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February 26, 2008
New Chinese landlord...lots of mice...and they dont care.
We are currently looking for a house, but until then I have to deal with this:
My row house in Bensonhurst was recently bought by a Chinese family of some sort. They moved into the basement (all 7 of them!) and little by little the tenants in the 3 other apartments moved out. This was due to the horrid smell of the new landlords cooking as they open the basement door and let the food stink up the hall (please forgive me for venting). I have lived in this building for 8 years...I have hosted the block party for 5 years and now I am being run out of my apartment and my street. My building used to be owned by a nice Italian man....now this. Now there are mice EVERYWHERE. The WHOLE building is Chinese now. When I asked the landlord to get rid of the mice, she said "no no...this is normal in Chinatown...they wont hurt you". WHAT? I live in Bensonhurst...not Chinatown. All the tenants leave some cabbage and lettuce substance in bags outside their doors and do not throw it away. I have asked them numerous times to throw out their garbage but they pretend not to speak English (unreal!). At night the mice are in the bags. I don't know how people can live like this. These people are pigs. What should my wife and I do? I have called 311 but the operator was no help. I do not want to live with mice. With the real estate market as bad as it is...I really don't see us moving anytime soon. The landlord clearly is not going to do anything...she actually said "Oh...I hear them every night in the ceiling...there are lots of them".
Please help!
Comments
Buy a couple of cats
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 3:46 PM
What is a chinese family of some sort?
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 3:51 PM
Not sure there is much else to do but move out - sad that you have to especially if your happy, but unless there are lives in danger no agency is going to come running to your rescue. The DOH or any other agency may drag their feet in responding to your needs. Sorry that you have to pay rent under these conditions.
As a side note I went to an open house where Chinese people lived and could not complete the walk through because of the smell of the house, so I know what you mean.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 3:51 PM
Fake post designed to start race war comments. No bensonhurst renters who claim to have no interest in buying their own place read brownstoner.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 3:51 PM
This is dumb question - if you don't want to live in these conditions, then your choice is to move. Go look at apartments for rent.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 3:57 PM
Hmmm--I agree: get some cats. Bye-bye mice.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 4:11 PM
No, this is a real post...I found this site because we are looking to buy a Victorian.
Easy for you to say to go look for a different place. Dont you think that if you lived somewhere for so long and became good friends with people on your street that you would be upset also?
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 4:11 PM
I said Chinese family of some sort because I am asked to write my check out to a different name every month...I dont know if this is a family or a bunch of friends. They dont speak to me.
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 4:12 PM
Don't get a cat, the cat will disappear.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 4:13 PM
I wouldn't live in these conditions just to stay on a street with my friends. I didn't say I wouldn't be upset - but I'd be less upset once I moved.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 4:15 PM
Don't see how cats would help in this situation, unless your cats wandered the halls and other apartments as well as yours.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 4:16 PM
It makes no sense to move if we are looking for a house...We want to move asap...there is just nothing on the market.
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 4:17 PM
What kind of advice were you looking for really? your only option is to move, if you are not going to move until the market turns around then I guess you have to deal with the horrid smell and mice!
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 4:22 PM
Who can we call?
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 4:23 PM
I couldn't not live in the conditions you are describing. I would be moving instead of typing.
Ultimately, you really can't do much. You can make complaints but you have to live with it all the while.
Not worth it. Even if you are looking, find a short term rental. If you know everyone on the block, Im sure someone knows someone with a vacancy.
Posted by: Mrs. Limestone at February 26, 2008 4:23 PM
Tonights dinner is some terrible smelling fish...its coming into my apartment from under the door. So much for the baked ziti with caprese we were planning on having.
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 4:43 PM
You could move. Though it seems you might be racist and that will not help your prejudice.
Posted by: bruce_in_toronto at February 26, 2008 4:44 PM
You should call in the Klan. Apparently that's who you want. They'll come in and get rid of these Chinese so you can go back to having Italians.
Why do you need to specify the ethnic origin of the people you detail in your post? You are a bigot. Please do not come rent in my neighborhood.
PS. It's not your apartment or your street. You never owned the street and if you wanted to own your apartment, you should have outibid the current owners when the "nice Italian man" sold.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 4:45 PM
"So much for the baked ziti with caprese we were planning on having."
do you people really still believe this is a real post?
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 4:46 PM
You people are unreal...what a stupid thing to say ". It's not your apartment or your street. You never owned the street and if you wanted to own your apartment, you should have outibid the current owners when the "nice Italian man" sold"
...lol. You dont think I realize that? I just like where I live. Im not racist...I just dont want to live in a house with Chinese people who think its ok to live with mice. Wouldnt you be upset?
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 4:50 PM
And by the way...whats wrong with Bensonhurst? One poster thinks Im racist...but you have something against people from Bensonhurst? You probably never even met someone from Bensonhurst....and even if you did, what makes them so sub human to you?
