Bed bug dog? Seriously? I don't exactly know how I feel about that... :S

As someone with over ten years of property management experience, I can attest the hazards of this phenomena. Fortunately, for so many of us in the industry, the new reality series(on A&E and TLC) are helping the public in general to realize how dangerous this situation is. I recall one very unfortunate situation (garbage, pests, stuff piled up past the windows and the smell) which was only made worse by the family members who swore that I was the one being unreasonable.

We never performed "unit inspections" at my properties by the way. But twice a year we had mandatory "preventative maintenance" that was not an option for the residents.


Shalise

Yep....bedbugs and hoarders are a really bad combination....I have had some experience with resolving the bedbug problem....it really is an issue for large metro's....best defense is early warning and resident pro-activeness. Make your residents aware of the problem through your community newsletter and you will decrease your expenses associated with these pests.

Bedbugs have shutdown theatres...5-star hotels...and entire dorms.....as a community we can be aware of the issue and shut it down before it gets crazy. 20K? Whew! I'd rather kill 'em myself first!

After viewing the photos from this unit, it is fairly mild from a hoarding standpoint compared to many I've seen.

Based on the unit walks I've done during due diligence efforts, I believe there are major hoarders in every apartment community that doesn't explicitly train their maintenance staff to look out for these and walk each unit every 3-6 months.

Massive clutter doesn't always equate to bedbugs, but it makes it just about impossible to find them once infestation occurs. They can hid in the corrugation of a piece of cardboard and many other very small places.

The biggest risk with hoarders is fire. They should be dealt with immediately on discovery.

Here's a photo from an inspection I did in December 2010. Our bedbug dog alerted in the living room and the bedroom in this unit.



Ben Hestir

We do unit inspections monthly, beginning after the initial 30 days of occupancy. I have been shocked to hear of some of the horror stories from my district and site managers as to how bad it can get in just a short period of time. Management should be able to rely on maintenance techs to inform of any concerns they see when called in for a work order, but there are always those residents who never seem to call in a service request even if the do have repairs that should be addressed. At first some seem a little put off by the inconvenience but we present it in a way that it is a "service" we provide to catch things they may not. Most appreciate the attention they receive and it also gives us a great opportunity to connect with our residents.

Love the idea of having a maid service to offer for those who may need or want it!

Do you have documents you are willing to share for this?

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