Bed bugs reside in homes, apartments, hotels, retail stores, businesses and nursing homes. Some California cities, Los Angeles for example, rank near the top of cities with the highest number of reported cases of bed bugs.
Why You Should Hire a California Bed Bug Bite Attorney
No matter where you live in California, you have rights and do not have to live with bed bugs in your house or apartment. You also do not have to suffer the consequences of bed bugs in your hotel room or in furniture from retail stores.
Receive a free consultation to discuss your pre-litigation California bed bug case representation.
How Prevalent are Bed Bugs in California?
In 2011, the State of California Health and Human Service Agency reported on a survey assessing responses from local agencies and to gain better insight into the problem of bed bugs in California. The Vector-Borne Disease Section of the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) conducted the survey, which received a 63 percent response rate.
Among respondents, 48 percent reported an increase in the number of reported bed bug incidents. None of the California counties reported a decrease in bed bugs.
Bed Bugs in Los Angeles and Other Major Cities
Bed bugs are commonly found in heavily populated cities across the U.S. Los Angeles is one of these cities, being the third largest in the nation, along with plenty of other major cities in California. You’re likely to find bed bugs present in residences, hotels, and other locations in many of the metropolitan areas throughout the state, including:
These are simply some of the many locations in California that have experienced and will continue experiencing bed bug infestations. If you’re traveling to or currently a resident of any of these and other cities in California, bed bugs may be prevalent. Larger cities will also have a greater variety in the quality of management and maintenance of hotels and other hospitality facilities, further increasing the likelihood of an infestation if they aren’t well-maintained.
Bed Bug Infestations are Possible in All Cities
It’s important to keep in mind that regardless of the size of the city, whether in Los Angeles or a small suburb, the risk of bed bug infestations is always present. While heavily populated areas provide bed bugs with more blood meals, you could also find them in more sparsely populated locations depending on the quality of the home or other facility.
Where are Bed Bugs Found?
Bed bugs live where people live and interact. The reason bed bugs take up residency wherever there are people is so they can get their blood meals.
It is imperative to know that bed bugs do not only affect low income individuals or people with poor housekeeping habits. It does not matter if you live in a low income apartment or a large home in an affluent neighborhood. You run the risk of moving in to any property with bed bugs patiently awaiting your arrival.
Bed bugs reside in California budget hotels as well as five star hotels and resorts. Just because you pay more does not exclude the possibility that the hotel has a bed bug infestation. People from all walks of life and from all income levels move to California, visit and stay in hotels across the state.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services Vector Management Program explains that people can find bed bugs on mattresses, usually along the edged seams or beneath buttons found on some styles of mattresses. Bed bugs also hide along the support frame or behind the headboard, on box springs, on upholstered furniture. They also hide behind pictures or other wall decorations. You’ll find bed bugs all throughout California, including LA along with cities such as San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, San Jose, Fresno, and many others.
How do I know if I have bed bugs?
Bed bugs bite multiple times, often in a straight line, leaving itchy, red, swollen bites that look like mosquito or flea bites. You run the risk of developing a secondary skin infection when scratching the bites, as well as respiratory issues, dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting and an allergic reaction to bed bug bites.
Bed bugs hide in the workplace as well as hotels and other places besides residences. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that California workers not only suffered bed bug bites while on-the-job or traveling for work, but that several workers sustained injuries while moving furniture to search for or to treat the premises for bed bugs.
Case Representation for your California Bed Bug Case
California is very clear about the rights of individuals affected by bed bug bites or infestations. California Code of Regulations, Title 25 Housing and Community Development Article 5 Section 40 addresses the responsibilities of hotels, requiring that mattresses, sheets, linens and all bedding must be kept in clean, sanitary condition, free of bed bugs.
“California AB-551 Rental property: bed bugs” not only requires landlords to provide tenants with information about bed bugs and information within two days after inspection and treatment from a professional pest control company, but also prevents landlords from retaliating against residents who file a formal complaint. It also establishes that “A landlord shall not show, rent, or lease to a prospective tenant any vacant dwelling unit that the landlord knows has a current bed bug infestation.”
Consult with a Bed Bug Lawyer in California Today
You have rights as a victim of a bed bug infestation or bed bug bites. Our office represents victims of bed bug bites in California on a pre-litigation basis. Contact California bed bug attorneys for your free consultation to discuss your bed bug case, potential recovery of losses and pre-litigation case representation.