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Governor Paterson Signs Bedbug Disclosure Act

NEW YORK (WCBS 880)- New Yorkers can now rest assured that their apartment will not come with unexpected, little pests.

Governor David Paterson signed into law the Bedbug Disclosure Act which forces landlords to disclose a one-year history of bedbug infestations, according to Metropolis WSJ.

The act comes just in time, as NYC residents deal with a rising number of infestations. Last year, 311 reported 11,000 bed bug complaints, up from 537 in 2004.

In her plea to get the bill passed, co-sponsor Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-District 67) said if you have bedbugs, you cannot live in peace.

"When it comes to bedbugs, this is something every tenant deserves to know before they move into their apartment. Because it is implicit in the contract between the tenant and the landlord that the place they are moving into is clean, is free of vermin, is habitable and will be a pleasant place to live," said Rosenthal.

This is a step toward bedbug-free living for New Yorkers, but apartments aren't the only places people need to keep their guard up.

In the recent months, bedbug outbreaks have forced a movie theater to shut down, popular clothing store Abercrombie and Fitch to debug and have even hit the District Attorney's office.

This year, New York City topped the Teminix list of most infested cities. Other cities on the list are Chicago, fifth; Denver, sixth; Washington, D.C., ninth; Los Angeles, 10th; Boston, 11th; Indianapolis, 12th; Louisville, 13th; and Minneapolis, 15th.

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