PHA Bedbug Prevention

• Common areas such as laundry facilities, lobbies, and community rooms are visually inspected by trained staff monthly.
• Pest control contracts will require inspection of these common areas and individual units by pest control professionals (PCP) as part of the regular service.
• Staff shall inspect vacant units for bedbugs on items left by the former resident, around the unit, and behind fixtures such as baseboards, faceplates of electrical outlets and switches, and plaster cracks.
• Admission staff shall ask new residents about any previous exposure to bed bugs and will provide information on how to limit the chance of bringing bedbugs to the property.
• Implement a property-wide initiative to seal baseboards, cracks, and crevices in each unit.
• Additionally, seal openings around plumbing and electrical services are shared between apartments with pest-proofing sealants.
• Any large item left outside for trash pick-up is considered infested and promptly removed from the property. PHA staff destroys items on the curb using a utility knife, spray paint, or other means to prevent further use.
• When possible, staff meets with residents in offices and other common areas where plastic or metal furniture is available. If office staff must meet with a resident in a unit, staff will only take essential items into the unit and will not sit or set items on upholstered furniture.
• If maintenance staff must move infested items in a unit, they shall wear booties and a disposable suit. They should remove and dispose of the protective clothing immediately upon completing work in the unit.
• Inspections may incorporate a variety of accepted practices such as visual inspections, monitoring devices, and detection dogs.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• • Housing shall not be denied because of previous bedbug exposure.
  • The PHA shall not require tenants to treat furniture or other personal belongings prior to occupying their unit or as a condition of acceptance.