Should I rent an apartment in a building that has been fumigated for bed bugs?
March 22, 2011 8:47 PM Subscribe
Should I rent an apartment in a building that was fumigated for bed bugs 6 months ago? (This is in NYC, of course.)
I found an apartment today (a small 1-bedroom in a great area of Manhattan) that I'd like to take. The person who showed me the place (the current tenant) needs to know via email by midnight tonight — 15 minutes from now! The problem: she admitted that there were bedbugs in the 5-story building 6 months ago, which is right around when she moved in. The place was then fumigated. She said she's never seen bed bugs there, and as far as she knows they've never been in her specific apartment.
I know from Googling (and looking at past AskMes) that one-time fumigation isn't a panacea.
I don't know any of the details of how many times it was fumigated, etc. She still uses a mattress cover.
I'm not pressed for time in finding an apartment. However, I think this seems like a rare deal overall, and I'm tempted to jump on it. Without the bed bugs issue, I would take the place.
But — this is my question: would I be an idiot to take it knowing what I know about bed bugs?
I found an apartment today (a small 1-bedroom in a great area of Manhattan) that I'd like to take. The person who showed me the place (the current tenant) needs to know via email by midnight tonight — 15 minutes from now! The problem: she admitted that there were bedbugs in the 5-story building 6 months ago, which is right around when she moved in. The place was then fumigated. She said she's never seen bed bugs there, and as far as she knows they've never been in her specific apartment.
I know from Googling (and looking at past AskMes) that one-time fumigation isn't a panacea.
I don't know any of the details of how many times it was fumigated, etc. She still uses a mattress cover.
I'm not pressed for time in finding an apartment. However, I think this seems like a rare deal overall, and I'm tempted to jump on it. Without the bed bugs issue, I would take the place.
But — this is my question: would I be an idiot to take it knowing what I know about bed bugs?
Depends. Some people don't have reactions to bed bugs. Are you one of them?
posted by dfriedman at 8:49 PM on March 22, 2011
posted by dfriedman at 8:49 PM on March 22, 2011
There were bugs in the building, but not in the apartment? You are probably okay.
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:52 PM on March 22, 2011
posted by roomthreeseventeen at 8:52 PM on March 22, 2011
Response by poster: Depends. Some people don't have reactions to bed bugs. Are you one of them?
Possibly. But I'd like for another person to be able to sleep in my bed with full disclosure + peace of mind.
(My one encounter with bed bugs: I stayed in a hotel with my then-girlfriend; she got lots of bed-bug marks; we later found them crawling on the bed to confirm they were definitely bed-bug marks; yet I was fine.)
posted by John Cohen at 8:53 PM on March 22, 2011
Possibly. But I'd like for another person to be able to sleep in my bed with full disclosure + peace of mind.
(My one encounter with bed bugs: I stayed in a hotel with my then-girlfriend; she got lots of bed-bug marks; we later found them crawling on the bed to confirm they were definitely bed-bug marks; yet I was fine.)
posted by John Cohen at 8:53 PM on March 22, 2011
Response by poster: There were bugs in the building, but not in the apartment?
To be clear, all I know is that the reason the whole building was fumigated is that someone in another apartment in the building saw bed bugs. She moved in right around the time this was happening, and she says she's never seen bed bugs there. It's possible that there have bed bugs in her specific apartment but she never saw them, or maybe a previous tenant saw them and didn't say anything. Of course, this is all taking her word for it.
posted by John Cohen at 8:56 PM on March 22, 2011
To be clear, all I know is that the reason the whole building was fumigated is that someone in another apartment in the building saw bed bugs. She moved in right around the time this was happening, and she says she's never seen bed bugs there. It's possible that there have bed bugs in her specific apartment but she never saw them, or maybe a previous tenant saw them and didn't say anything. Of course, this is all taking her word for it.
posted by John Cohen at 8:56 PM on March 22, 2011
Fumigation doesn't kill bedbugs. Proper spraying does. If the place was fumigated/fogged and not sprayed, I would be a bit worried, should you end up with bedbugs, that the landlord would rehire this exterminator that doesn't seem to know the first thing about them.
posted by $5 at 9:08 PM on March 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by $5 at 9:08 PM on March 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Sorry, I was just using "fumigated" as a generic term for extermination. I don't know what exact method was used.
posted by John Cohen at 9:11 PM on March 22, 2011
posted by John Cohen at 9:11 PM on March 22, 2011
You're going to get subjective answers on this from both sides. For what it's worth, my answer: yes, you'd be an idiot for moving in. But I had an awful experience with the goddamn bugs 3 years ago.
posted by thebabelfish at 9:14 PM on March 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by thebabelfish at 9:14 PM on March 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Unless it's a furnished apartment, I really wouldn't worry about it. Most of the bugs will be hanging out in the bed or couch, so if they're going, that's most of the risk eliminated. Any other hiding places--the little crack under the baseboard, etc.--are easily handled by blowing diatomaceous earth into them, which is cheap and easy and safe enough to do yourself.
