Q: Can landlord charge me Loss of income and pest control fee due to bed bug after move out?
I stayed 3 years in an apartment and recently moved out. During first year we faced bed bug problems, and I reported to the apartment company and they did pest control treatment. After that we did not face any bug issue, however there were proofs of infestation on the walls (Black color formation), ceiling and corner of floor. The pest control team didn't do anything about the marks.
After I moved out, the company has sent me a huge fine (1 month rent (loss of income) + 400$ pest control fee), saying that they found bed bugs in the apartment. The photos sent as evidence are the black colors formed during previous infestation.
After the previous pest treatment, we never faced any symptoms to report. I find it hard to believe their claim of live bugs and I strongly believe that they are trying to take by money just by seeing the black marks from previous incident. Can I defend this at court?
A: You can use it as a defense in court, but it's ultimately going to down to who the judge believes. It would help if you had photographic proof that the black marks were there before the bed bug treatment.
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