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 4:53 PM
The OP is the guy who is always boosting Bay Ridge as pretty much the best neighborhood in Brooklyn. Makes perfect sense...
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 4:54 PM
"Im not racist...I just dont want to live in a house with Chinese people who think its ok to live with mice. "
If the shoe fits. You appear a tad racist. Maybe wholeheartedly racist.
Posted by: bruce_in_toronto at February 26, 2008 4:54 PM
So whats wrong with Bay Ridge now?
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 4:56 PM
If it's a real post, and you are being asked to write checks to a different party each month, just stop paying the rent. When you are taken to housing court, use violation of your right to habitability as a defense. Else move. They probably want you out anyway, so they can move in some more people.
Posted by: denton at February 26, 2008 4:56 PM
This WAS a real post...now Im taking offense from all the people coming at me here. By the way...Park Slope was a ghetto a few years back....none of you would have lived there then. You are all like nomads...live where you can because its cool at that time. Why didnt any of you live in Dumbo or Park Slope 10 years ago? Because your all nomads...you'll live in NYC for your short time and then will move somewhere else. So dont tell me anything about people from Bensonhurst or Bay Ridge. Become a real New Yorker and then talk to me.
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 5:00 PM
That's what I would do - stop paying rent - your position will hold up in court I'm sure. Also, since you don't want to move immediately, it can't hurt to get some cats - you could offer yourself as a foster home so you don't have to do it long term.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:03 PM
Fake post. Next.
Posted by: Putnamdenizen at February 26, 2008 5:04 PM
I will call you out on the racist nature of your post. Although it sounds as though your new landlord and new neighbors are living in nasty and possibly illegal conditions, their race has nothing to do with it. You could have posted everything you said without ever mentioning that they are Chinese, and your post would have been more credible and more sympathetic.
That said, you do have some rights as a tenant and if you want to exercise them, you can. It is naturally a long and legalistic process. I would start by checking out tenant.net, which has some good resources. Then talk to legal service providers in your area - Legal Aid, South Brooklyn Legal Services, etc - and see if they can help. There are laws about what conditions landlords have to keep their buildings in, and if the laws are violated, you can make a complaint in housing court. Talk to a lawyer and make the appropriate complaint. In the meantime, document evidence of the mice, etc, and keep a diary of each time you speak to your landlord. That will be helpful in housing court. Be aware, though, that you're not going to be able to wave a wand and make these problems stop.It will take persistence on your part and, if I were you, I'd drop the racist attitude, which will most certainly not be looked upon kindly by a judge.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:05 PM
Oh, so now the bigot is bashing nomads. You are definitely a racist.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:07 PM
You are all calling me racist...my wife is half Chinese. Im just telling you they are Chinese because everyone knows how Chinatown looks like...and the landlord made a connection to Chinatown.
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 5:08 PM
Who's a nomad? I lived here in Park Slope long before you moved into that apartment 8 years ago.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:09 PM
And how many times did you get robbed 5:09? I never got robbed here.
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 5:10 PM
But do they have a Babeland in Bay Ridge???
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:11 PM
THIS IS 100% FAKE!!!!
someone on another thread today made a crack about chinese moving to Bensonhurst and this ahole is taking it and running!!!
PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND TO THEM ANY LONGER!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:11 PM
The Chinese invading Bensonhurst??! Too bad. I guess Bensonhurst will go the way of Little Italy.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:12 PM
Where is that thread....I want to see it. There are tons of Chinese in Bensonhurst. You all better hope they dont come to Park Slope.
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 5:13 PM
If your wife is 1/2 Chinese, you shouldn't have a problem. Get her to make nice and they'll probably be more considerate.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:13 PM
That's funny, my husband is 1/2 Italian and he leaves pizza boxes everywhere. We have cats which kept the mice at bay, but the rats have taken over the rest of the apartment. The Polish landlord thinks they are pets and the Chinese neighbors think that they are good luck since it's the year of the rat. I feel for you Tim.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:14 PM
This is cracking me up...I can't take it anymore.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:17 PM
5;14 is right on!
We had cats on the street but someone called the ASPCA and they came and took them away. Cats rock. I need to get more cats around here...thats all I needed to know.
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 5:22 PM
no one is racist here dude...just a little fun in the sun.
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 5:24 PM
Get 2-3 cats. That's it. That's all you should do.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:26 PM
"You are all calling me racist...my wife is half Chinese."
That means nothing. Most sexist pigs have wives who are 100% women.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:29 PM
If they are Chinese, maybe they are buddist in which case, they cannot kill mice.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 5:32 PM
Your 1/2 Chinese wife must be SUPER HOT.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 6:34 PM
Can't you just call that "nice Italian man" or one of his pals to sort this situation out for you.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 6:41 PM
Personally, I prefer Koreans...
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 6:57 PM
Call the department of health.
