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Just moved into a new sublet in NYC and getting bitten! HELP!
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xxinfinity
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 9offline
Posted 3 years ago
Fri Sep 11 2009 7:03:53
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Hey,
I just moved into this sublet in Brooklyn, NY, and it's a pretty cheap place for the area but the building is not exactly the nicest. I noticed that there are lots of cracks, basically gaping spaces in between the floorboards, big chips with dust/dirt already filling them, the holes around the radiator you could feel air coming out of. I tried to cover as many of the gaps and holes with duct tape. I saw one small hole in the corner of the wall had a spider web around it and some small spiders going in and out and covered that too.
So I have been sleeping on my roommate's old air mattress for a while and sometimes felt things crawling on my legs in the night but I thought since I was sleeping on the floor maybe it was spiders but it wasn't anything regular. But the last two nights I woke up around 5:30am, almost on the dot and I remember (because I've had bed bugs before in another country) that that's a big sign of bed bugs.
What's worse is that I just brought home a new mattress from IKEA. I was sleeping on the floor last night again, because they were out of stock of the bed I needed and this morning I was woken up by sharp crawling feelings on my back and chest. I didn't see anything crawling away except some mini-worm clear colored things that looked like they had incisors on the front but they were crawling in and out of the holes of the floor.NYC has some exterminator program but it says I need to get all these cracks and gaps in the floorboards filled by the landlord. Problem is because I'm subletting I'm at the mercy of my roommate who has to contact everyone (and the landlord).
I just moved here and already it's been tough looking for work and whatnot, and I've had bed bugs before, I really don't want to deal with this! Having to wash every single thing and wrap everything in plastic, etc.
Are there any subletter rights in this case? We have a signed contract just for my deposit and stuff, I'm suppose to be here for 3 months, it's been barely two weeks now.
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bbfiend
junior member
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 82offline
Posted 3 years ago
Fri Sep 11 2009 10:27:56
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xxinfinity, a good resource for you is http://www.housingnyc.com. it's thr rent stablization/guideline board. they have good resources for renters too. if need be, you should call them and they will advise you on what you can do.
sorry to hear about your plight, coming into brooklyn. hope you can get some things going to help you.
subletting is a tough thing to do, i should know, i'm in the biz...
good luck.
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xxinfinity
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 9offline
Posted 3 years ago
Fri Sep 11 2009 11:44:00
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thanks!
I think sleeping on the floor near open floorboards left my exposed. I'm getting a metal bed today and an encasement, hopefully that'll help...
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bbfiend
junior member
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 82offline
Posted 3 years ago
Fri Sep 11 2009 12:20:15
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isn't your room-mate, who holds the lease, willing to do anything?
am wondering - are you on good terms with your roommate?
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xxinfinity
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 9offline
Posted 3 years ago
Sat Sep 12 2009 1:01:57
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turns out some issues with the landlord who refuses to do anything and says we have to pay and do it ourselves... i guess some legal issues in terms of the landlord saying that they have never had bedbugs and that it's not the building (but us) - to basically defer liability...
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ilovemyseniors
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
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Posted 3 years ago
Sat Sep 12 2009 1:21:34
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My be termites or carpet mites. But if you are being attacked that is another story. You will find signs on your sheets if it were bed bugs. sometimes they leave no trace, and if you wake and catch it, go and google it to see how bed bugs look so you know. If you sublet from someone and it is ALLOWED, key word, you have the same rights as the person who rented the place. Now if you sublet undercover from this person, that person needs to report a pest problem, not you. The last thing you want to do is be put out for breach of contract. I have managed for 12 years and be sure subletting is allowed first before you make a move.
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bbfiend
junior member
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 82offline
Posted 3 years ago
Sat Sep 12 2009 11:02:29
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it is the landlord's legal responsibility to deal with this. speak to the rent stablization board.
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xxinfinity
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 9offline
Posted 3 years ago
Sat Sep 12 2009 12:20:26
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ya well I'm not sure
I think it might not have been bed bugs. I'm really not sure now. There are no signs on my sheets and I don't have any bites but I just felt things crawling on my in the night. Could it have been in my head?
I also used a hair dryer on the cracks, crevices and electrical sockets around my room and nothing came out.
Last night I stayed awake from 4am-5:30am to see if they'd come out, had a tissue and flash light, lighting around the bed while I was in it, but nothing. I'm not sure if that just scared them off. I just got a metal framed bed, so not sleeping on the floor anymore, maybe that deterred them, and everything is now wrapped in plastic.
Any advice to check and make sure that it is bed bugs?
I have an old wood floor by the way with lots of cracks and crevices but I've been duct taping them all up.
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xxinfinity
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 9offline
Posted 3 years ago
Sat Sep 12 2009 12:25:42
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My roommate was saying that subletting is usually not allowed in NY, and I think most of these big cities don't want you to sublet and you do it covertly. I do have a sublease contract with the roommates, including the person's spot I'm taking.
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cilecto
oldtimer
Joined: Aug '08
Posts: 3,869offline
Posted 3 years ago
Sat Sep 12 2009 14:22:28
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AFAIK, there are no NYC rules against sub letting, per se. Certain buildings do have rules against them. This is prevalent in:
- Co-ops and condos
- City owned/run or not for profit housing
- Income targeted housingYour building may be one of these and/or your prime tenant chose not to tell the LL or board.
The person whose well being and rights we need to be concerned with is you.
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paranoidgirl
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
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Posted 3 years ago
Sat Sep 12 2009 15:47:28
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you are in nyc and have things crawling on you at night, but no bites?
what about roaches?
i used to live in nyc. i didnt know anyone who didnt have roaches. i got my placed sprayed every week, but every once in a while you could still find one. and they ranged from super tiny to 3 inchers.
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xxinfinity
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 9offline
Posted 3 years ago
Sat Sep 12 2009 16:17:11
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ya well since I'm not sleeping on the floor anymore, I haven't seen any bugs.
I still feel like this bugs crawling on me sensation but that just might be sensitivity or paranoia. I also got a new foam mattress, and wonder if there's some allergic reaction to that, I got sensitive skin. -
xxinfinity
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 9offline
Posted 3 years ago
Sat Sep 12 2009 16:22:43
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Thanks so much for the tips and advice btw!!!
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xxinfinity
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 9offline
Posted 3 years ago
Sat Sep 12 2009 17:02:50
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Thanks so much for the tips and advice btw!!!
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xxinfinity
newbite
Joined: Sep '09
Posts: 9offline
Posted 3 years ago
Sat Sep 12 2009 17:34:19
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Thanks so much for the tips and advice btw!!!
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