| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 1:25:03 PM | Ok so I moved and basically I am living in the apartment from hell and unfortunately I am stuck here for a year.....and would you believe that now I am sharing my apartment with roaches........I have complained, they came and sprayed and I still see em scanting around.....
Anyone knows how to get rid of them or how I can break my lease to get the heck outta here.
** I have been canvassing the building and it seems everyone moved in after asking are there roaches and being told...."roaches...no way..." and now they have to live with em......
Any and all advice is welcomed. | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 2:28:23 PM | | trap a roach and send it to the owner of the building. lol I don't know what canada laws are but I would think if it was written in your lease concerning the apt being roach free than that would be a sure thing. renting sucks but no matter what haveing everything written down helps. | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 2:35:27 PM | LOL it's so funny you said that because I thought about setting a trap and collecting them and leaving them at the rental office......
Then I realize that the people that work in the rental office live in the buildings....I'm sure they know what I'm going through......
Ah well I guess I will just have to wait and see.......I think maybe me being sheltered and not exposed to little roaches is a big thing...lol
Ah well thanks anyways | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 2:57:58 PM | http://www.ontariotenants.ca/index.phtml
Found this site for ya....It looks like you may be able to get out of the lease. | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 3:15:51 PM | | Oh you are lucky they have roaches because yes you do have a right to break your lease because there are roaches. They have to make the place you live in habitable and roaches is a health violation im sure, plus it is bad for your mental health. LEAVE, and also take evidence of pictures of the roaches in the place when you go...also get some witness statements from the other tenants and im sure you can leave and let it be known that even after they sprayed the roaches stayed and try and get proof of that. I am a resident manager so I know that you are within your rights to break a lease based on the roaches. | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 3:32:18 PM | Brownsugar,
At first glance it appears as though the landlord is fulfilling its obligation under the TPA. However, if the infestation and vermin is so bad that it poses a health issue, the housing authority can be called to your place to undertake an inspection. From there an order will be given to the landlord to comply. Non-compliance could mean a fine and you could file an application for early termination of the lease under the TPA. Contact your local housing authority for the City of Toronto.
Unfortunately, unless it can be proven that the infestation is severe and the landlord is not fulfilling its obligation to remedy, you may not be able to break this lease. This can only be established by repeated inspections by a housing officer, who investigates dead insects, larvae, etc., to see if there is any new infestation after the landlord has sprayed.
My advice to you is to document all requests to your landlord or building representative that the problem persists and that you wish another fumigation, perhaps they can chalk as well.
I deal with these issues and others so feel free to email me. Breaking a lease under this premise is not cut and dry. If the landlord is showing that it is attempting to remedy the situation AND the officer attending reports that no new infestation is occurring, it may satisfy the tribunal.
If the infestation is so bad that the unit is deemed unlivable, which is rare, then the landlord will be obligated to pay for your move in addition to honouring the termination of the lease. | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 4:07:10 PM | Oh you guys are awesome, thank you for all the information. I think I will be using my camera phone now to get all the pics. It seems like such a sticky situation because they seem like they give a crap and the ladies in the rental office also live in both buildings.
I actually just came back from the rental office where I demanded to have some other things looked at in the place and the worker that came with me told me that it's the individual people in their units who sometimes dont put out their garbage out and that causes roaches to come in..............whatever I'm just feeling a little miffed.
Anyways I will definitely start tracking all my reports...I have been using my cell alot to call so that'e easy to trace I can get a copy of my bill and then I will be keeping a paper trail from now on.
Thanks again | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 4:54:57 PM | | Go to your local tenancy branch... they have to get a pest control agency in and do a spray. You can also go to the local health board about it too. Good luck! | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 6:10:27 PM | | Myself, I am horrified of bugs especially roaches. I've lived in apartments before and when they show me the apartment I make it clear that I can not live with bugs and if they have them I'll move faster than I moved in. One time I did move to an apartment and had stressed this to them. I had most of my things unpacked by night as I like to get things in order fast. Well after dark they started coming out of the woodwork. I was up all night crying and did not sleep a second. First thing in the morning i packed up and moved. They contacted me in regards to the lease I had signed and I threatened to sue them and make them pay for the cost of my move both times and the cost of exterminating all my stuff. I never did hear another thing from them again ever. Good Luck! Get the hell out of there for goodness sake! | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 7:04:36 PM | Brownsugar, you're going to love me, girl. This is a super simple solution that has the potential for wiping out the roach population in the *entire building*.
