Leases should be rewritten so that the security deposit includes not just damages but also bedbug infestation. This would help. There seems to be such widespread hatred toward landlords. I've always had nice landlords....Fulop should have made the tenant and landlord equally responsible for the financial costs of a bedbug infestation because it requires both parties cooperation to get rid of them and the chances are 50/50 as to who brings them in the house. (Although, I think it's more likely to be a tenant unless the landlord travels a lot and picks them up in a hotel....)

Fulup is jumping the shark. In majority of cases bedbugs would be caused from tenets, hence they should be on the hook. All courts have a bias in favor of tenants, and this is more crap. It this gets signed, landlords Should have an immediate right to re-set rent rates.

I had the same thoughts - either this should be a full on public service or everyone should bear their own responsibility. This legislation makes no sense to me from an economic standpoint because this is not something that landlords control. So it isn't like most carrots or sticks that are tied to something the landlord can actually control.

And while economics says they will raise their rents to cover future liability, they first need to be able to purchase...

you guessed it...bed bug insurance. Any actuaries out there wanting to start a small local business?

there's no way this thing actually works - landlords can be horrible but it's impossible to prove where bedbugs come from - furniture, schools, hotel stays, stuff you bought at NikeTown, etc. Given the costs to truly nuke the bugs, there's no way landlords pay up.

Can I put a clause in my leases that says bringing in second-hand or "found" furniture is grounds for eviction?

What protects me from a tenant dragging in a nasty couch from off the street and leaving me with the bedbug cleanup bill?

This will also result in landlords really scrutinzing the tenants they take in to the point of suspected discrimination. I for one never take anyone that has come from a LeFrak building amongst a few other traits I decided long ago summarily suggest a tenant won't be clean or are likely to carry bedbugs with them.

Wow - this makes being a landlord a very risky proposition. To truly eradicate bedbugs from a building is very expensive. Theoretically this decision should mean that rents will go up to cover future exterminator bills. I think this is one that landlords will ignore. If you have a unit that pays you 24K a year and it costs 5 - 10K to get rid of the bedbugs, you tell me are most landlords going to do the right thing?

Jersey City council is toughening bedbug ordinance to require landlords to continue spraying until problem is eliminated

Friday, October 15, 2010

Jersey City is toughening its bedbug ordinance.

In an 8-1 vote Wednesday night, the City Council took steps to delete language from the initial ordinance adopted in September 2008 that only required landlords to fumigate twice when a problem was called to their attention.

The new language requires landlords to fumigate "as many times as necessary to totally eliminate the reported bedbug problem."

The changes also require landlords to hire a "certified exterminator" to address the problem.

In addition, the amended ordinance requires landlords to fumigate more units above and below the infested unit than the existing ordinance.

Before the original legislation was passed in 2008, landlords were allowed to pass along to tenants the expense for eradicating bedbugs. The original legislation was sponsored by Ward E Councilman Steven Fulop.

The amended ordinance, sponsored by Ward C Councilwoman Nidia Lopez, will be up for final adoption on Oct. 27.

Councilwoman at large Willie Flood was absent Wednesday.

Assemblywoman Joan Quigley, D-Jersey City, has championed bedbug legislation at the state level that requires landlords to pick up the extermination costs.

KEN THORBOURNE

Quigley is testifying at feds' summit targeting bedbugs

Tuesday, April 14, 2009
By JACOB KAMARAS
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Ever since she realized that local health inspectors can't possibly answer every complaint about bedbugs, Assemblywoman Joan Quigley has tried to exterminate the problem from her Jersey City office.

Quigley, who routinely receives phone calls from tenants and letters from landlords about recurring bedbug problems in Hudson County, has sponsored state legislation on the issue and is speaking today at the federal Environmental Protection Agency's National Bedbug Summit in Arlington, Va.

New Jersey law makes landlords responsible for exterminating bedbugs, but they are allowed to pass the extermination costs along to tenants.

Quigley's bill, which the state Assembly passed in February and has been referred to the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee, puts the onus on landlords for paying.

The legislation authorizes local health officers to begin eradication if landlords don't do so within 10 days and also requires the Department of Health and Senior Services to issue an annual informational pamphlet on bedbugs.

"We really need a public education campaign. People need to be able to recognize bedbugs and know what to do about it," Quigley said.

