A day in the life...of a cockroach.
Sunday, August 8, 2004 by Hus | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
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Reply #2 Sunday, August 8, 2004 8:03 PM
Foggers are not going to work. I am no expert but I recently had a run in with some roaches myself. My building manager jumped right on the situation and hired an exterminator to get rid of them. After a week they were all gone.
If your landlord wnats to keep messing around with cheap and ineffective alternatives then I say stop paying your rent. Put it towards an exterminator and deduct it from your rent. Who cares if he taps into the deposit. You must take charge of the situation. How is the bigger question.
Reply #3 Sunday, August 8, 2004 8:13 PM
Reply #4 Sunday, August 8, 2004 8:54 PM
There is something (I am not sureof the name of it, though) in my city... it is like a rental/landlord referral. Kind of like a bbb for real estate. It is a list that landlords and also tenants can refer to when they are screening for bad apartments/renters. It is kind of a black list. Check around and see if they have it in your city and if they do mention to your landlord that you want out. If they give problems, then you can offer to list him with that service... lots of times that is all it takes.
Also, call your city/county emergency referral list (or look in the front of your phone book). lots of times you will find free legal aid, and information.
Reply #5 Sunday, August 8, 2004 8:58 PM
I would explain to him that you want the issue resolved in short reasonable order or you Will contact the City and also Code Enforcement. I would also call or speak with a Lawyer if push comes to shove.
Roaches also work in the order of "everyone seen means there are 20 not seen" in the walls and also pulmbing...
good luck with it...
*You* did nothing wrong....
[Message Edited]
Reply #6 Sunday, August 8, 2004 8:59 PM
In the meantime, buy a scad of those little Raid bait traps.. the ones that claim to kill within 24 hours, and even in the nest. Scatter them liberally around your house. They will maybe help keep it livable. Not those little glue motels....
I moved into a freshly bombed house and had a problem still. I upended my kitchen table and soaked the legs, joints, sides, and underside. Got about 200 of them. It helped a lot.
Reply #7 Sunday, August 8, 2004 9:00 PM
Sounds a lot like Florida where you live...
Palmetto (Roach) is the state Bird
Reply #8 Sunday, August 8, 2004 9:05 PM
hehe... they grow 'em big here. I don't have any here, now. Those Raid traps, the ones with stuff to kill the eggs and the nest are worth the extra $$$.
Thats another thing, when you kill one make sure to get rid of it immediatly... they lay their eggs when they are dying. Get rid of those.. flush them right away. spray around doors and windows with longlasting spray, to keep the neighbor's ones out.
Reply #9 Sunday, August 8, 2004 9:23 PM
| if those conditions were not actually being met as far as health and such, you should be able to force him to return your deposit and such. |
See, that's my problem really, my lease doesn't make any mention of these kinds of problems. I'm combing through the NJ state website taking down a few numbers, but they don't even have a specific department that I can call (but I'm probably just not looking in the right place). I'll call these numbers tomorrow, and if I get nothing, I'll call my lawyer. My landlord is the type of person that will run through traffic to pick up a quarter, as if the $1.99 foggers weren't enough to tell you, so I really want to play my cards right. I can't afford to lose that money, I'm going down fighting to the death for it. >
Thanks for the advice, I found this website on how to use boric acid and roach baits and they say it does a job as good as an exterminator. The war has begun.
http://www.uky.edu/Agriculture/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef614.htm
[Message Edited]
Reply #10 Monday, August 9, 2004 12:16 AM
Reply #11 Monday, August 9, 2004 12:55 AM
Get red spray-paint and paint "This apartment has roaches" everywhere...even the bathroom tile.... revenge is sweet
*realizes above idea isn't really possible*
Reply #12 Monday, August 9, 2004 1:34 AM
Reply #13 Monday, August 9, 2004 2:13 AM
Regardless of what you do, I would not withhold any rent. This gives the landlord an excuse to evict you. Then, you have to depend on lawyers to help you. The landlords will have good lawyers and trying to find a good one yourself is difficult. You may have to spend double or triple your lease to get a good one. So, I would pay my rent on time, and in full, and let the State Board Of Health help you.
[Message Edited]
Reply #14 Monday, August 9, 2004 2:30 AM
Reply #15 Monday, August 9, 2004 10:29 AM
Reply #16 Monday, August 9, 2004 11:11 AM
OK, here isthe infoI found about NJ:
Copy-paste parts of this website: http://www.lsnjlaw.org/english/placeilive/rent/tenantsrights.cfm
Moving out because of bad conditions
If your landlord refuses to make needed repairs to your apartment, you can move out before the lease ends and still not be held responsible for rent for the time left on the lease. It is important to have proof of these bad conditions. You can get this proof by having a building inspection done and taking pictures before you move out. In this situation, the law holds the landlord responsible for breaking the lease by failing to fulfill his or her duty to provide you with safe and decent housing. This is called constructive eviction. Please read Chapter 6, Your Right to Safe and Decent Housing, for an explanation of a landlord’s duty to maintain housing in good condition.
