Landlords have an undeserved reputation for being greedy profiteers who illegally fail to address tenant complaints. Of course, it could also be said that tenants have a bit of a reputation for trashing their rental units and leaving their apartments a damaged mess before their lease is up. It is probable that the majority of landlords and tenants have not earned these reputations, but sadly, many have, and all the worst offenders seem to congregate in cities where the landlord/tenant legal framework is underdeveloped or largely unenforced. The city of Worcester has a bit of a problem with unresolved insect infestations within apartment complexes located in relatively poor areas. In Worcester’s case, it has been alleged that these ongoing pest infestations result from a lack of government oversight into landlord compliance with tenant laws. Whether or not this is the case, it cannot be denied that Worcester contains some of the most neglected apartment buildings in the country, as well as a massive amount of complaints filed by tenants concerning their landlord’s failure to eradicate insect pest infestations.
Almost all of the many neglected and insect infested apartment buildings in Worcester have been found to contain massive amounts of trash. This is due to both tenant and landlord irresponsibility, as trash removal services are not dispatched to some apartment buildings in the city. Obviously, a buildup of trash within an apartment building makes cockroach infestations inevitable. In one case, a pest control inspector was dispatched several times to one apartment unit in order to eradicate repeated cockroach infestations. Another apartment building on Millbury St has fallen victim to a bed bug infestation that has not been eradicated, as the owner literally lives outside of the country, making the building free of oversight. The Albion apartment complex is notorious among the public and authorities in the city due to its neglected state. Not long ago, the entire apartment complex was found to be infested with both bed bugs and cockroaches. Not far from the Albion, an apartment on Main St. became infested with massive amounts of bed bugs. One tenant claimed to have opened a drawer in her unit only to have bed bugs come flowing out toward her. She claimed that several other tenants, out of desperation, had been trying to eradicate the bed bugs themselves with ineffective bug bombs. Other apartments in the city were found to contain roaches as well as feces, which can be problematic, as roaches can expose humans to disease-causing bacteria after making contact with feces.
Have you ever lived within an apartment complex that had been infested with bugs due to a lack of landlord oversight?