New Jersey is the first state to propose legislation on bedbugs, Quigley said. Though she can't precisely quantify the problem in Hudson County, she has heard enough stories to know that the issue is real.

"Everyone has an anecdote," she said.

Also speaking today are Lou Rossi of the EPA, Bonnie Rabe of the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, Bob Rosenberg of the National Pest Management Association, and U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-North Carolina.

Anyone know if this ordinance applies to owner occupied three or two family buildings?

I read section 3 of the "Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law," P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-3) six times and I'm still not clear about what is excluded.

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The best thing that I ever did was sell my rental units before the market tanked. JC is near impossible to maintain an investment property without being shaken down every few months by the city.

Bedbugs? I would pay for the treatment as a landlord as part of any contract with an extermintor.

BEDBUGS BILL CLEARS PANEL

Friday, December 12, 2008
By PAUL KOEPP
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Legislation sponsored by two state Assembly members from Hudson County to hold landlords responsible for attacking bedbugs passed its first hurdle this week.

The bill, proposed by Joan Quigley and L. Harvey Smith, made it through the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee by a 5-0 vote with one abstention.
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Quigley and Smith brought the measure forward after bedbug outbreaks in several local apartment complexes left tenants footing the bills for exterminations that can cost over $300.

"It is disgusting to think that there are places in New Jersey where renters are being forced to cohabitate with vermin, simply because they cannot afford a proper extermination," Quigley said.

The bill would make building owners responsible for keeping their units free of bedbugs and for exterminating them if an outbreak occurs. Fines for failing to take action would be $300 per infested apartment and $1,000 per infested common area.

It would also require annual inspections of all multiunit dwellings and distribution of educational information by the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

The legislation now goes to Assembly Speaker Joe Roberts for the scheduling of a floor vote. A companion bill before the Senate Community and Urban Affairs Committee would be taken up after the Assembly passes the measure, Quigley said.

The Jersey City City Council adopted a similar ordinance in September to make landlords pay for one initial and follow-up treatment per year of infested buildings with two or more units.

Quigley said the state law would make the Jersey City ordinance moot, but she saluted the city for getting the ball rolling.

Her bill will have push back, she said, noting opposition from condo associations and public health officers who would have to enforce it.

It is true that tenants cannot afford to pay for the exterminations . But it is equally true that landlords donot take the steps to exterminate the building .As a result the bugs keep on increasing. However the tenents or the landlord can atleast use some solutions or gels which are able to kill them.

State bedbug bill puts onus on landlords

Monday, September 29, 2008
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Two state Assembly members representing Hudson County and a colleague from Newark want to do something about the things that go bite in the night.

The three Democrats - Joan M. Quigley and L. Harvey Smith of Jersey City and L. Grace Spencer of Newark - have introduced a bill that would make landlords entirely responsible for keeping apartments free of bedbugs.

Quigley and Smith say severe bedbug outbreaks have occurred in apartment complexes throughout Hudson County, and cite instances of tenants being charged with extermination costs, which can run into the hundreds of dollars.

"It's disgusting to think there are places in New Jersey where renters are being forced to cohabitate with vermin, simply because they cannot afford a proper extermination," Quigley said. "Tenants shouldn't have to pay extra simply to live in a clean and safe environment."

In Jersey City, a measure just passed making landlords of buildings with two or more units responsible.

Under the state bill, landlords would have to exterminate bedbugs at their own expense when an outbreak occurs. Those who fail to take action could face fines of $300 per infested apartment and $1,000 per infested common area.

The measure would also allow local health boards to conduct exterminations and bill unresponsive landlords, while the state Department of Health and Senior Services would create and distribute an informational pamphlet.

I would think that there has to be a corollary to the onus laid upon landlords for bedbug infestations that goes something like:

"Landlords or their agents are given the right to examine the bedding of prospective tenants before occupancy."

The New Jersey Assembly is back in session and this is a bill that was introduced on September 15th 2008

I spoke with one of the bill sponsors who stated this has been in the works for some time. The bill is now being sent to the Health Committee for further review.

ASSEMBLY, No. 3203

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

213th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED SEPTEMBER 15, 2008

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman JOAN M. QUIGLEY

District 32 (Bergen and Hudson)

Assemblywoman L. GRACE SPENCER

District 29 (Essex and Union)

Assemblyman L. HARVEY SMITH

District 31 (Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

Establishes procedures to prevent and eradicate bedbug infestations in certain residential property.


CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

As introduced.

An Act concerning bedbug infestations in residential dwellings and supplementing and amending Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. (New section) The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. Populations of the common bedbug, Cimex lectularius, have increased by 500 percent in the past few years.

b. A bedbug infestation is a uniquely hard to exterminate threat to the health and habitability of a dwelling because tiny adult bedbugs are able to hide deep in mattresses and walls, and their food source is the occupants of a dwelling.

c. Bedbugs leave signs of their presence in bedding and in a dwelling that are visible to the naked eye, making education of a dwelling occupant a critical aspect of prevention.

d. Bedbugs feed on human blood, and present a public health risk.

e. Bedbugs travel through the ventilation systems in multi-unit establishments, causing exponential infestations.

f. The owner of a multiple dwelling is in the best position to coordinate the extermination bedbug infestations in that multiple dwelling.

g. The common bedbug is a public nuisance and it is a matter of public welfare to protect New Jersey citizens' health from this pest.

2. (New section) For purposes of this act:

"Bedbug" means an insect of the species "Cimex lectularius," commonly referred to as a bedbug.

"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Health and Senior Services.

"Department" means the Department of Health and Senior Services.

"Dwelling" or "multiple dwelling" means a multiple dwelling as defined in section 3 of the "Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law," P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-3).

"Eradicate" means the process required to eliminate an infestation of bedbugs by poisoning, spraying, fumigating, trapping, or by any other recognized and lawful pest-elimination methods, including repeated applications of any treatment.

"Infestation" means the presence of bedbugs in numbers large enough to be noticeable, harmful, or threatening to the occupants of a dwelling unit.

"Local board" or "local board of health" means the board of health of any municipality or the boards, bodies or officers in such municipality lawfully exercising any of the powers of a local board of health under the laws governing such municipality.

"Local health officer" means any duly appointed health officer employed by the local board of health as described in R.S.26:3-19.

"Owner" means the owner as defined in section 3 of the "Hotel and Multiple Dwelling Law," P.L.1967, c.76 (C.55:13A-3).

3. (New section) a. The department, in consultation with the Department of Community Affairs, shall, as soon as practicable and annually thereafter, prepare a pamphlet that describes bedbugs and explains how bedbug infestations spread. This pamphlet may contain any information that the commissioner deems necessary and may be revised by the department whenever new information concerning bedbugs becomes available. The pamphlet shall contain the following information:

(1) Measures that may be taken to prevent and control bedbug infestations in a residential setting, including professional extermination, cleaning the dwelling space and mattresses, and laundering bedclothes, and clothing;

(2) Specific facts about the bedbug, including its appearance and breeding habits; and

(3) The State's guidelines and regulations for disinfecting, labeling, and reselling mattresses.

b. The department shall make the pamphlet available at no cost to the public, in a form suitable for distributing pursuant to the provisions of this act. The department shall make the pamphlet available in both the English and Spanish languages. The department shall post the pamphlet on the department's Internet website, in an easily printable format. The pamphlet shall serve as an informational document only, and nothing therein shall be construed as binding on or affecting a judicial determination related to this act. The pamphlet shall not be deemed to be medical advice.

c. Within 30 days after the department has made the pamphlet available to the public, every owner of a multiple dwelling shall provide each occupied dwelling unit in the multiple dwelling with a copy of the pamphlet, and thereafter every owner of a multiple dwelling shall provide a copy of the current pamphlet to each new tenant at or prior to the time the tenant assumes occupancy of the dwelling. In addition, every owner of a multiple dwelling shall keep a copy of the current pamphlet conspicuously posted in one or more common areas and in a manager's office, so that the pamphlet is prominent and accessible to the occupants of each dwelling unit. If there is no common area in the dwelling, the pamphlet shall be posted in a conspicuous location in the premises, including, but not limited to the walls of the front vestibule or any foyer or hallway near the main entrance of the dwelling.

