Renting an apartment - cockroach advice...

[julz88]

Renting an apartment in University City, Philly, and the last 6-7 weeks we have been dealing with a pretty bad roach problem.

Now in my landlord's defense, they are not ignoring there is an issue, and usually send someone out to spray the apartment with chemicals within a couple of days, but within a week or two they are back. Residents from the other units have also complained about the issue. I've been told that in a building as old as this, once they are in, its pretty much impossible to rid of them

Anyway, my question is what should my next move be? Like I said they are taking action, but not drastic enough IMO. Am I within my rights to say that more needs to be done or I'm looking for a new place and breaking my lease?

[Cabby-Blitz]

I could recommend some other approaches but will refrain from doing so because it sounds like the landlord is trying to remedy the situation as best they can. I have tried nearly everything on the market to rid roaches from one of my places and they still come back.

Just a note if you move, they will move with you in your furniture and you most likely will end up with them in your next place.

[Mk1Racer]

The only thing I'll say is leave everything you have there when you move, or you'll be taking them w/ you. Take all your clothes to a laundry, and wash them twice. Definitely don't take any furniture. Unless of course, you go at least 6 months w/o seeing any evidence of them.

[unimogken]

[moonstation 2000]

I used the stuff available at Lowes to get rid of a roach problem. Once one roach eats the poison and dies, the others eat that one and they die etc. I believe the stuff was made by Combat, came in a big syringe, comes out as a brown paste that you apply along your baseboard and various cracks where the insects live/enter the apartment. You can also get the powder at Lowes, it works well too. I was very happy with the Combat stuff, it killed the roaches and there was never a comeback.

I lived in Long Island for a while and had roaches and the landlord hired pros who came and sprayed every two weeks and there were no noticable results.

If you don't have any luck getting rid of them then be careful when you move, as others have said they will come with you. I've heard that if you can move in winter, you can leave your stuff out in the cold (like in the back of a moving truck) and it will kill them.

Good luck, roaches suck!

[Slayer]

get a bag of food grade diatomaceous earth.. it's non toxic, you can eat it, etc.. it's a fine powder, so obviously don't breathe in plumes of it, but dust everything well. Its like crawling through glass for bugs with waxy exoskeletons, so they get cuts and dehydrate because of it, and they carry it around with them too.

We used this to rid the house from a flea infestation that just wouldn't go away.. Had a load of sand delivered for under a slab, and it must have been loaded.. the bastards were everywhere

[julz88]

Thanks for the suggestions. Will give some of the dust-type treatments a try since the situation is not getting any better.

Unacceptable that I am having to do the work when I'm paying so much in rent each month, but rental agency seem to think that spraying individual units every couple of weeks for the duration of our lease is a solution

I'm constantly on edge! Just sucks because we spend a fair amount of time cleaning the apartment but its all for nothing if a neighboring unit does care to do the same.