Our law firm, the Normandie Law Firm, has fielded numerous calls from individuals who have received painful and itchy bed bug bites while staying at an AirBNB. It is generally expected that homes and apartments should be clean for all guests; if there are any infestations or vermin present, the home should not be available for rent and should be promptly cleaned out. AirBNB should ensure that its hosts are adequate and do not provide contaminated rooms and houses to renters. Unfortunately, the company has no representatives that go make sure everything is up to snuff. As a result, hosts can get away with a lot. If you suffered bedbug bites during your stay or if your Airbnb house had bed bugs, you should contact our firm to sue Airbnb for bed bug bites. We will be able to bring you the fairest settlement available in an Airbnb bed bug bite infestation lawsuit.
Were They Bed Bugs That Bit Me at My Airbnb?
Many people are curious if they encountered bed bugs are not. There are some key characteristics about bed bugs that give them away. They are small in size, and round-bodied. They are also flat and not bulbous, unless they have just eaten, in which case they become engorged and elongated. They are a reddish-brown color.
Many people confuse them with ticks and fleas. Ticks, however, bury themselves within the skin; bed bugs retreat to their nests and do not stay on people. Fleas, on the other hand, jump to get around and generally nest near where animals sleep or rest. Flea bites are also much more irritating; they are itchier and can cause more damage.
Where Can I Find Bed Bugs?
Bed bugs like to hang out in damp, dark places. Anytime you rent an AirBNB, you should inspect the area with great caution; be thorough enough that you are sure that you will not find anything that escaped your search. You should look in places that are near the beds and couches, as people routinely sleep on both.
The most common places to find bed bugs are underneath dresser drawers, behind electrical outlets, behind picture frames, in mattress folds, in the creases of upholstery, inside couch cushions, behind baseboards and headboards, underneath torn carpeting, and more.
The nests can be identified by finding clusters of the bed bugs or signs that they are nearby. Signs of bed bugs include black or brown spots on the sheets from when the bugs feasted (dried blood), brown mounds (droppings), exoskeletons (bed bugs reach maturity and shed their juvenile skins), and eggs (cream-colored, oval-shaped eggs).
What Kind of Marks Do Bed Bugs Leave?
Bed bug bites are usually raised red welts that show up in a zigzag pattern a few hours or days after the attack. They drink blood for up to ten minutes at a time thanks to their saliva, which has an anesthetic in it (to prevent the victim from feeling anything) and an anti-coagulant (to keep the blood flowing).
Fortunately, bed bug bites are not known to transmit diseases, even if they feast on two separate individuals, one of whom had a communicable disease. The bites may still be irritating, though, and you could have an allergic reaction or cause an infection by scratching too much.
You should hire an attorney if you discover that your Airbnb room is infested with bed bugs.
Can You Sue Airbnb for Bed Bug Bites?
Yes, you can sue Airbnb for bed bug bites, but only if it can be shown that AirBNB had some degree of negligence in the incident.
AirBNB has an insurance policy for hosts and guests. However, this insurance policy does not cover every incident that takes place on the property. For example, AirBNB cannot be held liable for acts of nature, theft, product liability, and more. Bed bugs are on this list; if a guest brought bed bugs in, AirBNB would not reimburse the host.
However, if a host already had bed bugs in his home, the guest could very likely sue both the homeowner and the company under premises liability.
Can You Sue the Homeowner of an Airbnb Rental for Injuries From Bed Bug Bites?
Yes, you can sue the homeowner of an Airbnb rental for injuries from bed bug bites. Homeowners and renters must provide safe rental quarters for guests. This means that there must be nothing that can harm the guests, whether in the form of hazards, infestations, or other dangers or risks.
Can an Airbnb Guest Sue Airbnb for Bed Bug Bites That Caused Injury?
Yes, an Airbnb guest can sue Airbnb for bed bug bites that caused injury, but only if the company negligently allowed the owner to rent out a property they knew had bed bugs. This can be proven if there were complaints by other renters that there was an infestation, for example.
