Short answer: the first two weeks matter more than anything you do later. If you are getting bitten or finding evidence within days of a fresh lease, the bugs almost certainly predate you. Do four things now: document what you found with dates, tell the landlord or manager in writing the same day, get it identified by a licensed inspector, and do not treat it yourself.
- TimingEvidence in week one almost always predates the tenant
- First moveDated photos, then a written notice
- Who identifies itRichard, Indiana 7A + 7B licensed
- Do notSpray, fog or bomb the unit yourself
How to tell the bed bugs were there before you
Bed bugs do not appear from nowhere in a few days. Eggs take days to hatch and nymphs take weeks to mature, so a population big enough to bite you in the first few nights has been in that unit for weeks at the least. The life cycle does the math for you. A single hitchhiker in a suitcase is possible, but one bug does not produce bites on several nights right away.
Evidence in the empty unit
An empty apartment still has hiding places. With a flashlight and your phone, check:
- Outlet and switch plates, especially on the wall where a bed would go.
- Baseboards and the gap behind them, particularly the corners.
- Closet shelving, the underside of shelves and the brackets.
- Carpet tack strips along the bedroom walls, where bugs shelter when the furniture leaves.
Small dark spots, pale shed skins, tiny white eggs in cracks, or the bugs themselves. Any of that in a unit you have barely unpacked into means it had them before your boxes did.
Ask the neighbors
Knock on the doors that share your walls, floor and ceiling and ask whether anyone has had bed bugs or seen a pest company this year. “They sprayed my place in the spring” tells you where the bugs came from.
What to do in the first 48 hours
Photograph everything, with the date
Every spot, skin, egg cluster and bite. A wide shot showing where in the room it is, then a close one. Keep the originals.
Collect a sample on tape
Press clear tape over a live bug or shed skin, stick it to an index card, and write the date and location on it.
Write to the landlord or manager the same day
Email or the tenant portal, not a phone call, and keep a copy. If you called, follow up in writing that day.
Ask for an inspection, including adjoining units
Ask that a licensed pest company inspect your unit and the units that share walls, floor and ceiling. Bed bugs in a building are rarely in one apartment.
Stop unpacking
Unpack only what you need for the week. Sealed boxes are hard for bed bugs to get into.
Keep boxes off the floor and off the bed
Stack them on a table or counter, away from the walls. Keep the bed clear so any activity there is easy to see.
What to write to your landlord
Short, factual and calm. You are creating a dated record and asking for a clear response. No threats, no guesses about blame.
A notice you can send today
Subject: Bed bug evidence in Unit [number], [building address]
Hello [manager’s name], I moved into Unit [number] on [move-in date]. On [date found] I found [bites on the first two nights / dark spots on the outlet plate in the bedroom / a live bug in the closet]. Photos with dates are attached and I have kept a sample.
I am asking that a licensed pest control company inspect my unit and the adjoining units as soon as possible, and that any bed bugs found be treated. Please let me know in writing what the next step is and when.
Thank you, [your name, unit number, phone]
If the landlord says it is your problem
Some managers assume the newest tenant brought them in. Stay calm, stay in writing, and get a dated, independent finding on the record.
- Reply in writing. Repeat the dates: when you moved in, when you first noticed.
- Ask for the unit’s treatment history. Whether this unit or the neighbors were treated for bed bugs before your lease, by whom and when.
- Get an independent inspection. Richard, our owner, or our operations manager looks at the same outlets and baseboards you did and tells you what it is: a dated finding from a licensed inspector who does not work for the building. Our inspection is free.
Your lease and current Indiana law set out who is responsible; check both, and a local tenant resource or attorney can tell you your rights. We are a pest control company, so we stick to the bugs and how to get rid of them.
How a building-wide fix works
Whoever arranges it, the plan that ends bed bugs in an apartment looks the same. Inspect the reported unit and every unit that touches it. Heat the units where bugs are found to 135°F for a full 24 hours so it reaches the outlet boxes and wall voids a spray never touches. Then have someone independent confirm it: K9 Detections, a separate company, sends a trained dog through the treated units. K9-verified
The full protocol, including how we coordinate directly with each tenant, is on our page for bed bug service for apartments, rentals and businesses. If the building already sprayed once and the bugs are back, read they sprayed my apartment and the bed bugs came back.
Protecting your stuff meanwhile
- Encasements on the mattress and box spring. They keep bugs out of the bed you brought and make new activity easy to spot.
- Keep belongings sealed. Taped boxes, zipped bags, lidded bins. Live out of a small set of clothes.
- High-heat dryer for anything fabric. Thirty minutes on high. Bag items on the way to a shared laundry room and bring them back in a fresh bag.
- Do not move to a friend’s couch with your bag. An overnight bag is how bed bugs reach someone else’s home. Sleep in your own bed with the encasement on.
- Do not spray, fog or bomb. Store products scatter bed bugs into the walls and the next apartment.
Property managers: we inspect adjoining units and talk to tenants directly. Renters: call and we will tell you what to ask for.
A licensed inspector, a plain answer, and a written finding you can keep. Free, no pressure.
Questions new tenants ask in the first week
I was bitten the first night. Could I have brought them with me?
Very unlikely. Bites on night one mean bugs were already established and hungry in that unit, not one or two individuals carried in with your things.
The unit was empty and looked clean. How could it have bed bugs?
Bed bugs can go months without feeding. An empty apartment means they moved into the outlets, baseboards and carpet edge to wait, and a clean and a coat of paint reaches none of those.
Can I hire you myself if the landlord will not?
You can call us and we will inspect and explain what we find; the finding is yours to keep. A real fix needs access to the neighboring units, which only the property manager can arrange, so the most useful next step is usually for us to talk to your manager. We are glad to.
How fast do I need to act?
The day you find it. Every week that passes makes it easier to argue the bugs arrived with you, and spreads them further into the building. The notice, the photos and the inspection are quick, and they are what protect you.