Despite a January court ruling that required landlords to exterminate contaminated buildings twice in a 20-day span, apartment residents in Boston continue to be plagued by bedbugs, particularly in the Allston-Brighton area, where 65 percent of city contaminations occur, according to Inspectional Service Department officials.
ISD Assistant Commissioner of Housing Dion Irish said that as many as 80 apartment units are suffering infestations citywide.
“Bed bugs are an extremely hard bug to eradicate,” Irish said. “The goal is to just make sure everyone who has a problem knows the proper steps to take.”
Bed bugs have been a chronic problem for the Allston-Brighton community. In an effort to curb the problem, the state earmarked $50,000 last fall to help landlords with the costs of developing an integrated extermination system and to help residents replace affected mattresses and furniture, according to Ava Chan, a community organizer for the Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation.
Chan suggested that the neighborhood is especially susceptible to the bugs because local tenants are constantly on the move.
“There are a lot of students who come in and out every year or two in the apartments and a lot of people who travel a lot beyond that,” Chan said. “The bugs need transportation and that provides it for them.”
Chan warned against picking up free furniture off the street, saying it aids the spread of the bugs. She added that the $50,000 from the state, while helpful, was not enough.
“If you look at it, it only comes to about $200 per building,” she said.
Chan said the landlords are beginning to understand the severity of the issue.
“They are catching on to it,” Chan said. “Most of them realize now that it is a real problem and are doing what they can to help out.”
Irish, whose office has condemned units whose landlords are unwilling to address the problem, agreed.
“It is a very difficult problem for these landlords but 95 percent of them are dealing with it now,” Irish said. “If they don’t, we take it right up to the courts.”
Chan said exterminating companies will be spraying affected apartments every 20 days in an effort to wipe out the pests, to coincide with the life cycle of the bed bug.
Irish pointed to a free training session held free of charge at the Honan-Allston library to help inform landlords and tenants about the problem. The sessions will be held on Feb. 26 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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