For Residents

For Residents: Reporting a Pest and Getting Your Unit Ready for Treatment

Written for: Apartment residents, resident services coordinators, and anyone helping a resident

Pest problems in apartments get solved fastest when the resident reports early and the property responds quickly, and when both keep a record. This page is practical guidance for residents. It is not legal advice, and it does not take anyone’s side.

Report it early, and in writing

Bed bugs, German cockroaches and mice are much easier to deal with when there are only a few. They do not go away on their own, and they spread to neighboring units.

When you see a pest or signs of one:

1. Tell the office in writing. Use the property’s work order portal, an email, or a written note, and keep a copy. A phone call is fine for speed, but follow it with something written. Note the date.
2. Say what you saw and where. “Two small brown bugs on the mattress seam in the back bedroom, and small black spots on the sheets” helps more than “bugs.”
3. Send a photo if you can. Put a coin next to the pest for size. Do not crush a bug you think is a bed bug; trap it under clear tape or in a sealed bag.
4. Say if anything makes it hard for you to prepare for a treatment (see below).

HUD’s guidance for HUD-assisted properties asks residents to report early:

In addition, tenants should immediately report the suspicion of infestations in housing units or other areas of the property. — HUD Notice H 2012-5, § IV

In Salt Lake City, the city’s code lists, among a tenant’s duties, to “Promptly inform the property owner of any defective conditions or problems at the premises” (SLC Code 18.96.060(G)). In Utah, the state’s Fit Premises Act gives renters specific steps for a written notice of a condition that affects health or safety (Utah Code 57-22-6). Ask a legal aid office if you want to know how that works for you.

Not sure what it is?

The field guide describes the pests most often found in Wasatch Front apartments. You can also text a clear photo to (801) 477-0223 for a same-day identification by a Board Certified Entomologist. The identification is free, and it is not a legal opinion.

Getting ready for a treatment

What you are asked to do depends on the pest and on the method your property’s pest professional uses. The prep sheets give the usual steps for bed bugs, cockroaches and mice, in English and Spanish. In general:

• Bed bugs: bag bedding and clothing in sealed plastic bags and wash and dry them on high heat; leave the bed and furniture in place unless told otherwise; do not move belongings to another unit or throw out furniture without asking.
• Cockroaches: clear the kitchen and bathroom cabinets and the area under the sink; store food in sealed containers; take out trash nightly.
• Mice: store food in sealed containers, including pet food; clear clutter along walls; tell the office about holes around pipes or gaps under doors.

If you can’t do the preparation yourself

Preparation can be hard work: lifting mattresses, moving furniture, carrying laundry. If age, disability, illness or anything else makes it hard for you to do what is asked, tell the office before the treatment date, in writing, and ask what help is available. Each prep sheet has a line for this.

If you react to pesticides, say so in writing too, and ask what products will be used. HUD has recognized that some residents have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity; see Bed Bug Prep and Reasonable Accommodation.

After a treatment

• Follow the re-entry instructions you are given. Most products used in rooms have a label instruction on when people and pets may go back in.
• Keep reporting what you see. Many treatments need more than one visit, and a follow-up inspection is part of the job.
• Ask the pest professional before using store-bought foggers or sprays after a treatment. They can interfere with what was applied.