You wake up scratching. At first you think it's just a weird night, but then you find the bugs — actual bed bugs crawling across your sheets at 2 a.m. You call your landlord.
They say it's your problem. You say it's theirs. Nobody wins, and meanwhile you're losing sleep and wondering if you've got any rights at all.
Here's what I want you to know: in Nevada, bed bugs aren't some gray area where landlords get to shrug and walk away.
Nevada's Habitability Standard Covers Bed Bugs
Look, Nevada law doesn't specifically say "landlords must eliminate bed bugs" in giant letters. But it doesn't need to. Nevada Revised Statutes § 118A.110 requires landlords to maintain rental properties in a condition fit for human occupancy. That means the property has to be habitable — and a rental unit infested with bed bugs isn't habitable.
Bed bugs aren't just annoying. They're a documented pest that spreads disease (skin infections from scratching), causes sleep disruption, and creates genuine health risks — especially for kids, elderly tenants, and people with compromised immune systems. A Nevada court would almost certainly agree that a bed bug infestation violates the habitability standard.
What does that mean for you practically?
Your Landlord Has to Act — and Has to Do It Right
The short answer: your landlord has to treat the infestation. Professional treatment. Not just spraying some store-bought bug spray and calling it done.
Here's the thing — Nevada doesn't set a specific timeline for bed bug treatment, but courts expect it to happen within a reasonable time. Most landlords work with professional pest control companies, and that usually takes 1–3 weeks for follow-up appointments (bed bugs need multiple treatments to eliminate the whole lifecycle). If your landlord is dragging their feet beyond a few weeks, you've got a problem.
Your landlord also can't just treat your unit and ignore everyone else. Bed bugs spread. If you live in an apartment complex, that infestation might've come from a neighbor — or it's heading there. Nevada's implied warranty of habitability means your landlord has to treat the affected units and take reasonable steps to prevent re-infestation.
And here's something landlords often get wrong: they can't charge you for the treatment. You didn't bring bed bugs into your home on purpose (and even if you did, Nevada law still puts this on the landlord). This is a maintenance issue under NRS § 118A.110, and maintenance costs are the landlord's responsibility.
What Happens If Your Landlord Ignores You
This is where things get serious — and where a lot of tenants stay silent when they shouldn't.
If you report bed bugs to your landlord (do this in writing — email or certified mail — so you have proof) and they don't act within a reasonable time, you've got options. (More on this below.) Nevada law gives you the right to repair-and-deduct under NRS § 118A.360. That means you can hire a professional pest control company yourself, pay for the treatment, and deduct the cost from your next rent payment. But you've got to follow the process: give your landlord written notice, give them a reasonable chance to fix it (usually 3–7 days), and only then hire someone and deduct from rent.
You can also file a complaint with your local health department, which can force the landlord to act.
But here's what matters most: if you don't act, the infestation gets worse. Bed bugs multiply fast — a single female can lay hundreds of eggs in her lifetime. After a few months, you're not dealing with a contained problem anymore. You're dealing with walls that need treatment, furniture that might need to be thrown out, and a health situation that's escalated. Your stress goes up. Your security deposit risk goes up. Your ability to prove the infestation wasn't your fault gets harder. — at least that's how it works in most cases
And if you eventually break your lease because the unit is uninhabitable, your landlord might try to claim you abandoned the place and owe them money — unless you can document that they refused to fix a habitability problem.
Don't Do This: Common Mistakes
I see tenants make the same mistakes over and over.
They call instead of writing. Pick up the phone, sure — but follow it with an email saying "Per our conversation today at 3 p.m., I reported bed bugs in unit 402. Please confirm you've scheduled professional treatment." Written documentation saves you.
They delay reporting. The moment you see signs of bed bugs — bites that appear in clusters, tiny black spots on sheets, or the bugs themselves — tell your landlord immediately. Delay makes it look like you might've caused the problem or let it sit too long.
They treat it themselves without telling the landlord. If you spray your apartment on your own, your landlord might later argue they didn't know there was an infestation, or that you caused it. Get it on record first.
What You Should Do Today
If you've got bed bugs, write your landlord today. Email works. Keep it simple: "I've discovered bed bugs in my apartment. They're affecting my health and sleep. Please schedule professional pest control treatment within 5 business days. I'll need written confirmation of the appointment and the treatment plan." That's it. You've got documentation. You've set a deadline. You've made it clear this isn't optional.
Take photos of the bugs if you can. Keep photos of any bites. Save all communications with your landlord.
If your landlord doesn't respond within 3–5 days, follow up again — and consider calling your local health department to file a complaint. In Nevada, county health departments have authority to enforce habitability standards.
You deserve to live somewhere that doesn't have pests crawling on you at night. Nevada law agrees. But you've got to be the one who makes the problem impossible to ignore.