4. (New section) a. Every owner of a multiple dwelling shall be responsible, at his own expense, for maintaining the multiple dwelling free of an infestation of bedbugs.

b. Upon notice, either oral or written, from a tenant, or from the local board pursuant to R.S.26:3-49, of an infestation of bedbugs in any dwelling unit, an owner shall immediately, at his own expense,

(1) eradicate the infestation of bedbugs in the dwelling unit;

(2) ascertain whether other dwelling units or common areas are infested with bedbugs; and

(3) eradicate any remaining infestation in other dwelling units or common areas.

c. When an infestation of bedbugs is found to exist in two or more dwelling units, or in a common area, the owner of the multiple dwelling shall provide notice that there is a risk of an infestation of multiple units to each occupant of the multiple dwelling by causing written notice to be delivered to each dwelling unit in the multiple dwelling.

5. (New section) a. The tenant may notify the local board and the owner of a multiple dwelling of any failure of the multiple dwelling to be kept in a condition free of an infestation of bedbugs.

b. If, following notice, either oral or written, from a tenant, or from the local board pursuant to R.S.26:3-49, the owner of a multiple dwelling does not eradicate an infestation of bedbugs pursuant to section 4 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the local health officer shall act as an agent for the owner of a multiple dwelling to engage a qualified insect exterminator or insect management professional at a usual and customary price in the area to eradicate the infestation of bedbugs.

c. Any exterminator or insect management professional who provides services to eradicate an infestation in accordance with subsection a. of this section may bill the owner of a multiple dwelling directly. The local board may adopt an ordinance, similar to an ordinance adopted pursuant to section 6 of P.L.1962, c.66 (C.40:48-2.12f), providing that the municipality shall pay the costs of eradication of an infestation of bedbugs, and that the costs shall be charged against the multiple dwelling premises, and shall be a lien against the premises. The owner of the multiple dwelling shall reimburse the local health officer or local board for the actual costs incurred for any eradication of an infestation of bedbugs.

6. (New section) a. Any owner of a multiple dwelling whose negligence or failure to act results in action by the local health officer pursuant to section 5 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) shall be liable for a civil penalty of not more than $300 for each affected dwelling unit and not more than $1000 for each affected common area in the multiple dwelling. Such penalty shall be recoverable by and in the name of the local board of health.

b. The local board or local health officer may bring an action in any court of competent jurisdiction to enforce a penalty imposed pursuant to subsection a. of this section. The court is empowered to issue any appropriate injunctive orders, and to authorize immediate collection of reimbursable costs due the local board.

7. (New section) The commissioner, in consultation with the Department of Community Affairs, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of this act.

8. R.S.26:3-46 is amended to read as follows:

26:3-46. The local board, within its jurisdiction, shall examine into and prohibit any nuisance, offensive matter, foul or noxious odors, gases or vapors, water in which mosquito larvae breed, and all causes of ill health or disease, including bedbugs, which may be known to the board or brought to its attention, which, in its opinion, are injurious to the health of the inhabitants therein, and shall cause the same to be removed and abated at the expense of the owner.

(cf: R.S.26:3-46)

9. R.S.26:3-49 is amended to read as follows:

26:3-49. Whenever any nuisance, noxious gases or vapors, water in which mosquito larvae breed, or cause of ill health or disease is found on private property, the local board shall notify the owner to remove and abate the same, at his own expense, within such time as the board may specify. A duplicate of the notice shall be left with one or more of the tenants or occupants. Whenever any infestation of bedbugs is found in a multiple dwelling, the local board shall notify the owner to eradicate the infestation, at his own expense, immediately.

If the owner resides out of the state or cannot be so notified speedily, a notice left at the house or premises with the tenant or occupant, or posted on the premises, shall suffice.

In the event that an owner does not eradicate an infestation of bedbugs immediately following notice pursuant to this section, the local board of health is authorized to act as an a agent for the landlord, pursuant to section 5 of P.L. , c. (C. ), for purposes of eradicating the infestation.

(cf: R.S.26:3-49)

10. R.S.26:3-54 is amended to read as follows:

26:3-54. The local board may recover, by a civil action, the expenses incurred in such removal and abatement from any person who shall have caused or allowed such nuisance, source of foulness, water in which mosquito larvae breed, or cause of sickness, hazardous to the public health to exist, or from any owner, tenant, or occupant of premises who, after notice as herein provided, shall fail to remove and abate the same within the time specified in the notice. The local board may recover, by a civil action, the expenses incurred in eradication of an infestation of bedbugs, pursuant to section 5 of P.L. , c. (C. ), from the owner of a multiple dwelling who, after notice, failed to eradicate the infestation of bedbugs.

