Washington landlord-tenant law and PHSKC guidance require rental property owners to investigate and treat reported bed bug infestations. Tenants must cooperate with inspections, prepare units, and avoid moving infested furniture between dwellings.
RCW 59.18 and Public Health Seattle and King County guidance treat bed bug infestation as a habitability defect when not caused by tenant conduct. Landlords must hire a licensed pest control operator, inspect adjoining units, and pay for treatment in most cases. Tenants must launder bedding, declutter, and grant access for follow-up treatments. PHSKC publishes a bed bug toolkit and refers complaints between Labor and Industries, courts, and county housing programs. Repeat untreated infestations can be cited as nuisance conditions under the Board of Health Code.
Landlords who refuse to treat may face tenant repair-and-deduct claims, court orders, and Public Health nuisance citations. Tenants who block access risk eviction for material noncompliance with the lease.
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