Bed Bug Inspection Checklist for NYC Renters

Finding a small reddish bug on your sheets is stressful. Waking up with itchy welts and no clear cause is worse. Before you throw out your mattress or fire off an angry email to your landlord, do a careful inspection.

A methodical check tells you if you really have bed bugs. It also gives you the photos and notes you will need if you have to push for treatment. This checklist follows guidance from the NYC Department of Health and NYC Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).

How Do You Check an Apartment for Bed Bugs?

Start with the bed and work outward. Use a bright flashlight to check the mattress seams and tufts, the box spring, the headboard, and the bed frame. Then check nightstands, baseboards, and nearby furniture. You are looking for live bugs, small bloodstains, and dark spots that are bed bug droppings.

Adult bed bugs are flat, rusty-red ovals about the size of an apple seed, according to the NYC Health Department. After feeding they swell and turn a brighter red. They hide in cracks, so you will often find signs before you find the bugs.

What You Need Before You Start

• A bright flashlight
• A stiff plastic card, like an old subway card or playing card, to scrape along cracks and push bugs out of hiding (the Health Department suggests this)
• Your phone for dated photos and video
• Clear tape or a small sealed container for a sample
• A few sealable plastic bags

The Room-by-Room Checklist

Work in this order and photograph anything suspicious.

1. Mattress. Check seams, piping, tufts, and tags on every side.
2. Box spring. Check the fabric, the wood frame, and the inside if you can see in.
3. Headboard and bed frame. Look at joints, screw holes, and cracks. Check behind the headboard.
4. Nightstands and dressers. Pull out drawers and check joints and back panels.
5. Baseboards. Follow the baseboard along the bedroom walls and look into the cracks.
6. Window and door casings. Include moldings, picture frames, loose wallpaper, and cracks in plaster.
7. Sofas and chairs. Check seams, cushions, and crevices.
8. Clutter and stored items. Look through bags, boxes, and anything kept under the bed.
9. Shared walls. Note where your unit shares a wall, pipes, or wiring with a neighbor. HPD says bed bugs can travel along connecting pipes and wiring.

What Bed Bug Evidence Looks Like

SignWhat it looks likeWhere to lookLive bed bugsFlat, rusty-red oval, about the size of an apple seedMattress seams, box spring, cracks near the bedBloodstainsSmall stains from crushed bugsSheets, pillowcases, mattressDark spotsDroppings that look like dark specksSeams, headboard, furniture crevicesBitesItchy welts, often painless at first, with no red center dotExposed skin

Bites alone do not prove bed bugs. The Health Department notes that bed bugs are hard to find because they hide, so physical evidence is what counts.

What to Do If You Find Bed Bugs

1. Document everything. Take dated photos and video before you clean up. HPD inspectors issue a violation only when they can visually confirm live bed bugs, so good records help. The EPA also suggests collecting a sample so an expert can confirm the pest.
2. Tell your landlord in writing. Email or send a letter, and keep a copy. The EPA advises renters to notify the landlord so nearby units can be inspected.
3. Contain the problem. Wash bedding and clothes in hot water and dry them on the highest heat. Vacuum, then seal the vacuum bag in plastic and throw it away outside. If you find bugs on a mattress, cover it with a zippered "allergen rated" cover and keep it on for at least a year, per the Health Department.
4. Skip foggers and random sprays. The Health Department warns against "bug bombs," which spread chemicals and are unlikely to work on bed bugs. Never use a product that does not list bed bugs on the label.
5. Bring in a licensed professional. New York State law requires property owners to hire DEC-licensed pest professionals to treat apartments for bed bugs, according to HPD.

Who Is Responsible for Treatment in NYC?

HPD says the Housing Maintenance Code and the Health Code both require property owners to address bed bug infestations promptly. Here is how the process works for a tenant:

1. Report the problem to your landlord or property manager.
2. If the owner does not act, file a complaint online or call 311.
3. An HPD inspector visits. If live bed bugs are confirmed, the owner receives a violation.
4. The owner must hire a DEC-certified pest professional to treat the apartment, inspect the units next to, above, and below it, and check common areas.

For a fuller breakdown of duties on both sides, read our guide on who is responsible for pest control in NYC apartments. This is general information, not legal advice.

Before You Sign or Renew a Lease

Ask the owner for the building's Bed Bug Annual Report filing receipt. HPD requires owners to give it to tenants at lease signing and renewal, or post it in the building. New York State law also requires owners to disclose bed bug history from the past year to new tenants.

Never bring a curbside mattress or upholstered furniture into your home. The Health Department lists this as a common way people carry bed bugs in.

When to Call a Licensed Exterminator

Call a professional if you confirm evidence, if bites continue after you have cleaned, or if a neighbor has reported bed bugs. A good inspection confirms the pest, finds the hiding places, and leads to a treatment plan with follow-up visits, which is what the Health Department says a pest control company should do.

At Pestonix, we start with a detailed inspection of the bed, furniture, and structural cracks. From there we recommend the right method, such as thermal heat treatment or our non-toxic freeze and steam solutions. Our team can also work directly with your property manager. You can read more about our full bed bug eradication services.

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Book a Bed Bug Inspection

If your checklist turned up evidence, or you just want a professional to confirm, call 917-913-6062 for a free inspection. Pestonix offers same-day service and 24/7 emergency response, and backs treatments with a 3-Month No-Pest Guarantee. We serve renters in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, or you can request a free inspection online.