Possible Bedbug Problem

[Dan Davis]

Hello Bigger Pockets, this is my first post on the forum, I'm looking forward to getting more involved with the community around here, but I'm diving right in because of a possible issue I may be dealing with.

I have a tenant who texted me saying that she thinks she may have bedbugs in her apartment, her son has some bites that have started showing up. She told me that she dealt with the same issue last year (I've owned the property for a little less than a year,) and believes that the tenants below in the first floor apartment may be responsible for bringing the bugs in via some furniture they may have dragged in off the street, apparently she thinks that's what happened last year as well. Knowing the downstairs tenants, it's not an impossibility.

I'm not sure how to handle this situation going forward, assuming that there are in fact bed bugs. It seems like it may be almost impossible to track down who is ultimately responsible, and I'm concerned that forcing her to take care of it on her own might cause her to have to have to vacate because money is tight for her, but she's a good tenant. 

Anyone else deal with anything similar, or have any good advice? Thanks in advance!