There are certain rules that apply for a constructive eviction.
- You can break your lease under this rule if the conditions in your rental unit are so bad that it is very hard to live there. Examples of this are if you have no heat in the winter, or your health and safety are at risk. In addition, your landlord must have failed to correct the problem after receiving notice from you, which should be in writing if at all possible. Cite: Marini v. Ireland, 56 N.J. 130 (1970) C.F. Seabrook v. Beck, 174 N.J. Super. 577 (App. Div. 1980).
- If you move because of bad conditions before your lease ends, your landlord may sue you for rent for the time left on the lease. The landlord will almost certainly refuse to return your security deposit. You may find yourself in court either because the landlord has sued you for back rent or because you are suing the landlord for the return of your security deposit. Whether you win or lose in court will depend on how serious the judge believes the conditions were that you claim forced you to move. Judges usually allow a tenant to break the lease only when very serious conditions exist, such as no heat, no water, a broken toilet, a broken elevator, flooding, or excessive and constant disturbances.
- It is important that you give the landlord notice of the defective conditions and a reasonable amount of time to make repairs before moving out and claiming constructive eviction. Your notice should be in writing, and by certified mail, return receipt requested. Keep a copy of your notice.
- If serious conditions in your apartment force you to move before the end of your lease, you are still entitled to have your security deposit returned to you.
Chapter 6: Your Right to Safe and Decent Housing
Housing must be safe and decent
Tenants frequently complain that their landlord will not repair such things as windows, locks, toilets, faucets, and heating systems when these break from normal wear and tear. Tenants also complain that their landlords do not do routine maintenance, such as pest extermination. You have a right as a tenant to live in housing that is safe, clean, and decent. This chapter explains this right and the laws that place a duty upon your landlord to maintain your rental unit in good condition. This chapter also explains the different steps you can take to have your landlord make needed repairs and do routine maintenance.
There are several different laws that require landlords to maintain tenant-occupied rental property in safe and decent condition.
The warranty of habitability
Landlords have a duty under New Jersey landlord-tenant law to maintain their rental property in a safe and decent condition. This duty applies to all leases, whether written or oral. The duty to keep rental units safe and decent is called the warranty of habitability. The warranty of habitability is based upon common sense: in return for paying rent to the landlord, the landlord must make sure that the housing is fit to be occupied by the tenant.
The warranty of habitability has been held to include keeping the basic elements of your housing unit in good condition. This includes taking care of physical elements, such as the roof, windows, walls, etc. the systems that supply you heat, hot and cold water, and electricity and gas appliances, such as the stove, refrigerator, and dishwasher keeping apartments pest-free and common areas clean and providing security against crime, such as locks on doors and windows to deter break-ins.
There are more info on that web site, but it does look to me like you have rights. But the problem is that you may end up having to sue your landlors in order to get your security deposit back. Maybe you should contact these people:
New Jersey Tenants Organization
389 Main Street
Hackensack, NJ 07601
(201) 342-3775
Reply #17 Monday, August 9, 2004 12:18 PM
Reply #18 Monday, August 9, 2004 12:51 PM
| If it is the only issue you have with the place then maybe you can hire an exterminator yourself |
if he were living in a single family dwelling, hiring an exterminator would be a viable suggestion. unfortunately, there are other families living in this dwelling. it sounds like this is an apartment house/developement etc. which means that each apartment would have to be treated individually at the same time in order to get the problem under control. there is no way hus could afford this bill, and in all probability , the landlord has surmised this and has decided bugbombs(inneffectual at best) are cheaper.
Even if hus leaves this dwelling, and finds a new residence, he will still have to have all his possessions fumigated as the roaches will be carried with him to his new home. so opting to forget the 1000 security is not really the issue. the longer you stay in a dwelling infested with vermin , the more of your posessions will carry those vermin. because you are seeing the bugs means the infestation is huge, as those bugs are shy and prefer not to come into contact with anything but their own kind. they only come out in the open when it's become so crowded in the place where they originated that there is no room for them and they must move on to survive.
I am deathly afraid of those bugs and unfortunately had to deal with the problem when I was young and moved into a complex.
In my past line of work (emergency medical services) have had to transport children and adults both, who have awakened from sleep to find their own body had been violated by these bugs, at night they will look for someplace warm dark and moist to hide. human ears are one place they will try to hide, then get stuck.
hus I wish you all luck in dealing with this problem and hope you can resolve the matter with your current landlord , or find a new place to stay. if you move on, remember fumigate your belongings well prior to moving into the new place.
(oh ya, and almost all apartment complexes have bug problems, but most good ones will do all in their power to minimise the infestation via exterminator on a routine basis)
Reply #20 Monday, August 9, 2004 6:08 PM
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Reply #1 Sunday, August 8, 2004 7:59 PM