Forum Archive: Posts by: ettay

Hello All,

So I’ve been having bug problems in my rented 1BR in Park Slope since January 2010 (I moved in November 1, 2009, spent half of December home for the holidays and came back to National Geo). I posted about a particularly bad fly infestation I had back in March: http://www.brownstoner.com/forum/archives/2010/03/flies_a_la_amit.php

Anyway, since then I’ve also had ants, house centipedes and daddy long-legs. Every time I ask my landlord for an exterminator, it’s always some excuse about how busy he is, and weeks later the landlord’s mom (who lives downstairs) will drop off some spray or Raid or bait.

Today I woke up and killed 12 flies in my tiny apartment before noon (and I am still killing them as I type – great way to spend Independence Day). I then had a lovely exchange with the absentee landlord, who basically told me that:

1. I’m making it up
2. He’s only legally obligated to take care of the rats and roaches (the people upstairs have rats, which is of course why I have flies)
3. This problem started when I moved in (meaning it’s my fault – he also blames the people upstairs for the mice)
4. He won’t fix the problem and he won’t believe me, but I can’t move out until my lease is out at the end of October.

Because he’s being so sketchy, I’m worried that he will come up with some crazy reason to not give me back my deposit even if I do stick out the rest of my lease — in which case I’d rather leave than spending the next 4 months stressed and not having slept, living in a pesticide haze.

So my question is, how do I make sure that I get my deposit back after I get through this ordeal? Is there anything I can do *legally* to get out of this situation?