If you do, you should take up a collection from your neighbors. Borax - 20 Mule Team will do the trick here. Sprinkle it in a thin line behind the refrigerator, stove and where you keep your garbage. For the immediate present, you'll have to take the extra precaution of putting foodstuffs in jars or hard sided metal containers. Roaches can eat their way into bags and crawl into boxes. You also need to keep the trash outside when possible, or take it out frequently to reduce their attraction to your apartment.
I used this approach when I moved into temporary quarters (6 months) while living in the deep South. Roaches are endemic in the South - they're everywhere, and some are rather large. Had I known about this simple treatment, I would have beens spared many years of exposure to pesticides - that often did little good, never effectively make much of a dent in the population.
This works so good, it could put entire companies out of business..if the public knew of it. You need to keep pets and young children out of it. In humans, its not very toxic, but it is toxic to pets if they eat it.
As Babylonia remarks, its hard to get out of a lease because of pests. If the landlord treats for them, he is largely out of liability for suit and will keep your deposit plus probably hit you for a penalty if you attempt to break the lease.
Its shouldn't be necessary with this simple treatment. You should see a reduction in the roach number pretty quickly - a matter of days. In less than two weeks, you should see no roaches, and in a month or two, the entire building maybe clean.. depends on how much you put down. A thin line of it should do your apartment and those immediately surrounding you.
I'm sorry you're caught in this unpleasant situation. The sodium borate should remedy this problem and make life slightly less unpleasant in your present quarters. | |
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ya472
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Joined: 4/29/2006
Msg: 12 | |
| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 9:49:30 PM | Borax mixed with a icing sugar is very enticing.
Good for ridding of ants and woodbugs, etc... use extreme caution for pets..
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 11:03:06 PM | the absolute best product for killing roaches that you can buy off the shelf is the COMBAT gel (not the stupid black squares). It uses Hydramethylnon which is very attractive to roaches and they eat it, take it back to the nest and kill all the ones there. The gel is applied at various places around the house. The roaches eat this stuff and take it back to the nest where all the rest share it and they all die FAST. Roaches can't resist the stuff and eat it like candy. Kills every damn roach in your house in 2-3 days tops. It targets the eggs which is where the source is the worst. Since a single roach can lay over 20,000 eggs in its lifetime =O
A tube of this stuff is cheap though its like 6-7 dollars for a small tube but its Grade A roach killer and leaves no smell like sprays and such. Just make sure you don't have pets or small children which may lick the white goop off the walls.
The gel WORKS. If you have tons of roaches you may have to put out several tubes' worth; they cost about $6.50 each. You can put the dabs on Post-it notes -- the sticky edge keeps it in place and the bright colors help you find them when you need to replace or toss.
Combat Roach Killing Gel is the BOMB! Because it contains: Hydramethylnon which is very attractive to roaches and they eat it and the poison gets in their systems and they go back to their nests and die. The other roaches eat them and their droppings and they die also. Roaches are cannibalistic and they will eat each other if no other food source is available. So take away their food source and they will eat each other and their droppings and die.
Its better then Borax since Borax is in powder form and this is a paste/gel substance so you can apply it into cracks and crevices, something Borax can't do.. Its less likely to spread around after you apply it. Boric Acid MUST be put down VERY LIGHTLY and there is a technique for doing this. If you put down a lot of Boric Acid or put it down heavily, it becomes an obsticle for the roaches will walk around it.
Also, go to Chinatown and look for a product called "Miraculous Chalk." It's sold for $1 in many stores. The active ingredient? Deltamethrin. While illegal for household use, it is highly effective and 200-400 times EPA limits. Simply draw a line in the path of your roaches and all your troubles will be over. Just keep it away from kids and pets... people all over the world have been using this for centuries.
Two things I have noticed however never fails to kill them one a big shoe and third pesticide called malathion. Malathion is horrible smelling akin to rotten eggs for about a day, but it will kill every insect it comes in contact with. It also kills Black widows, brown recluses, and scorpions. You can buy it in hardware stores and its lasts for months. The drawbacks beyond the smell are formidable it will not kill animals directly but they can die from eating the dead bugs, also I would not recomend having the fumes inhaled by children so let the area air out. For those needing help out side with ants here is a fun trick place a malathion stake next to an ant trail. The ants will die and when they die the excrete a phermone that attacts other ants to collect thier bodies which ofcourse kills them in return etc...
