Coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert
Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety concerns, Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) staff will wear masks if inspection is required/attempted. Tenants are also asked to wear masks during any inspection.
If you report bed bugs in a residential building, hotel, or a Single Room Occupancy (SRO), the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) will conduct an inspection. HPD may conduct inspections with a bed bug-sniffing dog. If bed bugs are found, the residential building owner may get a ticket.
You must provide your contact information.
To report bed bugs in a private house or apartment, you must be a tenant in the building. If you are reporting bed bugs in a hotel room or SRO, the Room # can be entered in the Apartment # field on the form.
What Happens Next
The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) investigates maintenance complaints and tickets owners who break the law.
Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety concerns, Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) staff will wear masks if inspection is required/attempted. Tenants are also asked to wear masks during any inspection.
HPD will attempt to contact your building's managing agent to advise them that a complaint has been filed and that a violation may be issued if the condition is not corrected immediately. HPD will also attempt to call you back to see if the condition was corrected. If you indicate that the condition was corrected, HPD will close the complaint.
Learn more about HPD complaints and inspections.
Learn more about housing quality and safety issues on the HPD website.
Inspections
If it was not corrected or HPD cannot reach you, a uniformed Code Enforcement inspector will be sent to inspect the reported condition. If English is not your primary language, let the Inspector know and they can call a translator to help.
The owner/agent is not notified of the inspection date. Inspectors will also check for the following violations: smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, lead-based paint (if there is a child under six), window guards (if there is a child under 11), double cylinder locks, and bars on the fire escape windows.
Additional Assistance
There is additional support available for tenants in rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartments. To learn more, go to the Rent Regulated Apartments page.
For more information about residential property maintenance requirements and tenant rights and responsibilities, use the Housing Rules for Owners and Tenants page.
Copies of maintenance complaints are available for both Tenants and Landlords.For additional questions about a complaint or to get copies of complaints, go to the HPD Building Information and Code Enforcement Borough Service Centers page.
Housing Court
If you made a complaint and your landlord didn't fix the problem, you can take legal action in Housing Court. Document all contact with your landlord and HPD about the conditions in your apartment so you can use it in court.
To learn more about Housing Court, go to the Housing Court for Tenants and Landlords page.
Co-Op or Condo Apartments
If you live in a co-op or condo, you should first report apartment maintenance issues to the owner, management company, or board before filing a complaint with HPD.
Bed-Bug Inspection Dogs
HPD trained dogs may be dispatched to assist with the bed bug inspection. When you make a complaint about bed bugs, you will have the opportunity to decline the use of a dog for your inspection.
If you indicate that you will allow a dog to assist with the inspection, that does not guarantee that a dog will be available for your inspections, only that your complaint is eligible for inspection with the dog.
NYC Bed Bug Disclosure Act
Under the NYC Bed Bug Disclosure Act, landlords must notify prospective tenants in writing about any bed bug infestations that have occurred in their building in the past year.
You can get in person assistance from NY State Homes and Community Renewal (NYSHCR) in multiple languages at an HCR Borough Rent Office.
For more information and Borough Rent Office locations, go to the Rent Regulated Apartments page.
Local Law 69
Under local Law 69 of 2017, all multiple dwelling property owners must attempt to obtain the bedbug infestation history from the tenant or unit owner, including whether eradication measures were employed for a bedbug infestation.
Learn more about bed bug and building management.
