There are roaches in my apartment. What should I do first?

Having roaches does not mean your apartment is dirty. In an apartment building, pest activity can be sustained by leaks, cracks, openings and conditions in other parts of the building entirely, and spotless apartments get them. Food, water and shelter inside the apartment still matter, which is why control needs both what you do and what the building repairs.

Report it first, and report it usefully, because what you say determines what happens next.

What to report, and why each part matters

Where you are seeing themRoaches concentrate around water, which is why kitchens and bathrooms come up far more often than bedrooms. Under the sink, near the dishwasher, around the base of the toilet, near the radiator.
How often, and whether you have seen more than oneOne insect seen once and several seen repeatedly point in different directions.
Whether there is a leak or a visible opening nearbyA dripping faucet, a sweating pipe under the sink, a gap where the pipes go into the wall. These matter more than most people realise, because NYC's rules require the building to repair leaking plumbing and seal openings as part of correcting a pest condition. Reporting the drip is reporting the pest problem.
A photo, if you canA clear photo usually settles in seconds what a description argues about for a week.

The rules for correcting a pest condition require the owner to remove nests, waste and debris, seal holes, gaps and cracks in walls, floors, baseboards, around pipes and conduits and inside cabinets, fit door sweeps, and repair drains, faucets and plumbing that leak or accumulate water. The use of pesticides must not substitute for those measures.

28 RCNY §54-04(a)

Things that help while you wait

Dry the sink and counter before bedRoaches forage at night and water is a large part of what they are looking for. It takes two minutes.
Use warm water and dish soap on greaseOnce roaches have found water they look for food nearby, and in a kitchen that usually means the film of grease that builds up rather than anything visible. Dish soap is made to break grease down, which is the point. The stove surround, the wall behind it, the range hood filter, and the seam where the counter meets the backsplash are where it collects.
Break down cardboard the day it arrivesEPA puts it plainly: roaches love cardboard boxes and can climb into them with ease, and stacks of newspapers, paper bags and cardboard boxes make good hiding places for pests.
Store dry food in hard containersAnd keep the trash covered.

What not to do

Do not use bombs, foggers or store sprays. NYC Health advises against them and favors targeted methods such as gels and baits, on both safety and effectiveness grounds.

Do not layer your own products over a professional treatment without asking what was already used. Some products interfere with others. If the building has treated, ask before adding anything.

What to tell your building

Where you are seeing activity, how often, whether there is a leak or a visible opening nearby, and a photo if you have one.

If you have reported this repeatedly, in writing, and the condition still is not being addressed, NYC accepts apartment maintenance complaints through 311.

Why your building matters

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

Jurisdiction New York City Instrument 28 RCNY §54-04(a), Indoor Allergen Hazards rules Applies to Owners of dwellings covered by the indoor allergen provisions, which includes most apartment buildings Stage Correcting a pest condition, whether or not a violation has been issued

Sources

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.

Why do I still have roaches after the exterminator came? What persistent activity usually means, and the question that gets a diagnosis. Can roaches come from another apartment? Wall voids, pipe runs and door gaps, and why the pattern across a building matters. How pest control actually works in an apartment building Four jobs in different places, and what happens when one of them is missing. Pest help for residents Every page in the resident library.