Bed Bugs in a Quebec Rental: Who Does What? A Guide for Tenants and Landlords

Found bed bugs in a rental unit? In short: the tenant tells the landlord right away, and the landlord calls a qualified exterminator without delay. Nobody should try to handle it alone. This guide sums up the steps for each side, based on information from the City of Montreal, public health authorities and Quebec's housing tribunal, the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL). Sources are listed at the end.

Bed bugs can affect anyone, however clean the home. As Montreal public health points out, there is no shame in it, and acting fast limits the spread.

How to tell if they are bed bugs

• A brownish insect 4 to 7 mm long, the size of an apple seed, that does not jump or fly.
• Bites that look like mosquito bites, usually on skin exposed during sleep.
• Small black or dark brown spots on sheets, mattress seams, the box spring or walls.
• Very small white eggs on the mattress or in the bedroom.

Not sure? Take a sharp photo and check our Identify a pest page.

If you are a tenant

1. Tell your landlord immediately. Do it in writing if you can, and keep a dated copy.
2. Do not treat the unit yourself. The City and public health advise against it. Bug bombs and store-bought products can harm your health without solving the problem.
3. Keep evidence: photos, dates, messages with your landlord and inspection reports.
4. If nothing happens, follow up by registered mail with acknowledgment of receipt.
5. After a reasonable delay (up to 10 days, according to Montreal public health), file a complaint with your borough by calling 311, or with your municipality if you live elsewhere.
6. You can turn to the TAL if the problem continues. Your local housing committee can help you through these steps.

Before you stop paying or move out

Do not withhold rent on your own: the TAL has already terminated the lease of a tenant who did so. To abandon a unit that has become unfit for habitation, you must notify the landlord before leaving or within 10 days of leaving, and be reasonably sure the landlord will not fix the problem quickly. An infested unit is not automatically unfit for habitation. Check first with the TAL, your housing committee or a legal professional.

If you are a landlord

1. Call a qualified exterminator as soon as you are notified. This is what the City of Montreal asks, and dealing with pests is generally your responsibility.
2. Give access to the whole building. The exterminator must be able to assess the extent of the infestation, including in neighbouring units.
3. Notify tenants in writing of the treatment date and the preparation required.
4. Keep your invoices, notices and reports. They will matter if there is a dispute.

What if the tenant does not cooperate?

The landlord can apply to the TAL, which can order the tenant to give access to the unit or prepare it for treatment. In serious cases, the Tribunal can go as far as terminating the lease. According to Éducaloi, it has also held tenants responsible for a bed bug infestation and ordered them to compensate the landlord, where the evidence showed the infestation came from their unit.

Who pays for the exterminator?

As a general rule, the landlord handles extermination. There are exceptions: depending on the facts, the TAL can hold a tenant responsible. Tenants, for their part, can ask the Tribunal for a rent reduction or damages. Every case depends on its evidence.

Preparing the unit for treatment

Preparation makes a big difference. Always follow your exterminator's instructions. In general:

• Pick up clutter in the bedrooms, without moving items to other rooms or units.
• Put clothes, bedding and curtains in the dryer on the hottest cycle for at least 30 minutes.
• Then place these items in tightly sealed plastic bags.
• Close boxes with strong adhesive tape.

After a treatment, respect the delay given by the exterminator before going back in. Montreal public health generally mentions at least 6 hours, and up to 12 or 24 hours for children, babies, pregnant women and people with breathing problems or allergies.

How to choose an exterminator

• Check that the company holds the permit required by Quebec's Environment Ministry.
• In Montreal, exterminators must report each bed bug treatment to the City within 5 days.
• Ask what the treatment, follow-up visits and guarantee include.

Outside Montreal: Laval, North Shore and South Shore

The Civil Code and the TAL apply across Quebec, but municipal by-laws vary from city to city. For a complaint, contact your municipality.

Need help?

Tenant, landlord or property manager, call ExtermZone at (514) 295-7696, 24 hours a day, in Montreal, Laval, the North Shore and the South Shore. See also our pages on bed bugs and rental buildings.

Sources

• City of Montreal: getting rid of bed bugs (in French)
• City of Montreal: reporting a bed bug treatment (in French)
• Montreal regional public health: bed bugs (in French)
• Tribunal administratif du logement: unsanitary housing (in French)
• Éducaloi: holding tenants responsible for an infestation (in French)
• L'actualité: who pays the exterminator? (in French)

This article provides general information and is not legal advice.