Need Bed Bug Advice
I am currently looking to rent a place on Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint. I love it! It’s perfect! When I first arrived to view the apartment I asked the Building Manager if there had ever been a history of Bed Bug infestation in the building. He seems to skip a beat for an instant, but…
I am currently looking to rent a place on Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint. I love it! It’s perfect! When I first arrived to view the apartment I asked the Building Manager if there had ever been a history of Bed Bug infestation in the building. He seems to skip a beat for an instant, but replied, “I’m not sure, I would have to check with the landlord.â€
The next day when we spoke on the phone to finalize some details he told me that three years ago the apartment directly above the one I was interested in had reported bed bugs. They apparently treated the entire building and I was told they haven’t had any problems since.
However, after the initial report an exterminator came and found bed bugs in all three apt.’s on that side of the 8 family building. The one above, the one I want and the one below. There were two old women living in the apartment I want to rent and the apartment below, they never reported bugs because they had no physical reaction to them. So even if a problem persisted, they may have never known.
Anyways, the apartment vacated because the old woman moved back to Poland and the place was gut-renovated. The old lady living above (where the infestation was said to originate) is also vacating and that place is going to be gut renovated too.
It seems a little odd to me that two of the three apartments said to be infested are now vacating and being gut-renovated, but the tenants did live there for like 30 years.
Do you think this place is probably okay to move into? It’s a great place and they said they could probably spray before I moved in to ease my mind. What do you think? Is it worth the risk?
if you do take the apt…..just be more cautious until the person is out and other place renovated. No hanging bedskirts or whatever you call those things and perhaps use metal frame on bed…they can’t crawl up…no rugs in bedroom for awhile. throw a slipcover over sofa.
A rent-stabilized apt. that you like is a godsend.
Even fancy coops on Park avenue get bedbugs.
Wow! HotelDetective…you really are a good detective!
Hotel Detective–
which apt?
if what i think it is, it’s my understanding the apt was treated after we moved out, but it’s hard to say how effective that will be b/c a lot of it has to do not even so much with ur apartment, but with who’s below/above you.
OnEasternParkway, I am the current tenant of your first “bedbug” apartment (and a good internet sleuth), and your posts are giving me palpitations. We moved in a few months after you moved out, so I keep reassuring myself that the owners were able to eradicate the bedbugs in those two months, but please feel free to chime in with your two cents.
dogs are expenseive (350 per visit) and depending on who you believe, either very reliable or a complete rip off.
after my experience I’d say the truth lies somewhere in between.
what is a rip off, and what I unfortunately fell for, is crylon spraying (spelled various ways) which is a “green” approach that involves freezing bedbugs.
it all sounds very nice and less harmful than chemicals (hence the expense), but long story short, it doesn’t really work.
it could be effective as a small part of a larger bed bug treatment plan, but any plan built around crylon is bound to fail (and cost a lot of money)
I hear they are pretty effective, but very expensive. I would imagine most property owners not wanting to front the money.
Aren’t bedbug sniffing dogs one of the best detectors? I’d live in a building with dogs any day : )
Bummer about the 7K. Alas!
Are the bugs finally gone at least?
it’s true, most of my 7k went to one of those “green” companies. they are a rip off.