Cockroach limbo
A single dad renting a Hamilton flat riddled with cockroaches is angry he’s been tasked with getting rid of the infestation.
The company that manages the apartment block said they’ve tried to treat the flat and the tenant is at fault for not keeping his unit clean, but the man, who doesn’t want to be named, disagrees. He keeps his flat clean, he said, apart from the filth roaches leave behind. Looking to the law hasn’t been much help either. If an infestation isn’t present at the beginning of the tenancy and neither party has done anything to cause it, responsibility can be uncertain, according to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
Manager of housing and tenancy services Jennifer Sykes said landlords need to make sure the property is free from pests and tenants need to keep the house in a condition that doesn’t encourage pests.
‘‘Landlords should take responsibility for fumigations if necessary. Infestations caused by lack of cleanliness could be argued to be the tenant’s responsibility.’’
The two-bedroom, $220-perweek Hamilton East flat has been infested for more than a year, the dad-of-two said. He believes Fahey Property Management Ltd should be treating the property regularly. It hadn’t been a problem with the previous management company who fumigated the units every six months, he said.
When Stuff visited the man’s apartment, the entire flat was clean, besides the visible infestation and black mould.
The tenant said he vacuums regularly and wipes down the walls with wet wipes, but was too busy to do so every couple of days.
Inside, German cockroaches scuttle across the oven and weave between cooking utensils in the drawers. When the microwave was on, there’s a crackling sound from cockroaches cooking inside and roach carcasses float in an inch of oil in an unused deep fryer. Apart from cups of coffee and reheating food, his kitchen was now virtually unused. Children’s pictures hung on the walls and containers in the fridge were dotted with faeces.
The tenant has failed most inspections since the company took over management of the block two years ago, director Angela Fahey said. A pest control report by Bug Off Now, provided by Fahey Property Management, said the cockroach problem stemmed from an unclean flat.
‘‘I was amazed at the state of uncleanliness the occupant [of the unit] was keeping, and the sheer number of cockroaches that were in there at the time,’’ the report said.
‘‘If the unit had been cleaned, I would have expected a drop in the number of cockroaches and being well on the way to ending the problem.’’ It said infestation problems in other units may have stemmed from the uncleanliness of the apartment.
The units had been fumigated at least twice to protect the other flats, Fahey said.
To her knowledge, none of the other units were infested. She said it was clear on the tenancy agreement that treating infestations was the man’s responsibility.
‘‘He’s the one that doesn’t keep his property clean. I don’t know what we’re supposed to do, we’ve done everything possible.’’
Taki Jacob lives in the apartment above. While her flat isn’t as bad as the below unit, she sees cockroaches at her flat every day, too.
Jacob has lived there nine years, but the cockroach problem has been recent, Jacob said.
‘‘They’re huge madagascar type things,’’ Jacob said.
She remembers one crawling across her glasses while she was reading.
They scuttle around her bench and stovetop, too.
‘‘I’ll be trying to put something on to cook and there will be one running around the element.’’
Professional Pest Control Auckland Ltd owner and director Duncan Inness said cockroach infestations are common but they tend to be more prevalent in low socio-economic areas, because people can’t afford regular treatments. But he has treated cockroach infestations everywhere, from cheap flats to fancy restaurants.
‘‘They have no social barriers. To say these people have cockroaches because they are poor and live in squalid conditions, is absolutely not the case.’’
To thrive, German cockroaches need warm, tight, dark spaces such as cardboard, cupboards and electronics. They love hiding in the crooks of cardboard boxes.