There are bed bugs who has to pay the exterminator?
Short answer
In Quebec, it is up to the landlord to provide a dwelling in a good state of habitability and therefore to cover extermination; for their part, the tenant must report the problem quickly, cooperate with the treatments and keep the place clean.
In detail
Responsibilities are shared, but they are not equal. The landlord must put a stop to the infestation. The tenant must notify them without delay, prepare the dwelling according to the exterminator's instructions, avoid clutter, and check second-hand items.
If the landlord is unreasonably slow, the tenant may apply to the Tribunal administratif du logement (TAL, Quebec's rental board) to have the work carried out, and for a rent reduction, damages and, in serious cases, cancellation of the lease.
If the dwelling becomes unfit for habitation, the tenant may leave temporarily without paying rent while they are away, provided they notify the landlord within 10 days of leaving.
What to document
Dated photos and videos of the insects and of the bites, the date of your first report to the landlord, each follow-up, the formal notice (mise en demeure) and proof it was received, the exterminator's reports, and your expenses (cleaning, mattress, bedding).
Put your facts in writing, free. Writing your version down early, keeping your documents dated and preparing your questions for a lawyer: the tool is there to document, never to advise.
Open the application Up to 3 files, no card · see the plans
Official sources
- JuridiQC — Mice, cockroaches, rats, bed bugs: your remedies as a tenant
- Éducaloi — A dwelling in poor condition: your remedies
- TAL — Rights and obligations of the landlord
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What this page is not
This is general legal information about the law of Quebec and Canada, dated and sourced. It is not legal advice, not a strategy, and not a prediction about the outcome of a case. In Quebec, only lawyers and notaries may give legal advice (Act respecting the Barreau du Québec, ss. 128 and 133). Laws and amounts change: the official source always prevails over us.