Landlord Bed Bug Survey

Question Title

* 1. How long have you been a landlord?

1 year or less

2-4 years

5-10 years

10-20 years

More than 20 years

Question Title

* 2. How many rental units do you own in Lakewood?

1-3

4-6

7-10

10-30

30+

Question Title

* 3. Do you live in any of your rental properties?

Yes

Question Title

* 4. Do you utilize a Management Company?

Yes

If yes, would you share the name of your Management Company?

Question Title

* 5. Have you ever experienced a bed bug situation in any of your rental units?

Yes

Bed bugs can hide in basements, floor cracks, electrical outlets and heating vents and can move between rental units along electrical wiring and plumbing. Bed bugs can survive as long as 18 months without eating so on-going follow-up pest maintenance is needed to ensure the bed bugs have been eradicated. A bed bug infestation presents many challenges for landlords and requires a variety of measures to take control of an infestation.

We would like information about your experience with bed bugs in this part of the survey. This information will be helpful in planning for future Landlord Training seminars and develop "best practices" from your experiences to help all Lakewood landlords.

Question Title

* 6. How did you become aware of the presence of bed bugs in your building?

The tenant of the unit where the bed bug problem likely originated informed me they had bed bugs.

A tenant of another unit informed me they had bed bugs

I found bed bugs in my unit or in the common areas.

I asked one of my tenants why they put their mattress or other belongings in the garbage or on the tree lawn

I was contacted by the County Health Department, the city or another governmental agency.

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 7. What actions did you take?

Question Title

* 8. Did the tenant cooperate with the extermination program?

Yes

Question Title

* 9. If the tenant did cooperate with the bed bug extermination program, how did they assist (mark all that apply)

Allow access to apartment unit

Washing and bagging bedding and clothing

Disposing of certain infested property

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 10. Did you use a professional exterminator/pest control agent?

Yes

Who did you use?

Question Title

* 11. If you used an exterminator/pest management professional for bed bug eradication, were you happy with their services in terms of price, elimination of infestation, response for call back on re-infestation, if any; and preparation for extermination and education of the tenant

Yes

N/A

Which company did you use?

Question Title

* 12. If you have utilized an exterminator, did the exterminator/pest management professional offer you a warranty with their bed bug eradication service?

Yes

N/A

If yes, how long was the warranty and were there any conditions associated with it?

Question Title

* 13. After the initial treatment, did the bed bugs return to or re-emerge in the unit or spread to other units? (Check all that apply)

Bed bugs re-emerged in the treated unit

Bed bugs spread to other units

Continued bed bug treatment maintenance with no further bed bugs.

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 14. What were your extermination/pest management costs per unit?

$0 - $500.00 per unit

$501 to $1000.00 per unit

$1001 to $2500.00 per unit

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 15. Did any of the tenants share in the costs of the pest management expenses to eradicate the bed bugs?

Yes

If yes, how many tenants contributed and what percentage of the total cost did they contribute?

Question Title

* 16. Did any of the tenants whose premises were the subject of bed bug eradication or pest management work seek compensation (rent reduction, refund etc.)?

Tenant who occupied the unit where the infestation most likely originated sought compensation.

A tenant of another unit sought compensation

No one has requested compensation

How much compensation was requested? Was it paid?

Question Title

* 17. What steps have you taken to ensure you do not have another infestation of bed bugs or to avoid your first bed bug problem? (Please check all that apply)

I inspect the rental units regularly

I use a pest management service that monitors for bed bug activity

I provide bed bug awareness education to my tenants

I provide an easy way to report bed bugs to the building management and stress the importance of early reporting before an infestation can occur.

I incorporate bed bug information and reporting procedures in my lease documents.

I provide "failure to report" bed bug consequences and costs associate with failure to report in my lease documents.

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 18. Do you have landlord and tenant rights and obligations set forth in your lease documents and/or building policies?

Yes

If no, how do you communicate bed bug rights and responsibilities with your tenants?

Question Title

* 19. Would you be willing to attend a one-time landlord round table to discuss: 1) bed bug best practices and 2) how the city can assist landlords in bed bug pest management.

Yes

If yes, please provide your name, phone and email address so that we might follow up with you - thank you!

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey! At the city we strive to stay ahead of concerns and issues facing Lakewood residents and business owners. Your responses will help us to respond to this national issue.