(cf: P.L.1953, c.26, s.14)

11. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill makes landlords entirely responsible for maintaining a safe and clean living environment free of an infestation of bedbugs. This legislation provides that property owners are responsible for maintaining multiple dwellings free of bedbug infestations, and must remove bedbugs at their own expense when they become aware of an infestation in a multiple dwelling. The legislation imposes a financial penalty upon a landlord who does not take immediate action upon notice that bedbugs have infested a property.

If enacted, this legislation would require a local board of health to act on the landlord's behalf to exterminate bedbugs when a landlord does not do so. The bill has no financial impact on taxpayers because the property owner is required to reimburse the board when it acts on the owner's behalf.

The bill also requires annual inspections of multiple dwellings for bedbug infestations.

http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2008/Bills/A3500/3203_I1.HTM

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I haven't read the ordinance in it's true form so not I'm not sure if there was provisions for the following: IMO there should be a provision that allows a building owner, condo owner, etc. the right to go after the tenant to recoup any costs that he/she occurred as a result of a tenant who has caused this problem. The tenant should also have the right to sue anyone who has caused them to have these bedbugs.

There is a poster on this site who just moved to Jersey City and rented furniture that was infested with bedbugs. Possibly if she reads this she may want to chime in on what she went through and if she was able to recoup and of the financial losses that resulted.

IMO the burden shouldn't be placed solely on the landlord. This is a complicated issue and would need State legislative laws in place to make this an effective solution for all parties involved....just my 2 cents.

you must be a renter, ianmac. I pray that one day you move up into the world of owning.

this is a perfect example of liberal, far-left Jersey City bringing the government in to everything. why should landlords have to pay for a tenants mishap of bringing in bedbugs? As a landlord, myself, I always make sure the unit is clean and exterminated before a new tenant arrives. At the MOST - I would consider splitting the cost - but only b/c I want a part of it getting taken care of so that it doesn't spread to other units.

at the rate JC gov is going, landlords will be expected to have a hot meal on the table when tenants get home.

Ianmac what you dont seem to realize is most landlords are on a tight budget and if they are losing money they will walk away from the building or neglect to do the important repairs etc.

Often being a landlord is someones livelyhood not a get rich quick scheme. If your boss were to hit you up with a $1200 fee every 6 months or so I think you would sing a different tune.

Bedbugs come into the home by furniture,old matresses, clothing and suitcase traveling etc.A majority of the time the landlord has nothing to do with it.

At the very least the tenant should split the bill.

Unfortunately all these new laws,heating increases and tax increases are forcing me to raise the rents on tenants I otherwise wouldn't.

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Oh, my heart goes out to all of those landlords. They must really be hurting if they own only one or two rental properties. Maybe the federal government will bail them out too?

DIY Bed Bugs Removal - Cheap and easy to do

http://www.livingwithbugs.com/bed_bug2.html

Bedbugs seems to be a big problem up in the heights. Luckily it hasn't reached me (yet? :( ) . However, many people just need a monthly visit from a good exterminator like Orkin, who automatically comes back every month til the job is done. Some landlords are too cheap and pay a crappy exterminator who doesn't do the job right then sticks it to the renters, "its your furniture, throw it out"

No! The most furniture that must be thrown out is a box spring or the carpet, and thats scientific. Overall, I believe if Orkin cost around $1200, then the land lord pays up to $800, the rest should be provided by the tenant.

So the ordinance should just be spilit that a landlord pays a percentage and the tenant pay another. i also disagree with it being 4units or more, most problems with bedbugs happens in a 2-3 family home.

i know of several cases when a bedbug infested tenant moves out and the new tenant becomes infested. Perhaps rent control laws should be changed but that has nothing to do w/ bedbugs

This is another example of big government screwing the small business owner.

Anyone that has any knowledge of bed bugs knows that the tenants bring them into the unit either from old clothing, furniture, matresses etc.

This will especially hurt the rent control landlords.

the landlords can max increase rents 4% per year meanwhile heating has more han doubled recently, taxes over past 5 years up 40% , now these rediculous child bar laws and bed bug laws.

I see alot of landlords walking away from their buildings over the next few years if rent control restrictions are not ammended.

