Leaving 114 East 1st Street (#7)

We had to vacate our apartment this past Friday, as the pests made it uninhabitable. We had garbage-bagged all of our belongings, set multiple bed bug traps (including two simple CO2 passive monitors), spread diatomaceous earth around the perimeter of the bedroom and in plastic cups under each bed leg, called 311, etc. to no avail. I have literally over 100 insect bites all over my body that are extremely itchy and uncomfortable. We have found many rodent mites crawling all over our bodies after sitting on the couch or lying on the bed for just a few minutes - thankfully, there has been no sign of bed bugs yet. Needless to say, I am no longer comfortable staying in the apartment.

On Friday, an exterminator sprayed our apartment with an unspecified chemical - but did not address the underlying issue of the ongoing rodent infestation. After enduring four sleepless nights (and consequently having much reduced productivity during the day), we decided that we had had enough and have left 114 E. 1st St.

More trash in the hallway underneath the stairs and the fire egress is blocked by the rotting garbage. The stench is insufferable!

Several tenants have decided to leave the building.

Deepening crisis at 114 East 1st Street

Today random extermination of several apartments have been performed in the building without addressing the infestation building-wide. No entry point for the insects have been sealed in the apartments before. The exterminator refused to give us any information on what pesticide will be used and for which insect they are treating the selective apartments. I've been threatened with denial of services for asking questions. Separately, we've been told by independently consulted professionals that entry points need to be sealed before spraying pesticides and that randomly spraying individual apartments is going to push the bugs to other units and make the problem significantly worse.

Here is some information about rat mites: http://citybugs.tamu.edu/factsheets/biting-stinging/others/ent-3009/

The infestation is building-wide!

We have both: bed bug and rat mite infestations in the building. The landlord still claims that it is an isolated problem related to a single apartment. So far we have identified 9 apartments where tenants developed severe rashes. In one case a rat mite was caught in another a bed bug. We are still waiting for more inspections. Unless the entire building is treated the problem will persist. Unless we take an unified action insuring that we have a licensed, certified and insured exterminator, our apartments will become unlivable and our all our belongings will be contaminated. As far as we understand the issue the infestation may have spread throughout the building as a result of a perpetual concealment of the problem and an irresponsible extermination in a single apartment. Do not be bullied by the super asking you not to call 311 or talk to other tenants. This is our only guarantee that we will receive adequate help. Send an email to 114eastfirst@gmail.com to receive additional information about the tenant action.

More trash in hallways, the building is filthy and it reeks of decay

The rotten bed frame and the filthy mattress are still here as well. The rat colony is thriving. No sign of the management.

Ignored by the landlord the infestation continues. Memorial Day Weekend at 114 East 1st Street.

The decaying bed and filthy mattress are still in the hallway. Rats are feasting on garbage. Memorial Weekend at 114 East 1st Street in New York.

continuing biohazard contamination at 114 East 1st Street

This filthy, decaying bed and the mattress have been put out on the ground floor hallway of our building yesterday. Today it is still here. Rats still rummage through the trash. Tenants are afraid of entering the hallway not to mention the rat ridden trash platform. A tenant from the second floor has shown us a live rat mite he has caught onto a sticky tape in his apartment.

The debris from the hallway have been moved to apartment #2 spreading and further continuing the possible contamination

Ongoing contamination. The debris from #4 are still on the ground floor.

The trash from the bins have been removed today but the debris from apt. 4 are still on the ground floor. What could be the reason for this?

Important information!

According to the  http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/bedbugs/html/info/owners_tenants.shtml :

"Notice of Bed Bug Infestation History: New York City Administrative Code § 27-2018.1, which the Governor signed into law on August 31, 2010, mandates that new residential tenants in New York City be given a one-year bed bug infestation history. All State supervised rental and mutual housing companies in New York City are required to provide new residential tenants with a completed copy of this notice, which is also available on the agency's website. Learn more by visiting the Metropolitan Council on Housing page on Bed Bugs.

If a landlord fails to disclose bed bug history: Tenants can use the form
DBB-N Tenant’s Complaint of Owner’s Failure to Disclose Bed Bug Infestation History/Notice and Order:
Tenants have to call 1-866-275-3427 or call/visit one of the borough offices to request a copy of the form; the form will be mailed to the tenant’s address.

- See more at: http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/bedbugs/html/info/owners_tenants.shtml#sthash.lwZ4q88e.dpuf "

What we have been told is that the infestation in #4 went on for a very long time and another apartment on the main floor had this problem since they moved in 8 months ago. Birchwood Properties LLC not only does not provide new tenents with bed bug history but is actively concealing it.

Rats rule at 114 East 1st Street

This is the fire egress/trash storage zone tonight:

Where is Robert Spitalnick?

Broken windows, broken doors, cracked walls, pealing paint, hallways covered by layers of decomposing linoleum covered with coagulated filth, rats, stench of decay, overworked maintenance crew, and now the bed bug infestation that the management company is trying to hide from the tenants not yet affected.

In order to rent both store fronts the landlord moved the garbage area from the front of the building to the fire egress platform leading to the basement. This produces a garbage accumulation on the fire egress often blocking the way to the basement and inviting all sort of vermin. It also produces a major strain on the maintenance people who have to haul the trash to the front of the building for collection. Often the trash gets spilled in the process and the hallway reeks with decaying refuse. Not to mention the garbage from emptied apartments dangerously stored, in contempt of fire regulations, underneath the ground level staircase.

The management is trying to divide us claiming it's an isolated issue. It is not. So far, seven apartments, on three floors have reported being bitten. They try intimidating those who want to have this public by calling them troublemakers or rumor spreaders. Unless we come together there will be isolated attempts at extermination and cover up.

The Birchwood Properties LLC owner Robert Spitalnick is not available to address any of this.

Ever wondered why do we have bed bugs in the building?

This is the ground floor area. All the trash thrown out of the infested apartment has been sitting here for weeks. No surprise that the bugs spread.

WE HAVE A SEVERE BED BUG INFESTATION IN THE BUILDING.

SEVERAL APARTMENTS HAVE BEEN RECENTLY AFFECTED. WE ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THE SANITARY CONDITIONS AT THE BUILDING.

UNLESS WE COME TOGETHER AND PERFORM THOROUGH EXTERMINATIONS OF THE ENTIRE BUILDING THE BUGS WILL TRAVEL FROM ONE APARTMENT TO ANOTHER.

*PLEASE NOTIFY THE CITY at 311 ASAP SO WE CAN GET A CANNINE INSPECTION.

*ALSO, IF YOU NOTICED THAT YOU ARE BEING BITTEN PLEASE LIST IT HERE:

http://114eastfirst.blogspot.com

THANK YOU!