Hamilton tenant says he's being 'eaten alive' after living with bed bug infestation for over a year

A Hamilton tenant says he can't lay on his bed, move his shower curtain, comb his hair or even put on his shoes without finding bed bugs. 

Gerald said it's a problem that's only gotten worse in his bachelor unit in a downtown apartment building, despite the property management company having it sprayed two dozen times in the past year.

"I couldn't get any sleep last night because I'm literally being eaten alive," he told CBC Hamilton earlier this week. 

CBC Hamilton has agreed to withhold his full name, as he fears being linked to a bed bug infestation will impact his future employment and housing options.

He said the bed bug problem in his 325 James St. S. apartment is affecting nearly every aspect of his life. He's spent hundreds of dollars on laundry — washing and drying all his clothes and bedding repeatedly, trying to get rid of the bugs, he said.

He avoids showering as much as possible because that's where he finds the most bed bugs. He has scars and scabs on his body from scratching the bites, including several dotted marks around his ankles, CBC Hamilton has seen. He rarely gets a good night sleep without feeling the tiny pests crawl across his skin or itching the bites, he said.

Then there's the isolation. "It's hard because I have to worry about, am I going to bring these bed bugs with me?" Gerald said. 

Gerald, 27, moved into his apartment in February 2022 and within three weeks said he found bed bugs. He said he has never experienced bed bugs before living in this building. 

Tenants have an obligation to keep their units relatively clean while landlords have an obligation to keep units habitable, said paralegal Bruce Parsons. 

"So [the landlord] has to respond in a timely, reasonable manner and it has to be effective," said Parsons. "But you would expect effective treatment for bed bugs. It can't be something where they're not actually fixing the problem." 

The most effective treatments for bed bugs include freezing or heating units and belongings, said Hamilton's Housing Help Centre executive director Larry Huibers, who was co-chair of the city's now-disbanded bed bug action group.

He also said bed bugs migrate easily from unit to unit in apartment buildings and treatments in those case would be more effective if they involve more than one unit. 

Since the fall, Gerald's unit has been sprayed with a natural biopesticide, according to an email sent to him on Nov. 2 by the management company, The Silver Group, and seen by CBC Hamilton. The Silver Group is acting on behalf of the landlord. 

On numerous occasions, Gerald has emailed The Silver Group about the bed bugs, as seen by CBC Hamilton, asking them to try different extermination methods, spray more often and in his bathroom, or provide him with another unit.