In a multi-family NYC building, pests are a building problem, not a unit problem. Roaches, mice and bed bugs travel through shared walls, plumbing chases and basements — so treating one apartment while ignoring the rest just moves the problem next door. Property managers also carry compliance obligations: NYC landlords must address infestations and provide bed bug history disclosure.
We build programmes around the whole building: coordinated treatment of adjacent units, basement and trash-area control, exclusion at the building envelope, and clear documentation for boards, tenants and compliance. Scheduling is coordinated with supers and tenants to minimise disruption.
For managers running multiple buildings, we standardise the programme across the portfolio so pest control is predictable, documented and off your desk.
NYC building owners' pest obligations under the Housing Maintenance Code
Under NYC Local Law 55 of 2018, all private building owners with three or more apartments must keep tenants' homes free of pests and mold and safely fix the conditions that cause them. Owners must use Integrated Pest Management practices, and any pesticide applied to correct a violation must be applied by a New York State DEC-licensed pest professional. (NYC Health & HPD — Local Law 55 of 2018)
Local Law 55 also requires owners of buildings with three or more apartments to inspect every apartment and the building's common areas for cockroach and rodent infestations, and to give each tenant a notice with the lease setting out the owner's and tenant's responsibilities to keep the building free of indoor allergens — a building-wide, proactive standard, not a wait-for-a-complaint one. (NYC Health & HPD — Local Law 55 of 2018)
Under NYC Administrative Code section 27-2018.1 owners must give every tenant signing a vacancy lease a notice disclosing the property's bedbug infestation history for the previous year, for both the rented unit and the building. Separately, section 27-2018.2 requires owners of multiple dwellings to file an annual Bed Bug Report with HPD covering units infested and eradication measures taken. (NYC HPD — Bedbugs (Housing Maintenance Code §§27-2018.1 / .2))
Because Local Law 55 holds the owner responsible building-wide and HPD treats untreated infestations as code violations, unit-by-unit reactive spraying leaves owners exposed: roaches and rodents move between units through shared walls and risers. A documented building-wide IPM programme — inspection records, the DEC-licensed applicator's reports and the annual bedbug filing — is what evidences compliance. (NYC Health & HPD — Local Law 55 of 2018)
Signs you have a property management pest control problem
- Tenant complaints across multiple units
- Roaches or mice migrating between apartments
- Bed bug reports requiring documented treatment + disclosure
- Recurring issues a per-unit approach never resolved
Why Williamsburg sees this
NYC's pre-war and multi-family stock has shared voids, risers and basements that let pests travel building-wide — we treat with that in mind.
We provide the documentation co-op/condo boards and landlord compliance (bed bug disclosure, habitability) require.