Abstract

Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius) are annoying pests whose bites cause various medical and economic problems. In recent decades they have reappeared in the US and worldwide. In some states, this has led to the implementation of control measures such as disclosure policies in which landlords must notify potential tenants of current or past bed bug infestations in their property. It may seem that this would be detrimental to landlords, but is this really the case? To find out we developed a mathematical model to estimate the financial impact of bed bug disclosure policies on landlords over time. We determined that the cost of disclosure is high at first, but after a few years, landlords experience savings, as the prevalence of bed bugs decreases.