Bedbugs

Bedbugs measure 3-7 mm and are the size and shape of an apple seed. They are reddish brown in colour. You can see them under the sheets of your bed as well as along the seams and edges of mattresses. Bedbug bites look like mosquito bites. They cause itchiness that can disrupt sleep. In general, three to four bites will be found on the skin in a straight line or grouped together in the same spot. Itchiness and insect bites on your skin, as well as black stains on mattress seams and blood on sheets and pillow cases, may be signs that there are bedbugs in your bed. Bed bugs appear mostly when you purchase second-hand clothes, furniture and mattresses. 

Information on the prevention and extermination of bed bugs in 20 different languages (at the bottom of the page). 

Prevention

Follow the instructions below to prevent bed bugs issue in your housing:

• Before signing the lease for your apartment, check the address in the Montreal Bed Bug Registry to find whether or not it has been added to the database. Please note that not all places with bed bugs are registered here. 
• Do not bring clothes, mattresses or furniture from the street to your housing, they could be infested with bed bugs.
• When you purchase from a private individual, it should be sealed in a plastic bag and immediately washed when you are back at home:
• Put detergent into the washer and use very hot water.
• Empty the plastic bag directly into the washer to avoid infestation.
• Close the plastic bag and throw it into a garbage container outside.
• Put the washed clothes in the dryer at a hot temperature.

If you already have bed bugs

• Contact the owner or manager of your apartment immediately. Do not try to get rid of them yourself. 
• The owner must call a qualified exterminator who will come to the apartment
• As the tenant, you must prepare your apartment for the exterminator by decluttering the rooms in your home. You must put all fabric items in airtight bags and dry them on the highest setting of the dryer for at least 30 minutes. 
• If your landlord does not respond to your first attempt to contact them, you should send them a letter by registered mail alerting them of the situation and give them 10 days to respond. This notice must mention that if the building owner fails to take the appropriate steps, a copy of the letter will be sent to the Division des permis et des inspections of the borough concerned.
• To notify the Division des permis et des inspections in their borough, tenants must phone 311. According to the current procedure, they must then fax a copy of the letter or bring it to the point of service in their borough.

 Template to help you write a formal notice for bed bugs. 

https://ville.montreal.qc.ca/bedbugs/roles/