Possibly, and the timing you noticed is genuinely useful information. “I never saw them before the wall was opened” tells a pest professional more than “I have roaches” does.
How work inside a building changes the pest situation
- It can leave new openingsA pipe replaced, a line run for cable or an appliance, a fixture moved. The penetration around the work can be left open. NYC's rules treat holes and entry paths as an underlying defect to be corrected, but only if someone knows they are there.
- It can disturb harborageOpening a wall or pulling cabinets can displace a population living inside the structure, moving it into occupied space.
- It can introduce a water sourceA leak created during work, or a fixture that now drips.
- It can alter pathwaysWork that connects previously separate voids can open a route between apartments or floors.
- It can leave shelter behindConstruction debris, stored materials and cardboard.
This is not about the work being done badly
None of this means the work was done badly. It means the timing is worth reporting and the work area is worth inspecting, ideally before anything that was opened is closed again.
If the work is ongoing, saying something now rather than after the wall is closed up is the difference between someone looking at the opening and nobody ever seeing it.
What to tell your building
The timing is the whole message. That is one of the most useful messages a resident can send, and it is entirely non-accusatory.
Pest control in an apartment building requires treatment, repairs, access and information working together. See how the pieces fit.
Send this to your building
If other apartments have the same problem, one message to your super or managing agent does more than ten calls about one unit. Copy this and send it however you already talk to them.
Edit it before you send if you want. No sign-up, nothing collected, and we do not see who you send it to.
Where this rule comes from
Sources
- 28 RCNY Chapter 54 — Indoor Allergen Hazards rules, including the §54-04(a) work practices (PDF)
- NYC Administrative Code §27-2017.8 — Integrated pest management practices
- HPD — Indoor Allergen Hazards (Mold, Mice, Roaches and Rats)
We are a pest control company working in Bronx and Brooklyn apartment buildings, and this is general information rather than advice about your apartment or your lease. Where our sources conflict with each other, we say so on the page rather than picking one quietly.