How they move
Along wall voids, through outlet boxes, under doors and along hallway carpet. A unit treated alone in a row of four is a quarter of the problem. OSU’s factsheets note bed bugs can survive 70 days without feeding, so a vacant neighboring unit is not a safe neighbor.
What the statute says
ORC 5321.04(A)(3): the landlord shall “keep all common areas of the premises in a safe and sanitary condition.” Hallways, shared laundry, wall voids between units are the landlord’s. (A)(2): “put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.” Your own unit’s sanitation is yours under 5321.05(A)(1), and you may not unreasonably refuse entry for inspection and repair (5321.05(B)). None of it names bed bugs; all of it turns on where they came from.
What to do
- Inspect your unit and photograph findings by room.
- Write to the landlord, citing (A)(2) and (A)(3), and ask for inspection of adjoining units as well as yours. Template →
- Offer access dates in the letter.
- Do not fog. Foggers push bugs through the wall into the next unit and into the next argument.
For landlords
Inspect above, below and both sides before quoting one unit; treat connected units the same day; give 24 hours’ notice (5321.04(A)(8)). A building that treats in rounds is a building that pays for the same infestation three times. Building service →
Where to complain in Dayton
City of Dayton Housing Inspection, 937-333-3977, for housing-code complaints inside the city; Public Health’s nuisance line, 937-225-4362, covers unincorporated Montgomery County and routes city addresses to the city. Neither publishes a bed bug program, and we have not read the city code. Who handles what →