According to Inman News, a Harris County, Texas (Houston) real estate brokerage is being sued by a former tenant. The former tenant, is suing for negligence and is stating that she contracted typhus after moving into a home rented by one of the brokerage's agents.
Typhus is a bacterial diseases spread by lice or fleas. A person is at risk if exposed to rat fleas, rat feces, and other animals such as opossums, raccoons, cats, and rats. Symptoms include; abdominal pain, backache, red rash, extremely high fever (105-106 degrees), hacking cough, headache, joint pain, nausea, and vomiting.
opossum adult flea
The former tenant states in the suit that in 2009, she was admitted to the hospital with typhus after an ongoing opossum infestation of the house brought fleas into the home. She charges that the brokerage firm who acted as the property manager, failed to property manage the house exposing her to an unreasonable and unhealthy risk.
So a word of warning for property managers (and I manage a few myself), inspect properties before leasing them.
I'm wondering if this suit will bring on a new requirement for landlord's to disclose past/present conditions. Landlord's Disclosure?
Diana Manzato, Broker
"Connecting outstanding people to outstanding properties"
Denton County Texas Lakefront Property Specialist
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