Here is some links:
http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=100530&navAction=jump&navCount=0&id=prod3951
http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Entomology/entfacts/struct/ef614.htm | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 11:34:33 PM | some more tips I found on the net:
*using baits changes the eating habits of the bugs and lures them into your trap
*DO NOT use sprays and other repellents with bait traps!!! by doing that you are both scaring them away from and destroying the bait traps you just laid out!!!!
*The young****oaches feed off the droppings of the adults. Consequently, they will die from the same poisoning that the adults will die from.
*Some baits will sterilize the adult****oach so it cannot lay live eggs! IMPORTANT!!!
*If you are in an apartment building, joined housing etc, encourage your landlord to get a professional to use bait traps! Liquid pesticides are almost never permant fixes. It is a procedure that was supported in the 1940's NOT the 2000's.
*If bait traps are effectively used is it almost a guaranteed you will kill all roaches and their hidden nests!!!
And the worse part. It takes time! Allow some time for the poison to circulate.
*If you want to simply isolate the****oaches from your unit.
-use an rubber sealant in all holes and cracks everywhere, i mean freaking everywhere!
-roaches sometimes go along the hallway, so a metal door extender along the base of your door will prevent them from entering. That goes with all along your door; top, sides etc...
http://apartments.about.com/od/cockroachesmicepest1/ht/get_rid_roaches.htm
Health & Safety Information on Household Products
http://householdproducts.nlm.nih.gov/index.htm | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/6/2006 11:56:29 PM | | all those remedies help to keep the population under control, but the borax and other things wont get rid of them completely; their egg sacks still get hatched even when the host is dead. These things are indestructible as an investation, they keep coming back again and again its very orwellian. They are a worthy opponents, they always win, and I move out as fast as I can...you should too if you can | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/7/2006 12:20:40 PM | Woah... good responses here. I didn't know chinese chalk wasn't legal for home use. :( Darn effective stuff... as simple as it sounds... drawn a line all the way around your bed, and in the morning you'll have a lovely line with a few breaks by way of dead****oaches, right on the line... amazing stuff. Maybe a cat or two though, if you have pets! :( The most famous use I recall was by Deborah Harry when renting down the street from the CBGB club. :) If its good enough for the stars, its good enough for me. :)
Regardless of working methods... the chance you'll be able to rid the bugs from just your apartment, while they're running rampant in the complex, is highly unlikely. I agree with the advice of calling the local health department and leaving. Assume you're going to kiss the deposit goodbye, but they'll have a tough time getting more money out of you, so if your deposit wasn't too significant, pack up and leave. You'll be in a better state of mind to fight the lease argument when you aren't wondering if that was a breeze or a****oach on your foot!
I recall killing one in Redlands (a town with its own sewer system, and roach problem) that was so large, I was concerned the width of my shoe was not enough to prevent me taking shrapnel. eek. hate 'em, hate 'em, hate 'em.
Hoorah for responsible apartment complexes that spray everywhere. Been in my apartment over five months and only seen two moths and five lycee flies (those green things!).
Good luck. :)
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/7/2006 2:37:19 PM | I got out of two leases simply by not paying rent.
They evicted me.
Of course, I didn't state I was never going to pay rent - I simply said I lost my job and I'm trying *real* hard to find another - that's why I'm out everyday from 8am to 5pm.
They didn't pursue legal action - was a waste of their time. So - no bad credit and out of the hellholes.
Just be careful if you try this approach - make sure they don't stomp ya with legailities.
AND - roaches can cause flare-up of allergies, esp. asthma - just say you have it and need those bugs gone, or you are due to health reasons. | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/7/2006 5:49:14 PM | Whoa, all this information is amazing....I am going to pursue a lot of them.....it's hard to walk away from my deposit as it is a lot of money to just walk away from, but I will go to the store and check out the Borax and the Combat......
The crappy thing is that my mom lives in the next building and she has no roaches.....one of the guys who came in and sprayed told me that a lot of people in my building with roaches are the ones who have neighbours who are gross in their habits or the previous tenants were real nasty and an infestation started up and continued.
But all I know is that I am sick of seeing them....even when I go a whole day without seeing them, knowing that I could see one makes me gag.....can I tell ya that I don't even eat in my apartment.....lol. Thank goodness mama lives so close
Anyways I will check these out and let you all know how they work. | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/7/2006 5:57:25 PM | Brownsugar, i haven't read through all the comments here but if they are not doing a proper job of rectifying the problem, you should persue Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal.
You are renting, therfore this is a problem they are legally responsible for. | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/7/2006 6:02:13 PM | The Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal is one of Ontario’s “quasi-judicial” tribunals. “Quasi-judicial” means “almost like a court of law.”
