NY landlords to notify tenants of bedbug infestations under new law

New York landlords will soon be required to notify tenants of bedbug infestations within 72 hours, following a bill signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday.

Initially drafted to mandate notifications within 24 hours, the law was revised after Hochul negotiated changes with lawmakers, citing the need for a more practical timeline. “I have reached an agreement with the Legislature to enact these changes in the upcoming legislative session,” Hochul stated. “On the basis of this agreement, I am pleased to sign this bill into law.”

Under the new regulations, landlords must provide written notice to tenants who are at risk or in close proximity to an infestation. Other tenants can be alerted through publicly posted notices if the infestation spreads to common areas.

The bill’s sponsors, Bronx Democrats Assemblymember Chantel Jackson and Senator Luis Sepulveda, emphasized the importance of protecting tenants and communities from bedbugs. Jackson recalled the widespread infestations that gripped New York City in 2010. “We were wrapping everything back in plastic,” she said. “The only thing this bill is asking us to do is to be good neighbors, good landlords, and alert the people around us.”

Critics, including Republican Assemblymember Andy Goodell, argued the law places undue burden on landlords while failing to ensure tenant cooperation in eradicating infestations. “If the tenant’s not willing to cooperate, the landlord is just putting up notices: Welcome to my building, Apartment 1A has a bedbug infestation,” Goodell remarked.

The law builds on existing notification rules in New York City, where landlords are already required to disclose a year-long history of bedbug activity when signing new leases. Although the state law technically takes effect on December 22, legislators will finalize the agreed-upon adjustments when they reconvene in Albany next year.