Tenants at a Crown Heights apartment building are buying rat cages after standard traps failed to stop rodents from invading their homes. Residents say rats are racing through kitchens, living rooms and walls, while one tenant says she now stays in her bedroom because even using common areas feels unsafe. The city has since cited the building for mice and cockroaches, but neighbors say the problem is still moving faster than the fixes.
Desiree Ali told News 12 Brooklyn that she trapped two large rats in her apartment at 1722 Union St. after sticky traps and glue boards failed. She said golf-ball-sized holes beneath her kitchen cabinets appear to be entry points, and she has been storing food in plastic containers after rodents chewed through bags. News 12 also reported 88 tenant complaints and 33 HPD violations at the property over the past two years.
The City Treats Rat Infestations As Serious Housing Hazards
New York City law requires owners of residential buildings with three or more apartments to keep tenants’ homes free of pests and repair the conditions that allow infestations to spread, according to the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development. The agency says effective pest control includes sealing holes and cracks, removing pest waste, fixing leaks and using licensed professionals when pesticides are needed. Under the New York City Housing Maintenance Code, mice, rats or cockroaches in an apartment or common area are considered an immediately hazardous violation, generally giving owners 21 days to correct the condition.
Landlord Says Another Exterminator Visit Is Planned
Landlord Akiva Metal told News 12 Brooklyn that an exterminator is scheduled to return and that management has “plugged as many holes as possible.” Metal also said the problem may extend across the block, a claim that does little to comfort tenants who say rodents are still getting inside their apartments.
Residents also told the station that conditions seemed to worsen after a man’s skeletal remains were discovered inside a sofa on the building’s fourth floor on July 7. They described a lingering odor and fly traps throughout the property, though the report did not establish that the remains and the pest infestation were connected.
Another Crown Heights Building Recently Reported Similar Problems
The complaints at 1722 Union St. come as another Crown Heights property faces its own pest battle. Hoodline reported last week that tenants at 1245 Eastern Parkway were seeing rats and roaches throughout their building, which had 61 open HPD violations cited in that coverage. The parallel cases point to a familiar Brooklyn housing problem: quick extermination visits may not solve much when holes, leaks, trash and other entry points remain.
What Happens Next For The Residents
The New York City Department of Health advises tenants to report unresolved rat conditions through 311, after which inspectors can issue an order requiring the owner to address the problem. The agency says a follow-up inspection generally occurs about 10 days later, and unresolved conditions can lead to summonses and fines ranging from $300 to $2,000. For the residents of 1722 Union St., the real measure of progress will be whether the next exterminator visit closes the entry points and makes their homes livable again.