Besides, you're probably going to be bringing bedbugs into your home anyway if you ever go to movie theatres or restaurants or hotels or pretty much anywhere else.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:55 PM on March 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Besides, you're probably going to be bringing bedbugs into your home anyway if you ever go to movie theatres or restaurants or hotels or pretty much anywhere else.
posted by Sys Rq at 10:55 PM on March 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Hell no. Those suckers can reappear with avengence. It's not worth it.
posted by nothing too obvious at 11:59 PM on March 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by nothing too obvious at 11:59 PM on March 22, 2011 [1 favorite]
Yes, you would be a huge idiot.
posted by yarly at 5:15 AM on March 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by yarly at 5:15 AM on March 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: It is furnished! I should have mentioned that.
Besides, you're probably going to be bringing bedbugs into your home anyway if you ever go to movie theatres or restaurants or hotels or pretty much anywhere else.
That's kind of what I was thinking. Also, my workplace had a bed bug infestation a while ago (it was exterminated before I started working there). And back when I was interviewing for this job, I stayed at several hotels that have been reported to have bed bugs. I take this risk all the time, and there'd be no assurance that any other apartment I take won't have them.
posted by John Cohen at 5:18 AM on March 23, 2011
Besides, you're probably going to be bringing bedbugs into your home anyway if you ever go to movie theatres or restaurants or hotels or pretty much anywhere else.
That's kind of what I was thinking. Also, my workplace had a bed bug infestation a while ago (it was exterminated before I started working there). And back when I was interviewing for this job, I stayed at several hotels that have been reported to have bed bugs. I take this risk all the time, and there'd be no assurance that any other apartment I take won't have them.
posted by John Cohen at 5:18 AM on March 23, 2011
I don't think your risk of bed bugs there is any worse than anywhere else in NY. You choose to live in NY, you risk bed bugs.
posted by amro at 6:45 AM on March 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by amro at 6:45 AM on March 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
Well its past midnight but in case you're still wondering, I say don't take it! If you take it, every night you will lie awake in bed imagining that you feel something crawling on you. It's not worth it!
posted by silverstatue at 8:38 AM on March 23, 2011
posted by silverstatue at 8:38 AM on March 23, 2011
Any other hiding places--the little crack under the baseboard, etc.--are easily handled by blowing diatomaceous earth into them, which is cheap and easy and safe enough to do yourself.
If only it were this easy. OP, bedbugs leave terrible, itchy bites (like 10x worse than mosquitoes), and can live for up to a year without feeding.
If you value your sleep, do not take this place.
posted by yarly at 11:10 AM on March 23, 2011
If only it were this easy. OP, bedbugs leave terrible, itchy bites (like 10x worse than mosquitoes), and can live for up to a year without feeding.
If you value your sleep, do not take this place.
posted by yarly at 11:10 AM on March 23, 2011
bedbugs leave terrible, itchy bites (like 10x worse than mosquitoes)
FWIW, that's not been my experience at all. They just leave some little red bumps. YMMV.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:51 AM on March 24, 2011
FWIW, that's not been my experience at all. They just leave some little red bumps. YMMV.
posted by Sys Rq at 2:51 AM on March 24, 2011
I'm currently in a place that has had them before. While I had misgivings about moving here, I realized while researching on the bedbugregistry that my old building had a few issues as well (despite it being brand spanking new as of two years ago). I never had any problems there and I've been fine here. So far, anyway... I think it's only a matter of time before the whole city is infested at this rate.
posted by telomere at 3:44 AM on March 24, 2011
posted by telomere at 3:44 AM on March 24, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. I did express an interest in taking the apartment, but I never heard back from her. And now I just got a different apartment, so it's a moot point!
posted by John Cohen at 9:09 PM on March 25, 2011
posted by John Cohen at 9:09 PM on March 25, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
My answer: No.
posted by jchaw at 8:49 PM on March 22, 2011