What I mean is he’s just some guy, who doesn’t care about his rat problem. Other than fining him over and over there isn’t a lot the health department can do.
In this situation were we’re talking about something completely different because it’s a property that is being rented, with all the obligations to the county that come with being a landlord. The health department can go to that property owner and say, “fix the rat problem or we hit you with code violations and shut down your rentals”. That’s a much bigger motivator than some small fine.
What good are they if they can’t act upon all health related issues. It doesn’t take long for a rat problem to get out of control, and if a house is basically acting as a breeding ground for them, it seems that should be all the leverage they need to act upon it.
EDIT, read your next post and it makes sense but still it be like saying a tenants health is more important than the guys neighbor.
Hey Freek, are you in Cheektowaga? Their rat problems are entirely the town’s fault. Every township around them went to totes for garbage and the rats fled because their food sources were taken away. The stupid pollocks running Cheektowaga were too cheap to do totes and are going another way (baiting, trapping etc) with horrible results.
No, I’m in Amherst. It started out as just a field mouse issue. Then my small mouse traps started disappearing. I’ve kept my side of things under control between poison and traps. But with the perfect breeding area right next door (piles of wood, a stack of old telephone poles[WTF], random construstion equiptment,etc., etc.) they keep coming, however in smaller numbers.
I just HATE rats. I can deal with anything else but i hate rats more than anything. I had to sleep on a cot in battery park (manhattan) for a few days and waking up to a rat biting your finger amongst many other things is enough to make me hate them.
Back on topic here… I do agree with you that they should do more in this situation. Maybe I’ve lost faith in the system all together that they’ll jump right on this and get it taken care of. I stick by my original advice of getting your own exterminator and taking it off the rent. There are a lot of shitty landlords out there that you can’t trust for shit. Just make sure you check your lease for details and make sure you CYA.
Same deal in West Seneca, we don’t have totes either. It worked well in Town of Tonawanda…
I went out and bought my own 55 gallon rubbermaid totes for about 40 dollars each, but the town should do it because scumbags on my street just throw bagged garbage on their front lawns every week instead of even buying garbage cans.
FYI, the Health Department will have more pull for you, especially if there is a restaurant operating in the same building. Since there is food prep involved, they will most likely have to check out the restaurant as well, which will be a huge headache for the landlord as well.
I would go that route first. Just have them call and complain about the mice and rat issue in their apartment and have them state that they are also concerned that they might be in the whole building, including the restaurant below. That should atleast get a health inspector there, and they can explain to them that they have talked to the land lord about the issue in the past and that so far, nothing has been done.
i called the town of amherst about the rats living under my shed, eating food from the dumpster across the st.
they were out that day & put out poison. called again a few weeks later & the second time they came back took care of the issue (knocks on wood)
She actually spoke with a lawyer and he said to write a letter to the land lord saying she talked to her lawyer with a copy of the bill attached and saying she will deduct it from her Feb rent. He then said if the land lord disputes it, then file a citation.