Just a few roaches, but...

June 16, 2009 9:14 PM

I've had roaches popping up in my apartment recently, but my lease is up in a few months. If I don't call an exterminator before I move out could I be stuck with an extermination fee?

i've never had too bad of a problem with roaches in my apt. Maybe once every 2 months or so one would pop out of nowhere and I'd start madly trying to kill the suckers while screaming like a schoolgirl (they don't come often enough that I get used to them), but then for several months, nothing.

So my assumption's always been that they're just coming up from the sewers once in a while to say hi, but recently I've had to encounter them once a week or so. Might be the summer setting on, but that's never got them coming out this often before. I've sporadically laid down boric acid under the fridge and such (especially today, after another one popped up on the wall up high and out of easy reach, and I missed a swing sending it straight to hiding under there...), but that hasn't really put a stop to them either.

My lease for my current apt runs out in 3,4 months and I've already been planning to move out for noise problems that occur during the winter. I'll definitely try doing some of the boric acid balls I saw on other threads in the meantime, but if it really was an infestation (even if mild) and self-remedy fails to get rid of them, could this become an easy excuse for the landlord to keep a chunk of my deposit?

I know those guys are spendy, but if I'm gonna be stuck with the bill anyway I might as well reap the benefits...

posted by Muu to home & garden (18 comments total)

It would definitely help to know where you live. In some places (like Sydney) roaches are much more common, and no landlord would care about the occasional big one that wanders in.
posted by web-goddess at 9:43 PM on June 16

Er... am I missing something here? Why don't you just contact your landlord and say you have roaches? Tell him to send an exterminator over.

In the meantime make sure you are being extra-clean and not leaving any food out.
posted by wfrgms at 9:46 PM on June 16

Can you ask your landlord?
posted by orange swan at 9:47 PM on June 16

roaches are about as ubiquitous as houseflies. unless the building you live in is brand spanking new, i cannot imagine they could pin the pests on you. i mean they didn't just materialize out of air, they came from somewhere initially (maybe the noisy apartment next door?) if you left piles of rotting trash in the apartment when you vacated, maybe the landlord would have a case. otherwise, i wouldn't consider hiring the exterminator yourself unless you personally cannot handle seeing them.
posted by cvilleluke at 9:50 PM on June 16

Hoy Hoy roach traps - non toxic glue trap style traps. $3.88 at walmart for 5. Will entirely eliminate your infestation of roaches within 30 days. Includes bait and cute little self adhesive 'doormats 'for your guests. (You don't need the doormats but they were a nice touch I thought.)
posted by Muirwylde at 10:04 PM on June 16

No idea where you are, but I've never heard of a landlord charging a tenant for extermination. Quite the contrary in fact-- barring extraordinary circumstances, it's generally the landlord's responsibility to keep the premises pest-free.
posted by dersins at 10:06 PM on June 16

You have this backward. Contact the landlord and ask him/her to arrange for an exterminator to visit.
posted by hermitosis at 10:11 PM on June 16

If possible, don't bring any house plants with you (they can live in the soil). Shake out your toaster really well before packing it. I wouldn't call an exterminator because you'll needlessly expose yourself to poison. Just clean up before you hand over the keys and be gone. Don't worry about it.
posted by bonobothegreat at 10:16 PM on June 16

Clean up really good, don't leave food out or any standing water anywhere. Put out the Raid bait "traps" (they don't trap the roach, but they eat the poison and carry it back to the next and that kills everyone in the next). You might find a few dead ones after that, but I've never seen any after putting out those bait things.

If that doesn't work, call your landlord. In most areas, this would be his responsibility, not yours.
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 6:02 AM on June 17

um, that should be "nest", not next. Off to get my coffee!
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 6:04 AM on June 17

You also want to be careful that you don't take any with you. So it might be better to have the landlord take care of it now!
posted by mokeydraws at 6:27 AM on June 17

They like cardboard boxes too, so be careful when you are packing and unpacking at new place.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:50 AM on June 17

Not to be a scare, but I can think of one case where a tenant was charged for extermination. Tenant's S.O. moved in with him, bringing with her lots of cardboard boxes that were already infested. They all got put into the basement, where the infestation spread to the rest of the townhouse complex, and became so bad that multiple townhouses needed to have an exterminator brought in by the community. When they traced it back, the bill went to the tenant of the house it originated in, due to the fact that they did nothing to stem it when it first came up.

This is an EXTREME circumstance, but it's a cautionary tale. Deal with them now, pack smart when you leave, and make sure you don't bring them with you. Notify the Landlord now, ask them to take care of it, and if need be, they can arrange for a more thorough inspection / extermination when you have moved out and no one is living in the apartment.
posted by GJSchaller at 7:24 AM on June 17

Don't expose yourself to the poison. I can't imagine it isn't the landlord's and not your responsibility, but even if it is yours, and even if you will be charged, it is better to avoid the poison.
posted by caddis at 7:48 AM on June 17

FWIW, my lease has a specific stipulation that any exterminator's fees are my responsibility, no matter what the creature. I live in the midwest US. I have gotten them to spray the grounds for carpenter bees that were eating the wooden steps, however. Maybe they will pay for something that covers the outside perimeter of your building?
posted by alygator at 8:16 AM on June 17

As a bit of a tangent, if you don't get rid of the roaches before you move, there's very good odds they'll hitch a ride to your new place in your boxes... so maybe you want to make sure they're all gone before you pack, for your own benefit.
posted by Billegible at 9:08 AM on June 17

When I had roaches in my last apartment, I found that Combat Roach Gel worked better than any other non-exterminator method I tried. It lasts for about 3 months, which sounds like it fits the timeline of the remainder of your lease. Apply it wherever you think the little buggers are nesting, and any other places (such as under the sink) you think they might hide.

When you move, pack everything up in sealable plastic bags (your local Target or Home Depot probably carries the boxes of giant Ziplocs) so the bugs will suffocate. I don't have advice to offer about large pieces of furniture, since I don't have that many. But the Ziplocs and vacuum-sealed wardrobe bags really helped me when I had a bedbug problem.
posted by mirepoix at 3:41 AM on June 18

And don't use cardboard boxes or open bags for your move.
posted by mirepoix at 3:42 AM on June 18