Bed bugs would have a harder time feasting on guests at city hotels under a new bill set to be introduced in the City Council.
The legislation, which will be introduced Tuesday, would require hotels to have exterminators inspect all their rooms for the blood sucking creatures every six months.
Councilman Rafael Espinal (D-Brooklyn) said he decided the rule was necessary after reading in the Daily News that bed bug sightings in New York hotels jumped more than 44 percent between 2014 and 2015, with bugs spotted at some of the city’s swankiest properties.
Another bill Espinal will introduce would require the city to publish annual reports detailing the number of bedbug complaints and violations in apartment buildings, and the average time infestations take to resolve.
They’d also have to publish a map updated every three months showing the locations of all bedbug complaints, broken down into complaints that are being investigated, complaints that were unsubstantiated and closed, and complaints where a violation was issued.
“Everyone hates bedbugs — they prey on human flesh and cause huge expenses,” Espinal said. “Tenants, homeowners, and businesses pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars to exterminate an infestation and replace damaged furniture and clothing.”
“We as a city have to be proactive to inform New Yorkers where the problem is occurring, and protect New Yorkers or tourists who stay in hotels,” he said.
The issue hits close to home for some city pols — bed bugs were found in City Hall in the bullpen where mayoral aides work, and in City Council offices across the street this summer.
New Yorkers looking to find out if their building, or one they’re thinking about moving into, has had bed bugs can already look up the complaint history by searching the address on the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s website.
Landlords are also required to notify would-be tenants in writing about any bed bug infestations that have occurred in their building in the past year.