The Tribunal was created with the enactment of the Tenant Protection Act in June, 1998. The Act gives residential landlords and tenants specific rights and obligations, and sets out a process for how these rights and obligations can be exercised and enforced.
The Act also sets certain rules governing rent increases for residential rental accommodation, and gives the Tribunal authority to enforce these rules.
In general, the role or mandate of the Tribunal is to:
Resolve disputes between landlords and tenants through either mediation or adjudication
Regulate rent increases in most residential rental dwellings, and
Educate landlords and tenants about the rights and obligations each has under the Tenant Protection Act.
Because of its quasi-judicial status, the Tribunal is an independent agency. Any decision which the Tribunal makes about the rights or obligations of individual landlords or tenants is not subject to any influence or direction by any Member of Provincial Parliament or Minister of the Crown.
Members of the Tribunal
A ‘Member’ of the Tribunal is an “adjudicator” who makes a decision about the rights or obligations which a tenant or landlord has under the Tenant Protection Act. The decision results from an application made to the Tribunal by a landlord or tenant.
Members are appointed to the Tribunal by the Ontario Government for a specific term or period of time, and have a variety of educational and work backgrounds in such fields as public service, teaching, law or business.
The head of the Tribunal is called the Chair, who is assisted by three Regional Vice Chairs and one at-large Vice Chair.
You can view a complete list of Members using the link shown below. You may read the biography of any Member by clicking on his or her name.
Staff of the Tribunal
Information about the rights and obligations of tenants and landlords under the Tenant Protection Act, and the Tribunal’s operations and procedures, is provided by Customer Service Representatives. These representatives are based in the Tribunal’s offices throughout Ontario.
The Tribunal has also a team of Mediators, who work with landlords and tenants to resolve certain types of disputes through mutual agreement. Click here to view the Mediator's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
To contact a Customer Service Representative, you may:
Call the Tribunal’s toll-free telephone information service at 416-645-8080 from within Toronto calling area or 1-888-332-3234 from outside Toronto. Representatives are available Monday to Friday, except holidays, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Visit any of the Tribunal’s Offices throughout Ontario during the same hours.
The location of Tribunal offices can be found through the link shown below. | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/7/2006 6:51:16 PM | I would trap them and bring them to the rental office. Don't assume that just becuase otheres live there that they know what you're going through. Years ago I have just moved into a new place and heard a sound under my fridge. I set a trap and sure enough I had a resident mouse. When I told the manager he was shocked. Then we both realized that I was the only person in the building who didn't have a pet - figured little dead mousy knew that. I never had another mouse problem.
So trap 'em, deliver 'em with your requests that they be terminated. Crap I'd videotape 'em for evidence. (Make sure to trap a bunch in a confined area to make it look like your place is "crawling" with them!) | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/8/2006 3:39:41 PM | Whatatrip....I like that idea....trapping them all so it looks like there is a lot.....I hate creepy crawlies but lately I have been thinking I should change my profession to exterminator....lol
I am looking into some of the items listed on here from posters and today my mom bought me some stuff I'm gonna go home and try.......we'll see how this works.
** I called and spoke with someone in the office today at the Rental place and I was told unofficially that if the building is making the effort (which I guess they did as they did come and spray) then I am going to have a hard time breaking my lease**
Roadblock one.....
Thanks all | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/8/2006 4:27:03 PM | | you are not stuck there for a year. Make a case for your roach problem.. Letters to the landlord, video tape, photo's. If the landlord does not respond in 30 days you can break the lease. You cannot be forced to live in unsanitary or unliveable conditions. | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/10/2006 5:14:05 PM |
you are not stuck there for a year. Make a case for your roach problem.. Letters to the landlord, video tape, photo's. If the landlord does not respond in 30 days you can break the lease. You cannot be forced to live in unsanitary or unliveable conditions.
None of this is true. In Ontario one cannot simply "break a lease". It must be put in front of an adjudicator at the ORHT, and the adjudicator grants the Tenant the right to terminate the Lease early.
Brownsugar, since you are in Etobicoke, you would fall under the catchment area for the ORHT South. You're lucky. They are very pro-Tenant there versus the north location. | |
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| Uhm, was that a cockroach I saw?
Posted: 11/10/2006 5:39:30 PM | http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/IC406.pdf.
The trick to effectively treating****oach residential infestations is to think like one.
Oh joy, we get to put on our****oach thinking caps.
Boric acid also kills hatchlings. | |
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