I had never even heard about bedbugs until maybe 5 years ago. I guess because of the changes in pesticides, these little nasty bugs are making a comeback. Here is a new ruling that came out from the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Originally reporting on HousingLink (although I can’t find it on their website, this is just an email I received):
New Ruling on Bed Bugs
The Minnesota Court of Appeals found that the St Cloud HRA bed bug policy (the landlord in this case) did not breach the covenant of habitability.
The HRA’s policy is that if a tenant in one of their public housing units has bed bugs, the HRA will pay for a chemical treatment. If a tenant wants the more effective (and more expensive) heat treatment, the tenant can pay the difference in cost between the chemical and heat treatments.
Tenants had sued the HRA, because the chemical treatment takes longer (a few weeks), and requires that cloth furniture like couches and mattresses get thrown away.
However, the court of appeals ruled in favor of the landlord.
According to MN NAHRO, “The decision has two noteworthy findings. First, the court clarified that “the HRA’s responsibility was limited to the condition of the leased premises itself and did not include the condition of tenants’ personal belongings, furniture or other personal effects.”
Second, Minnesota statute does not require landlords “to provide the repair method of the tenant’s choosing, where the method chosen by the landlord is effective and offered within a reasonable time after notice of defect.”
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