Hi, I'm new here- hello!
To give you some background, my boyfriend and I love New York City's West Village. It has old charm, old buildings, and Washington Square Park. We saw a place with cheap-ish rent, a good sized bed room, and kind of the dirty city charm you can love. We jumped on it and rolled our eyes when we we presented with a notification in our lease that bed bugs had been in our building throughout the last year. It was smoothed over and we enjoyed our first week.
SUNDAY: We just moved- literally moved in May 5. We've gotten to know our neighbors, but oops I never checked HPD online (nyc complaints) for the building. So, late night on Sunday I read that the building has had two complaints in separate units within the year regarding bed bugs. One was across the hall from us.
I am panicked now.
MONDAY: I call the super- I demand more details. I asked, was our unit infested? He tells me yes, 9 months ago. Freaking AWESOME. I ask, "when was the last time the building had an infestation?". He tells me, "oh, the unit upstairs and diagonal from you was treated 2 and a half months ago and we treated your unit, too". Okay, okay I breathe. I hop online see what we can do- see what options we have. I find these little buggers travel fast. Damnit, I'm panicked again.
I scour the apartment and find two dead bed bugs.
Now, I'm frenzied with panic- we just put clothes in the drawers. I go out and buy an encasement, I start scratching and then I see my arms start to get two tiny welts. I see my super taking the garbage out downstairs- I show him my mysterious new scratches. He freaks- we get an exterminator to check my unit the next morning.
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY: Exterminator comes and says, "you're good". I demand it's not enough this is too much we need a dog. I also wasn't present for inspection so now I email management, letting them know I NEED TO BE PRESENT for INSPECTION. Panic, panic, panic. I talk to a co-worker who had BB she says, girl if the dog doesn't find them- you'll be okay. I feel better but it still doesn't feel right.
THURSDAY: They get a sniffing dog, the dog also says you're good.
HOWEVER, down the hall- they found the little guys (apparently "unhatched" eggs) in the radiator. I AM LIVID. I JUST MOVED HERE. I went out last night to celebrate the fact that the exterminator and dog, Jack told us we were home free- plus I need a drink from this debacle and our stupidity in signing a lease here.
FYI: management told me that this was the only thing they found and while I was home I listened in when the dog and super went into every unit and they came out clean from the ones they entered. I wasn't around the whole time but the super is panicked so I suspect he did a bunch of units.
My superintendent, at 10pm, sends me an email "yeah, I had bites last week- we did a prelim spray with an exterminator but now we will service the whole unit and do the garbage room downstairs even though we didn't find anything."
Okay that was nice. But- dude, am I SAFE? I'm going to Home Depot to get DE, caulk to seal the hell hole unit. I want to break our lease but my boyfriend loves this place but man this is actual hell. I can't sleep or eat. Can someone please give me some advice- I have called exterminators just to get opinions and I am so scared that I won't be able to enjoy my year here.