Go to housing court and file an hp proceeding. (housing part).
Pro Se will help you with the paperwork free of charge.
The court provides you with a free lawyer no matter what your income
The court will send you a court appointed inspector to verify conditions.
Posted by: Ysabelle at February 26, 2008 6:57 PM
Ysabelle, will they provide a lawyer to defend the landlords' rights to practice their religion? They cannot and will not kill mice that may be their ancestors reincarnate.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 7:01 PM
"Personally, I prefer Koreans..."
No, no, no. The kimchee smell is so overpowering. You never get it out.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 7:01 PM
Learn chinese and play mah jongg with the mice.
Posted by: Ysabelle at February 26, 2008 7:08 PM
To guest 7:01 pm
If the Chinese feel there is some form of religious persecution going on they can file their grievence with human rights commission.
Human rights attorney will represent their interest free of charge as well.
This is not based on income.
Everybody has rights in ny.
Posted by: Ysabelle at February 26, 2008 7:16 PM
To guest 7:01pm......Believe it lr not......the mice have rights, too.
there are dozens of animal activist groups in ny that do just that......represent animals.
Posted by: Ysabelle at February 26, 2008 7:23 PM
call 311 and report the basement apt with the DOB . they will get a violation from the DOB and they will be forced to move out of there
call 311 and file a complaint with the dept of housing . You can really fuck em if you want to
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 7:29 PM
Nah....the owner lives in the basement. They have I dont know how many people living there. Its so crazy...why would anyone want to live with so many people?
Posted by: dssguy99 at February 26, 2008 7:34 PM
Real or not, I just couldn't stop laughing. I wonder if the Chinese owners would eat the cats?
If there's any truth to this, the renter should call 311 to report the infestation.
They should look on ACRIS to see who actually owns their building.
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 8:40 PM
I don't know why fake posts using racist language are "funny." No, I just checked, and they aren't.
Posted by: Putnamdenizen at February 26, 2008 9:37 PM
I want to see pics of the OP's Hot Wife - Any chance you can post a few?
Posted by: guest at February 26, 2008 10:00 PM
move out of bensonhurst you racist scum join your brothern in li or nj or staten island.
Posted by: armchairwarrior at February 27, 2008 2:13 AM
Sorry to hear about your living condition. It must be unpleasant to live with garbage and mice. That said, there's not much you can do about the food/cooking smell. Even if your landlord cleans the building, they will not change their diet. Everybody eats differently, and what appeals to you doen't neccessarily appeal to them. They might find your baked ziti smell offensive. You live in NY, and it's not unusal that your next door neighbor doesn't share the same cultural value or even common sense. That's what makes NY great for some people and hard to live for some people like you.
Posted by: guest at February 27, 2008 10:06 AM
OP is the same poster who's posted nasty racist comments in the past about all Brooklyn neighborhoods except his. Way to promote the stereotype, dssguy.
Posted by: guest at February 27, 2008 11:16 AM
dssguy also posts as nycityguy99 with the same racist BS about how he is looking for a victorian in Ditmas Park.
Posted by: guest at February 27, 2008 8:40 PM
chinese can't trust them,dirty peopple worst then jews,you don't like to bad its the true.
Posted by: dj at October 25, 2008 11:18 PM
italians were doing a good job in bensonhurst,that is why everybody loves bensonhurst,once italians moves out,bensonhurst turn in to shit, same in every other neighborhood, we build they take down, and soo go on, some time people dont like other people for what they do,not for who they are,u don't like italians,u go fuck your self,you do, you are my friend.this is my neighborhood and im staying,and no fucking chinese is going to move me out.
Posted by: dj at October 25, 2008 11:33 PM
you know what makes this neighborhood also bad all this chinese prostitute a you want one go to graigslist pick your chinese girl, cmon you people don't you see they are destroying yours my the people that build this neighborhood,and don't tink for a minute that i have no life because i got a good life.
Posted by: dj at October 26, 2008 12:05 AM
How's that "bigot" flag coming Brownstoner?
It pains me to let "dj" have the final word on a thread that everyone thought was dead, but I know none of this garbage is worth responding to.
Newsflash: there are more than 3 million Chinese people in the US (errr, at least according to wikipedia) and like the how ever many million white people in the US, they run the gamut. Some of them are asshats, some of them are delightful. Some of them are bigots. Some of them are slumlords. If your landlord is a POS, your landlord is a POS. It has fuck all to do with them being Chinese.
Which you already know or are committed to not knowing. One or the other.
Posted by: serpentor at October 26, 2008 10:36 PM
PS. Why do the worst bigots always have the worst grammar? Or do I just tolerate well phrased bigotry more willingly?
Posted by: serpentor at October 26, 2008 10:39 PM
rodents is good eatings, in a Bensonhurst's bunker
Posted by: Cant Truss It at October 27, 2008 11:58 PM
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