I love reading about how much exterminators charge for getting rid of bed bugs. Maybe there is a magic solution where you can pay lots of money and go around with one of those fumigation hoses and be done in 10 minutes. But I know from personal experience (in Hoboken, no less) that you just need to go to the bed bug guy in Harlem (I can look up the exact info if anyone needs it), spend $80, and follow his advice to the T. Then you wash ALL your clothes and bedding in hot water. You vacuum and dust the whole apartment and then you apply the chemicals to every nook and cranny of your apartment. When all was said and done, I had spent 3 days on eradicating those little bastards.

With the 2nd step dust sprinkled around my apartment, they never came back. And I never heard about them moving to my neighbors' apartments either. I had told the landlord that we had them, he sent over one of those roach fumigator guys, which of course didn't work. And so I took matters into my own hands. If they had spread, since I had been upfront about it, I (hoped I) was not going to be held responsible.

I disagree with your assessment that this was not well thought out. This ordinance has been worked on and well researched for 8 months now and is based on Boston's bedbug ordinance.

I don't have the final version of the ordinance as it was changed during the Council meeting last night, but what the JJ has left out is the strong shared responsibility of tenant and owner in this ordinance. The papers don't always tell the full story so it is really important to get the full story, come to meetings, call the Mayor's legal department or Mayor's action Bureau or your Council person. This is a very complex issue.

The part the papers neglect to talk about is that the City's Health and Human services division will be setting policy on how to treat a bedbug infestation and they will be educating both tenants and landlords alike on how to handle infestations. I believe it is absolutely dead on to make sure that this is a collaborative effort to stop infestations as soon as possible so as not to spread causing further damage and misery.

Ask the City Clerk's office for a copy of the actual ordinance and do a little research online and you will see it is consistent with every major City to protect both landlords and tenants. This ordinance is not intended to punish anyone, especially not good landlords.

Althea


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I agree with you this ordinance isn't thought out -- if the city wants to get it under control -- it needs those living with infestations to work towards that goal by getting rid of beds etc.

I doubt even a few treatments by landlords ($600 x 2 =$1200) will do anything without getting rid of infected mattresses and bedding too.

Someone should have read up on bedbugs before drafting and/or voting for this ordinance. Don't get me wrong, I do think it should be at least half on the landlord, but you need to get the tenants to do their part to solve an issue like this or you just won't solve it!

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A natural predator of the bedbug is.......yes, the cockroach.

Hmm I'm on the same side as Flood and Richardson on this one (!). In larger buildings, it is a problem because they'll go from unit to unit given enough time. Smaller buildings, not so much- They can go from attached house to attached house, but they're not like roaches.

As sad as it is, anyone who goes to tag sales & buys neat old used furniture now a days is begging for a problem. Anyone who takes furniture off the street is utterly out of their mind.

An FYI- if you order a new mattress, ask them if they use the same truck to take away the old mattresses that they use to deliver the new mattresses. The problems there should be evident.

From what I understand, one treatment, if you have an actual infestation, is not enough, a followup WILL be needed, period, and maybe more than one. A bed bug extermination job also requires much, much more cooperation from the resident than a cockroach job.

GWB

Jersey City: Landlords must pay to kill bedbugs
by The Jersey Journal
Thursday September 25, 2008, 9:46 AM

The Jersey City City Council adopted an ordinance last night making landlords financially responsible for eradicating bedbugs.

State law allow landlords to pass along the cost of exterminating bedbugs, which can run as high as $600 per apartment, to tenants.

This ordinance, sponsored by Downtown Councilman Steven Fulop, puts the financial onus on landlords for an initial and follow-up treatment.

But if the problem persists, the law allows landlords to charge a tenant. The law applies to buildings with two or more units.

Just one landlord spoke out against the ordinance last night, Angelo Stracquatanio, owner of 4-unit property in the Heights.

"Sometimes the only way to get rid of bedbugs is to throw out the furniture," said Stracquatanio, pointing out that tenants often bear responsibility for bringing in the creepy crawlers. "You think it's an antique, they think it's gold."

Two council members voted against the ordinance.

Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson said she gave the ordinance a thumbs down because she felt it should apply only to buildings with four or more units.

At-large Councilwoman Willie Flood also objected to the ordinance.

I disagree with this "unless it is scientific," she said. "None of us should be voting on this."