuspecting of the bed bug infestation when they rented the unit.

At which point the tenants (usually within a week or two), report the situation to the landlord, who often denies knowing about the infestation. Cases like these are very common and can be dealt with accordingly.

How To Receive Compensation For Your Bed Bug Bites

There are multiple ways in which you become eligible for compensation after experiencing a bed bug infestation in your hotel room, apartment, or Airbnb.

Your eligibility and the amount you receive comes down to proving negligence, the evidence you can provide, and the severity of the injuries you suffered.

Here are a few factors that come into play which determine the compensation value:

Level of Physical Injury – Any adverse reactions or infections that took place as result of the bites, or any scarring/cosmetic changes that took place.

Pain & Suffering – The emotional and mental trauma that you experience. If you took on long term psychological damage, this will increase the value of your potential compensation.

Lost Wages – If you took time off work to recover from the infestation, and lost income as a result.

Belongings – Any damaged or lost furniture, clothes, luggage etc.. that you had to throw out as a result of the infestation.

All of the above factors, if experienced, will likely increase your chances at getting a payout. Click here for more information on the average value of a bed bug lawsuit in 2019.

Apartment Bed Bug Case Examples:

Case 1 – A Philadelphia college student moved into an apartment prior to his first year at college. Within a few days he was bitten by bed bugs and reported the incident to his landlord. After several weeks, a pest control company was hired to inspect the property and confirm the infestation. At this point we found this student a lawyer that confirmed the infestation existed before the student moved in, and was able to receive $50,000 in compensation for his bites, property loss, and distress.

Case 2 – While sleeping in a room at the Microtel hotel in July 2018, a man was awakened by an itchy, burning sensation on his skin. The man told the hotel clerk that the room had bed bugs, and the clerk immediately refunded his money. The injuries required multiple hospital visits and caused a bacteria infection. This lawsuit is currently ongoing.

The majority of bed bug cases our team has dealt with come from Chester county where tenants move in and discover preexisting infestations.

In these situations a local law mentions that extermination is the responsibility of the property owner. Chester County is comprised of some of the following Boroughs:

• Atglen
• Avondale
• Downingtown
• Elverson
• Honey Brook
• Kennet Square
• Malvern
• Modena
• And more.

Bed Bug Lawsuit Attorney in Philadelphia

We offer a no charge consultation, to get you the bed bug lawyer that fits YOUR NEEDS. We treat our clients like family and make sure they get the lawyer that they’re looking for. Our clients have been able to recover millions of dollars in damages from hotels and apartment infestations.