Des Moines rental property owners must address bed bug infestations as a habitability issue under Ch. 60 housing standards; tenants must cooperate with treatment and avoid moving infested items.
Des Moines does not have a stand-alone bed bug ordinance, but bed bug infestations are treated as a habitability defect under Municipal Code Ch. 60 and Iowa Uniform Residential Landlord-Tenant Act. Landlords are generally responsible for treatment costs in rental units unless they can prove the tenant caused the infestation. Tenants must report infestations promptly, cooperate with extermination (including laundering bedding and prepping units), and avoid bringing in used furniture. The city investigates complaints when landlords fail to act. Single-family owner-occupants handle their own treatment.
Landlord refusal to treat a confirmed infestation, failure to provide habitable premises, or tenant refusal to cooperate with prep can lead to housing inspection citations and rental license action.
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