Keeping a Record of Bedbugs for Your Landlord: Haringey

When there is a disagreement about bedbugs, it is usually about timing: when they appeared, when they were reported, when anything was done. A tenant who can show dates, photos and copies of messages is in a far better position than one relying on memory. We are pest controllers, not legal advisers, so this is about keeping good evidence rather than about your rights.

Photos That Actually Help

A blurry picture of a dark dot proves very little. A few habits make each photo useful to whoever looks at it later.

• Take two shots of each find: one close up, one wider showing which bed or piece of furniture it is.
• Put a coin or a ruler beside small things so the size is clear.
• Keep the phone's date stamp on, and do not edit or crop the originals.
• Photograph before you clean, wash or vacuum anything.
• Include bites if you want to, but treat them as supporting detail, not proof.

A Simple Log

A notebook or a note on your phone is enough. One line per day that anything happens, and nothing on the days nothing does.

1. Date, and the room and item where you saw something.
2. What it was: a live bug, dead bug, spotting, skins or bites.
3. Which photo goes with it, by its time or file name.
4. Anything you did: washing bedding, vacuuming, moving nothing.
5. Any contact about it: who, how, and what was said.

Keep it factual and plain. "Two live bugs in the left seam of the main bed" is more useful than a paragraph about how awful the night was, and it reads well to a landlord, an agent or a housing officer.

What to Keep

Alongside the log and the photos, hold on to the physical evidence and the paperwork.

• One or two bugs in a sealed, labelled jar, or stuck to clear tape on a card.
• Copies of every email, letter and text about the problem, sent and received.
• Any receipts for extra washing, laundry or items you had to replace.
• The inspection or treatment paperwork, including the preparation instructions and visit dates.

What to Send and When

Report in writing as soon as you are reasonably sure, even if you have also phoned. An email is ideal because it is dated and you keep a copy. Say what you found, where and when you first noticed, and attach two or three of the clearest photos rather than all of them. Ask what they plan to do and when.

Keep the rest for later. If you need to follow up, send a short update with any new finds and the date of your first message. Who arranges and pays depends on the tenancy and on how the bedbugs got in, so we cannot tell you who is responsible. We can deal with whoever does book us, and our report adds to your record.

Keeping It Going Through Treatment

Carry the log on through the treatment itself. Note the visit dates, what preparation you did, and what you see in the weeks after. With chemical treatment there are usually two visits, sometimes three, and you do the stripping and hot-washing before each, so write those down too. The chemical treatment page for Haringey explains the course and the landlord's part in estate flats.

If you find bugs after treatment, is that bedbug dead or alive helps you record the right thing. If repairs are needed at the same time, such as gaps round pipes or damaged skirtings, the Wood Green page covers fitting the two together.

← Bedbug Control Haringey · Bedbug Control London