Bed Bugs Found in Furniture in Maryland

Dangerous procedures with returned and repossessed home furnishings can cause bed bugs in your new furniture if the furniture companies do not address infestations adequately.

The used rent-to-own and new furniture industries have a serious problem with bed bugs. We’ve successfully filed suit and recovered compensation against the largest companies in the rent-to-own industry on behalf of clients who claimed that their furniture and mattresses were infested with bed bugs when they received them. After the bed bug infested furniture is delivered, it is only a short time before the entire home may become infested, causing bed bug bites, anxiety, emotional distress, and financial hardship. At Whitney, LLP, we are able to bring claims against the largest furniture companies, including but not limited to Rent-A-Center, Ikea, and other companies.

Whitney, LLP can help deal with pests from furniture companies throughout Maryland. Here are several of the counties we can help with infested furniture, in addition to hotel bed bugs and apartment bed bug infestations:

• Anne Arundel County
• Baltimore City
• Baltimore County
• Charles County
• Howard County
• Montgomery County
• Ocean City
• Prince George’s County

Companies in the rent-to-own industry like Ashley Furniture and Aaron’s Used Furniture have a duty to their customers to care for their furnishings in the receipt, storage, inspection, transport, assembly, and installation of the products they offer for sale or lease. They breach their duties when their products are infested with bed bugs, whether delivering from Prince George’s County, or Anne Arundel County, MD.

Many used furniture and rental furniture companies keep returned and repossessed furniture in the same storage room as the rest of their furniture and products. After repossessing furniture, some companies only spray the item with a chemical mix that is ineffective against bed bugs.

The bed bugs from the furniture then hitchhike onto nearby furniture, and the entire process begins again for a new, unsuspecting customer. This problem means that pests from Baltimore City can travel to Ocean City, MD if these companies do not contain and deal with them appropriately.

Addressing Bed Bugs in Rental Furniture From Maryland

We’ve found that once a customer complains to a rent-to-own company in Maryland about bed bugs in furniture, the company usually requires the customer to sign a general release before the company provides their extermination services. Many customers do not realize that if they sign a waiver, they give up their right to be compensated for the company’s negligence. This predicament can occur whether a renter is plagued by bed bugs caused by Aaron’s Used Furniture Ikea or any other furniture business. No one should sign a release until they have contacted an attorney, and Whitney LLP is ready to help residents from Charles County to Baltimore County, MD, and adjoining regions.

Bed bugs in furniture can spread into a customer’s Maryland home for many different reasons. Below are some of the ways negligent rental companies might accidentally get bed bugs in rental furniture.

• Failure to inspect and proactively treat furniture bed bugs before they rent the furnishings to a new customer.
• Using self-help to spray chemicals, use rubbing alcohol, or other self-help treatment strategies on bed bug-infested furniture rather than consulting a contractor for professional help.
• Failing to arrange quick and effective extermination services to eliminate bed bugs from the rental furniture after a customer’s home is infested.
• Failing to inspect and swiftly remove infested furniture from a home after learning bed bugs had infested the new furniture.
• Failing to inform their customers of the signs and symptoms of bed bug infestation.
• Failing to inform their customers that their rented furniture could have, or was, previously infested with bed bugs or had been adjacent to other infested furniture.

Helping With Maryland Bed Bug Infestations Caused by Furniture

It is common for furniture companies to deliver furniture in the same delivery truck used to pick up bed bug infested furniture.  One of our prior cases involving bed bugs in new furniture included a furniture company picking up the infested furniture in the same van being used to deliver new furniture to other customers.  There is no question that their delivery truck was at risk for spreading the infestation to all customers whose furniture was delivered, regardless of whether they reside in Montgomery County, Howard County, or other parts of Maryland. All large furniture companies, including Aaron’s, Ashley Furniture, Rent-A-Center and Ikea are aware of the risks of bed bug infestation and must take the necessary steps to protect their customers.

If you would like to learn more about our bed bug case results and how Whitney, LLP in Maryland can help you with bed bugs in furniture, watch our youtube channel and read our bed bug blogs for more information.

Call us at 410 583 8000 for your Legal Consultation.