Hoarder’s cockroaches are moving in next door
How do you stop cockroaches from infesting your home when an abandoned hoarder house next door is swarming with them?
There’s no good answer, as the neighbour of a trash-jammed, roach-infested house in East York, is learning.
The unhappy neighbour, who asked to be identified only as Matt, emailed to say the house next door was occupied by an elderly woman with a proclivity for hoarding since he moved there six years ago. He occasionally caught glimpses inside her house along the way, saying in an interview that it was filthy and stuffed with garbage and junk.
After roaches started migrating into his house about a year ago, he had to hire a pest removal service to spray for them, but the problem took a turn for the worse in early May.
“Our neighbour was taken away by police three weeks ago due to a mental health issue, and the house has been vacant ever since,” he said in his email, which included photos and video.
“However, in breaking down the door to extract her, the police damaged the door so that it does not stay closed. “When I shut this exterior door, cockroaches scurry all over the threshold.
“I have seen cockroaches on the exterior of the neighbour’s house as well as our house today. Our exterior garbage bins are infested with cockroaches,” said Matt, adding that the photos and videos were taken “in broad daylight, and are most likely much worse at night.
“I have followed up with the police. They have confirmed that our neighbour is still in the hospital and the house is still vacant. From their experience in extracting her, they confirm that the house is a public health and safety risk.”
I went there and met with Matt, who showed me that the broken side door, no more than three metres away from his house, had been covered with plywood and nailed shut by a city bylaw officer.
Several windows were covered with sheet plastic and sealed with foam filler, which Matt said was his handiwork, adding that the bylaw officer admonished him over it but left the coverings in place.
Matt had scheduled another pest control treatment at a cost of $500.
The situation is a serious health risk to his 15-month-old son, he said, noting that cockroaches in their home and spray treatments to get rid of them can’t be good for a toddler. Status: Elizabeth Glibbery, director of investigative services for Municipal Licensing and Standards, sent me a note revealing an extensive history of problems.
“All complaints related to this property have been and continue to be managed by the Special Enforcement Resolution Team (SERT) as the file involves a vulnerable resident,” said Glibbery.
The file started in 2013 with an infestation complaint, which was resolved, while a hoarding complaint in 2018 resulted in an intervention from Woodbine Crisis Outreach workers and a “de-cluttering,” said Glibbery.
That was followed by another infestation complaint on June1, she said, prompting a visit by an enforcement officer where an “extreme cockroach infestation” was observed and a property standards order issued.
“SERT will mitigate the infestation by City Action if required as soon as allowable by the bylaw,” she said, noting that the city’s costs can be added to the owner’s tax bill.
OK, but given the owner’s age and health, she might not be back. That leaves the city on the hook to clean up the place so that Matt and his family can finally be free of roaches.