How Much Can an Airbnb Guest Get Compensated for From Bed Bug Injuries?
An Airbnb guest can receive compensation for various damages stemming from the infestation. One of the most sought-after expenses is that which helps fumigation costs in case the bugs latched onto luggage and went to the guest’s home.
What Steps Should I Take After Finding Bed Bugs in My Airbnb?
After you have found bed bugs in your AirBNB, you should do everything you can to preserve evidence for an Airbnb bed bug bite lawsuit. This means that you should take photos of the bed bugs and the nests wherever you find them after searching the room. You should also take pictures and videos of your bites.
It is important that you seek out medical attention as well. You won’t be able to file a personal injury claim unless you sustained physical harm. A doctor’s notes and evidence of harm caused by bed bugs will allow you to submit proper evidence that you were injured.
You should also take down any testimonies from people who were at the AirBNB with you. These eyewitness reports can give more credence to your claim.
Once you have gotten as much evidence as possible from the scene, you should file an incident report with AirBNB and alert the homeowner to the presence of the bugs. The reason to do it last is to prevent anyone from ushering you out of the house and cleaning it behind you, thus making sure that you won’t have enough time or the ability to gather evidence.
You should print out any receipts from your bank, credit card statements, conversations with the property owner, and emails from AirBNB to show that you temporarily rented the home.
All of this evidence can be used to file an Airbnb rental bed bug infestation lawsuit. An experienced bed bug lawyer who can handle and assist with Airbnb bed bug cases will be able to give you the best help you need to win your claim.
Premises Liability
Although AirBNB lists bed bugs in its insurance policy under items that are not covered, you can still take legal action. AirBNB’s policy is $1,000,000 for liability damage to guests. You can sue for bed bugs at an Airbnb rental if you were harmed while a guest. The tenets of premises liability are as follows:
- The property owner caused the incident or hazard
- The property owner knew about the hazard and opted to take no action to fix it
- The property owner should have reasonably been aware of the hazard had he been more careful or paid better attention
Generally, the property owner who rents out an AirBNB should be aware of the condition of the apartment. He should investigate and maintain it after every rental and he should always clean it thoroughly between visits. If he detected bed bugs and chose not to fix the problem, he could be targeted in an Airbnb bed bug injury lawsuit.
Similarly, if the company knew that there was a problem with the rental and did not inform the renters, it could be held liable. You will need one of our bed bug lawyers for Airbnb bed bug claims to help you through your case.
Earnings from a Bed Bug Lawsuit
With the assistance of our law firm, you could receive restitution for various damages you accrued from suffering through a bed bug infestation at an Airbnb rental. We can make sure that you are covered for the following:
- Medical expenses from the past and future
- Lost income from the past and future
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering (PTSD, fear, anxiety, and more)
You may rack up numerous expenses from such an incident. It is not fair for you to pay for these debts if you were hurt because of a property owner’s negligence or because Airbnb did not uphold its end of the bargain.
Our Firm’s Promise
Normandie Law Firm in Los Angeles can provide you with a team of attorneys to sue an Airbnb host for bed bugs. You will not have to handle your claim by yourself. We have years of experience suing property owners for bed bugs that hurt our clients, and we have recovered millions of dollars in restitution for those we represent. We are an aggressive group of attorneys that will not stop pursuing your rightful compensation until we are satisfied with the offer.
To schedule a free consultation and to get more Airbnb bed bug lawsuit information, call our firm today. We provide you with a lawyer right away and you can ask us any questions you want. We’ll tell you more about our zero fee guarantee, a promise that says we won’t get paid any of your own money during the case. We’ll only be paid if we win, and the responsible party will cover the fees. If we lose, you’re off the hook.
Contact Normandie Law Firm today for more assistance. We can help you if you were injured by bed bugs in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Diego, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, St. Louise, and New Orleans.
