Pest Inspections at NYCHA

Why Might NYCHA’s Environmental Health and Safety Department Knock on Your Door to Ask About Pests?

You may receive a phone call or a knock on your door from one of NYCHA’s Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Specialists asking to perform a pest inspection – even though you never reported a pest problem.  

This is part of a critical effort to accurately understand pest activity across NYCHA developments and make sure every resident has access to the pest management services they need.

How NYCHA Tracks and Estimates Pest Populations

Because it is not feasible to count each and every pest, NYCHA worked with pest and data experts to design a process to estimate the population of rats, mice, cockroaches, and bed bugs, based on the number of resident complaints submitted for each pest type. To prevent an undercount, each year NYCHA’s EHS Department inspects a sample of apartments that have not reported pests in the previous 12 months to identify any pest activity that residents may not be aware of. The findings from these inspections are used to help determine how many apartments NYCHA-wide are likely to have unreported pest activity, ensuring a more accurate pest population estimate.

This initiative is part of our HUD Agreement efforts, and it also aids our work to reduce pests at NYCHA. It allows us to see if our collective efforts are effectively reducing the pest population and lets you know if there is evidence of pests in your apartment that might not be totally visible.

How Long Is the Inspection?

An inspection should only take 15 to 30 minutes, and it includes a “5 Alive Safety Check” (to ensure window guards and fire safety notices are in place and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, GFCI electrical outlets, and entrance doors are working properly).

How Do I Prepare for the Inspection?

• Please make sure that an adult over the age of 18 is present to allow access to your apartment.
• You do not need to move your furniture or anything else in preparation for this inspection.

What Should I Do During the Inspection?

• The EHS Specialist will present a NYCHA employee ID before entering your apartment to conduct the inspection.
• Please provide access to all rooms, closets, and furniture so the EHS Specialist can search for droppings, gnaw marks, and other signs of pests.
• Be prepared to answer a few questions related to historic pest activity in your apartment.

What Happens if the Specialist Identifies the Presence of Pests?

• A work order for extermination will be automatically generated.
• The work order will be scheduled for a later date for inspection/extermination by an exterminator.
• Any treatment needed in your apartment will be performed by a licensed exterminator from NYCHA’s Pest Management Department.

NYCHA and Residents Can Collaborate to Combat Pests

The use of pesticides alone is not enough to reduce pest populations – effective control requires a team effort. Residents can help by storing food in sealed containers, disposing of garbage in trash chutes or designated bins, and removing all open foods sources such as pet food (when not in use) and food scraps.

If you notice pests in your apartment or on development grounds, report them by using MyNYCHA (nyc.gov/MyNYCHA) or calling the CCC at 718-707-7771. NYCHA’s Pest Management Department will text you from 89361 with an appointment date. You can then reply with: “1” to confirm, “2” to cancel, or “3” to reschedule. We will try to address the work order within 10 days. Thank you for your partnership! For more information about pest control at NYCHA, please visit our website.

If you have a question about this or any other environmental health and safety matter, email us at ehs@nycha.nyc.gov.

Want to report potential violations of laws, rules, or regulations; improper maintenance work intended to hide actual building conditions; poor-quality maintenance work in an apartment or building; unsafe or uncorrected conditions (including lead, mold, pests, heating, elevators, building cleanliness, and fire safety); polices or procedures not followed; or unsafe conditions for NYCHA staff? You can do so anonymously at on.nyc.gov/submit-concern.