Lakewood Council Discusses Increased Bedbug Complaints

LAKEWOOD, OH — The Lakewood City Council discussed how it can help area residents struggling with bedbugs.

Yes, "don't let the bedbugs bite," is more than a nursery rhyme. It's a real problem, and several residents of the Lake Shore Towers apartment complex appeared before the council Monday seeking help, reported Cleveland.com. The residents of the complex located on Edgewater Drive told the council that they had been subjected to paying high fees for bedbug treatments after complaining to landlords.

Many of the residents that appeared before the council Monday were elderly and had low incomes, reported Cleveland.com.

Two members of the council, Cindy Marx and Dan O'Malley, spoke about the need to help these residents among the growing number of bedbug complaints in Lakewood.

For Marx, the solution was meeting with the city's Bed Bug Work Group, a group where both city officials and members of the public can discuss bedbug problems within the city.

Dan O'Malley's solution was simpler: use laws already in place that require landowners to take responsibility for bedbugs.

"Whenever infestation exists in two or more occupancies...or in the shared or public parts of a dwelling containing two or more dwelling units, or in the shared or public parts of an occupiable structure, extermination thereof shall be the responsibility of the owner," O'Malley wrote, citing city ordinance 1306.34, as reported by Cleveland.com.

The Lake Shore Towers complex is located in O'Malley's ward, and he believes the city is compelled to intervene on the behalf of the residents and get them reimbursement, Cleveland.com reported.

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