The NYC bedbug disclosure form is the DBB-N, a one-page notice published by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal that landlords must hand to every tenant at the signing of a vacancy lease. It discloses whether bedbugs were found in the apartment or anywhere in the building during the previous twelve months. The requirement comes from NYC Administrative Code § 27-2018.1 and applies to housing covered by the city’s Housing Maintenance Code, including both rent-stabilized and market-rate units.1New York State Senate. New York City Law Requires Landlords to Tell New Tenants About Bedbug Infestations
Where to Get the Form
The DBB-N is available as a fillable PDF on the HCR website.2Homes and Community Renewal. Notice to Tenant Disclosure of Bedbug Infestation History Download a fresh copy for each new tenancy rather than reusing an old one. The form is short, but every field matters because the signed document is your proof that the disclosure happened.
What Each Field Asks For
At the top, enter the tenant’s name, the full street address of the property, the apartment number, and the date of the vacancy lease. These identifiers tie the disclosure to one specific unit and one specific tenancy, which matters later if anyone questions what was disclosed and when.
The body of the form is a set of checkboxes describing the bedbug status of the apartment and the building for the past year. Pick the option that accurately reflects the property’s history:
- No history of bedbug infestation in the building or apartment during the past year.
- Building infestation during the past year, with eradication performed. Write in the affected floor numbers.
- Building infestation during the past year, with no eradication performed. Write in the affected floors.
- Apartment infestation during the past year, with eradication performed.
- Apartment infestation during the past year, with no eradication performed.
- Other. A write-in field for anything that does not fit the categories above.
Check only the box or boxes that are true. If the building had an infestation on an upper floor but the apartment itself did not, say so. Under-disclosure defeats the purpose of the form and leaves you exposed; honest disclosure, even of a treated infestation, is what the law asks for.
At the bottom, both the owner or managing agent and the tenant sign and date the form. The tenant’s signature confirms receipt of the disclosure. It does not mean the tenant agrees with the contents or waives any rights.
Delivering the Form and Keeping Proof
Hand the completed DBB-N to the tenant at the same moment you present the vacancy lease for signing.3Homes and Community Renewal. Leases (Security Deposits, Roommates, Sublets, and More) The form is designed for in-person delivery, and the tenant’s signature on the form itself serves as proof of delivery. Keep the signed original indefinitely. If a dispute later arises about whether you disclosed, that signed page is your evidence.
Give the tenant a copy as well. There is one disclosure per vacancy lease, so you repeat the process each time a unit turns over to a new tenant.
The Separate Annual Report to HPD
The DBB-N is often confused with a second, separate bedbug obligation that applies to owners of multiple dwellings under NYC Administrative Code § 27-2018.2. That rule requires an annual bedbug report filed electronically with the Department of Housing Preservation and Development.4NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development. Bedbugs – HPD The DBB-N does not satisfy the annual report, and the annual report does not satisfy the DBB-N. If you own a multiple dwelling, you do both.
The annual report is filed through HPD’s online Bedbug Portal.5HPD Enforcement Desk. Bedbugs – HPD Enforcement Desk The portal is open from December 1 through December 31 each year, and the report covers November of the previous year through October of the current year.6NYC311. Bed Bug Annual Report The report asks for:
- The building’s street address.
- The total number of dwelling units.
- The number of units with a reported bedbug infestation during the reporting period.
- The number of those units that received eradication treatment.
- The number of treated units that still had bedbugs after treatment.
Before filing, owners must try to collect bedbug history from each tenant or unit owner, including whether treatment was done. Corporate owners, including LLCs, cooperatives, and condominium corporations, must file electronically. Non-corporate owners of smaller buildings may submit paper reports. HPD publishes each building’s most recent report on its website within 30 days of receiving it, so prospective tenants can look up a building’s history before signing.
After filing, you must either give every tenant a copy of the filing receipt at the start of a new lease and at each renewal, or post the receipt in a prominent location in the building. If you post it, do so within 60 days of filing and keep a record showing where and when.
Penalties for Skipping the Disclosure
Missing the December 31 filing deadline for the annual report can prompt HPD to issue a violation against the property.6NYC311. Bed Bug Annual Report HPD violations carry civil penalties that vary by severity class. For buildings with five or fewer units, fines for a Class C violation range from $150 to $750, plus $50 to $150 per day until the violation is corrected. For buildings with more than five units, the range is $150 to $1,200, plus $150 to $1,200 per day.7NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development. Penalties and Fees – HPD
A missing DBB-N also has consequences beyond fines. Tenants who never received the form can file complaints with HPD or through 311, which can trigger an investigation. In housing court, the absence of a required disclosure weakens a landlord’s position in eviction or rent-collection proceedings and may be treated as a violation of the building’s maintenance obligations. The one-page form takes a few minutes to complete. The downside of skipping it is substantially larger than the effort of doing it.