AB 551: Rental property: bed bugs.

Existing law imposes various obligations on landlords who rent out residential dwelling units, including the general requirement that the building be in a fit condition for human occupation. Among other responsibilities, existing law requires a landlord of a residential dwelling unit to provide each new tenant who occupies the unit with a copy of the notice provided by a registered structural pest control company, as specified, if a contract for periodic pest control service has been executed.

This bill would prescribe the duties of landlords and tenants with regard to the treatment and control of bed bugs. The bill would require a landlord to provide a prospective tenant, on and after July 1, 2017, and to all other tenants by January 1, 2018, information about bed bugs, as specified. The bill would require that the landlord provide notice to the tenants of those units inspected by the pest control operator of the pest control operators findings within 2 business days, as specified. The bill would prohibit a landlord from showing, renting, or leasing a vacant dwelling unit that the landlord knows has a bed bug infestation, as specified.

This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1942.5 of the Civil Code, proposed by AB 2881, that would become operative only if this bill and AB 2881 are chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2017, and this bill is chaptered last.