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    theekosk's Avatar
    theekosk Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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    #1

    Jul 27, 2008, 07:53 PM
    Break verbal sublet agreement due to bedbugs
    I am subletting a room in an apartment building this for the summer, however, at the start of July, bedbugs appeared in the apartment. The exterminator has been by 3 times, I have thoroughly washed and cleaned all my stuff each of the three times, and I am still being bitten. I would like to move out and rent a room for the last month of summer from someone else, however, the person I am renting the room from said that I would have to still pay rent at both places, because I said I would take the room for the entire summer. Do I have legal grounds for breaking my verbal agreement, because the bugs won't go away?

    I moved in at the beginning of June. A roommate of the girl who is renting me her room who is still living in the apartment had a friend who had bedbugs that brought a blanket on the fourth of July. I am almost certain that she brought the bugs with her. Since the 6th of July, I have been getting bites all over my body, and I just can't take it anymore! The apartment is really old, I and there is just so many places for the bugs to hide, that the exterminator can't get rid of them all.

    Thank-you for your advice!
    rockinmommy's Avatar
    rockinmommy Posts: 1,123, Reputation: 82
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    #2

    Jul 27, 2008, 07:59 PM
    These are toughies. Verbal agreements are hard to prove.

    You can leave (which I'd probably take my chances and do under the circumstances - yuck!) and not pay and leave it up to the landlord to sue you to attempt to collect. Then in court you can present your defense (take pictures - of bugs, of bites). With only verbal communication for the Judge to go by it's anyone's guess as to how it would all shake out. And the fact that they have attempted to solve the problem would be a point in their favor.

    I honestly don't know if "boarders" are governed by the same landlord/tenant property codes as a regular tenant would be. Hopefully someone will be by soon who knows.
    rockinmommy's Avatar
    rockinmommy Posts: 1,123, Reputation: 82
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    #3

    Jul 27, 2008, 08:01 PM
    And I just caught in your original post that the bugs just showed up in July. When did you start living there? The landlord may even be able to make a case that the bugs came in with you, if they weren't there before...
    tickle's Avatar
    tickle Posts: 23,796, Reputation: 2674
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    #4

    Jul 27, 2008, 08:04 PM
    The 'person' you rented the room from must have know it had BEDBUGS . They are very hard to disgiuse and extremely hard to get rid of. There is no written agreement so just gather all you have and get out of there. Just remember you will be carrying the bedbugs with you in your luggage because they adhere to just about anything. Report this 'person' to the police and if they don't take the compalint (after you move out and take the bugs with you) ask them who you do give the complaint to and carry it right down the line until this 'person' is found up for renting a substandard establishment. These people make me SICK !
    theekosk's Avatar
    theekosk Posts: 2, Reputation: 1
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    #5

    Jul 27, 2008, 08:09 PM
    Hey there!

    I moved in at the beginning of June. A roommate of the girl who is renting me her room who is still living in the apartment had a friend who had bedbugs that brought a blanket on the fourth of July. I am almost certain that she brought the bugs with her. Since the 6th of July, I have been getting bites all over my body, and I just can't take it anymore! The apartment is really old, I and there is just so many places for the bugs to hide, that the exterminator can't get rid of them all.

    Thank-you for your advice!
    tickle's Avatar
    tickle Posts: 23,796, Reputation: 2674
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    #6

    Jul 27, 2008, 08:23 PM
    You can really get sick from those bites theekosk ! Bedbugs carry mega infection with them.. They love mattresses !

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