can I break our lease because of cockroaches? (apartment, rental) - Portland - Oregon (OR) - City-Data Forum

Carol3 · 02-06-2013, 04:54 PM

The end of October we moved in an apartment only to find out one month later that there are roaches here.
After two months of complaints and some inspection it was discovered that cockroaches rampt in the apartment above us and we are getting their overflow.

I am getting pretty upset about this and the slow process of getting the complex to be proactive. They had a famously named company come in who are so darn lame it makes me feel we will have to break our lease and get the heck out of here.

Can I break our lease?

Carol3

Minervah · 02-06-2013, 05:38 PM

Read your rental contract.

AndyAMG · 02-06-2013, 11:49 PM

I would start by writing a nice professional letter that states that you are not happy and that they are violating their rental agreement using tough language but DO NOT SWEAR or get into beliefs, only state facts. Itemize the problems and use dates/times, use company names, individuals names etc. Professional looking letters written on a computer with legal words and fancy format that are well written says to the landlord "This person may actually have the ability to sue or may have a background in law or the family could have a lawyer or 3rd party is getting involved." You'd be surprised how many people are intimidated by a simple letter.

I would say your chances of breaking lease are slim. What you can do is express your intentions in writing and keep harping on it, have a paper trail. With occupancy high they can probably fill the spot and may decide you aren't worth the trouble. But beware it could come back to bite you, it could push and already annoyed landlord to take underhanded attacks against your rental history, deposits etc.

oregonwoodsmoke · 02-07-2013, 01:35 PM

Probably not, but you do have the right to keep your apartment very clean, keep all food scraps and water put away, and to spend $12 on a tube of Combat Gel and follow the directions.

Steve Pickering · 02-07-2013, 02:41 PM

I would start by not asking legal questions in a forum. None of the regulars are lawyers, although I dropped out of Native American Law. Seek advice from an advocate. Community Alliance of Tenants | Renters’ Rights Info or Tenant Rights, Laws and Protections: Oregon - HUD .

Larry Caldwell · 02-08-2013, 03:51 PM

See if your community has adopted a housing code. If so, your local code enforcement officer can help resolve your cockroach problem.

christiner81 · 02-08-2013, 04:03 PM

i can't help you with lease issues, but if you mix borax and flour and put it where you've seen them it will kill them. google it. some people make a paste out of it. our last home had a major infestation in a leaky irrigation box just outside our house so our powder ended up getting wet. they take it back to their nest and it kills them all in a week or two. after a few weeks we never saw another one again.

have you talked to your neighbors? what's the situation up there?

Carol3 · 02-21-2013, 01:37 AM

Thank you for all the responses and sound advice. I was in a panic mode. This is my first experience with **** roaches.
We have been bug free now for over a week now. Good sign. Our maintenance man took charge and got in a company to rid these suckers from our home. He arranged all neighboring apts. to be inspected and treated! The infestation in one of our neighbors and we were getting the overflow. Every week all apts. were treated. The attack was successful. Our maintenance man was the key here. Our complex was without a steady manager but has recently landed a possible, if she too isn't offered an better position elsewhere.... I am much more hopeful and yes I've read about the borax and flour but I was asked by the "bug" man to allow his treatments to work first. I agreed and their persistence appears to be working.
Thank you to all who answered my lease breaking question.

Minervah · 02-21-2013, 04:30 PM

I am so glad it is working out for you. It's a funny thing. When I was living in an apartment in Chicago, my roommate and I suddenly had a cockroach problem when some new neighbors moved in upstairs of us. We did what we could to get rid of the bugs but they kept returning.

About a year later after the neighbors moved away so did the roaches. Problem solved. I guess the bugs liked their cuisine better than my roommate's and mine which was definetly fine with us.

Bluesmama · 02-21-2013, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Carol3

Thank you for all the responses and sound advice. I was in a panic mode. This is my first experience with **** roaches.
We have been bug free now for over a week now. Good sign. Our maintenance man took charge and got in a company to rid these suckers from our home. He arranged all neighboring apts. to be inspected and treated! The infestation in one of our neighbors and we were getting the overflow. Every week all apts. were treated. The attack was successful. Our maintenance man was the key here. Our complex was without a steady manager but has recently landed a possible, if she too isn't offered an better position elsewhere.... I am much more hopeful and yes I've read about the borax and flour but I was asked by the "bug" man to allow his treatments to work first. I agreed and their persistence appears to be working.
Thank you to all who answered my lease breaking question.

Important: Are they exterminating the other units, too? If not, you'll be dealing with the roaches again.