a popular topic - Bed Bugs, but what if they are discovered during due diligence?

Hi Brownstoners, First it was Dry Cleaning fumes discovered in an apartment I was about to sign on,… now it’s a recent history of bedbugs in the unit discovered right before signing a contract.  I made an offer on a unit in a very nice Brooklyn Heights Co-op and I am a few days from signing the contract.  It was uncovered that the seller got treatments for bedbugs three times, the last being 7 months ago.  My immediate impulse was… NO, I am not getting into this contract now.  It’s not a perfect apartment but it’s a great deal and I love the building.  The attorneys are talking right now (sellers – mine) about solutions.. Maybe a test to see if the bugs remain?  Trying to determine who else in the building has them?  How many of you would run?  How many of you would test the waters?  What actions by the board would comfort you?  Is a price reduction out of the question?

ladhalsey

in Co-Op Related 12 years and 10 months ago

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srsqualms | 12 years and 10 months ago

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Oh, and, re: whether you should do a test, there are really no tests that are helpful.  The dogs could give you peace of mind but it would be artificial — those dogs have false positives and negatives all the time.  Still, the placebo affect is nice, I guess.   The only “test” a good exterminator will do before initiating treatment is FINDING A BEDBUG and analyzing it himself to verify that it’s not a carpet beetle or something.  I would never treat on the basis of a dog or a bite alone.

srsqualms | 12 years and 10 months ago

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Treated 3 times is kind of a bad sign.  Has the seller gotten any bites in the last 7 months?  If not, then I think you could buy the place and just be prepared.  Ask the adjacent neighbors.  Tuck some cardboard bedbug detectors into your bedframe.  If you get bedbugs, call John Furman. He is the f$cking man.  I had bedbugs. They suck and make you neurotic forever.  But they only took a couple months and a couple thousand dollars and complete vigilance to get rid of.  It’s not forever.  That said, if you have a baby, don’t buy the place.  The treatment is toxic.

callalily | 12 years and 10 months ago

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Mice.

callalily | 12 years and 10 months ago

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Run, run, run. There is no guarantee they will have eliminated them and your life will be a living hell. I’ve never seen a row house or apartment building in NYC that could completely eliminate roaches and nice. Bed bugs are even more difficult to get rid of.

sunbury | 12 years and 10 months ago

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I had a scare about a year ago where new tenants suspected that they may have brought bedbugs with them.  Immediately we used Roscoe – the bed bug dog – to put all our minds at rest.  The whole house 4 floors was thoroughly checked.  I would recommend that your lawyers insist that the building be “inspected” by this means.  Then everyone should sleep well.

dorkofwindsor | 12 years and 10 months ago

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oh sorry i thought it was a co-op purchase.

Silvermax | 12 years and 10 months ago

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It’s now the law that landlords must tell prospective tenants if they’ve had a bedbug issue in the previous year. That said, bedbugs are rampant in New York. I would want to know how bad the infestation was, how far it had spread, and what measures management took to remedy the situation.

dorkofwindsor | 12 years and 10 months ago

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usually people are concerned because treatment pushes them into other units, from which they can easily return.  having said that, there’s no guarantee that wherever else you buy doesn’t ahve them (but keeps it secret, out of the minutes) of could get them in the future.     however, going into a situation where you know they exist, i would be concerned as well.  after all, its pretty impossible to hermetically seal building units they way they are built (ventilation, pipes, walls, etc)    i would think long and hard how much it would haunt you as i would assume you will likely be fighting them for a long time.  some people seem to be much more frightened of them than others, so perhaps its not as a  big deal as you think.  personally, for my blood eating mania, i’d let some dumb money buy in that building, because i wouldn’t sleep that well.     however, if its in the minutes, it will always be there for future buyers to see so i’d keep that in mind as well in case you have to sell for some unseen reason.