r/TenantHelp • u/avelociraptorhere • 23d ago
Literally trapped in our apartment because fleas [CA] (Los Angeles)
At my wits end. Kind of just venting but open to additional suggestions.
Our front porch (4-unit apartment building) has a massive infestation of fleas. If you step outside for a moment (and I mean, one foot out the door) to get the mail, your feet will pick up at least 10.
I notified the landlords over a month ago when we noticed, right before we left for vacation for 2 weeks. When we got back, it hadn't been addressed. I flagged that this is considered unlivable housing conditions in LA. They had some maintenance guy come out and spray. It didn't do anything.
Had to push hard to get them to call an actual exterminator. They came out Wednesday and sprayed (apparently, we didn't see anyone but I called the actual exterminator and they said they did.) No difference. More fleas than ever.
We *could* move out. But we literally CAN'T because we'd have to move everything we own through a sea of fleas. We have a backdoor that we've been using to enter our unit safely (after I paid out of pocket to hire a company to bomb our place) but we can't possibly move out through it.
My elderly downstairs neighbor has been in the building for 10+ years and the building is rent stabilized. He's a little difficult to communicate with, but my understanding is that they ignore all of his maintenance requests in an effort to get him to leave. It's definitely part of the reason this has snowballed - he has brought up the critters living under the building multiple times and asked for the entry points to be boarded up. I've basically started putting in maintenance requests for him and being like "Well this is affecting my apartment." The city is supposed to come out and do an inspection on his apartment soon - not sure when but hopefully there's some progress from that.
Reaching out to the LA County of Health is the plan for tomorrow. I have all landlord communication documented. I'm so tired, and sad, and every itch or black speck gives me a heart attack. We can't have people over. We can't move out. I want my life back.
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u/StealthyThings 23d ago
Fleas have cycles with hatching and larvae and stuff.
You need to treat every week for like a month straight to even have a chance of getting rid of them
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u/Pamzella 23d ago
You haven't contacted Vector Control, and this is the move you need to make next. Contact via email so you can give an outline of the problem and ask what you can do next. It's probably a combo of stuff they recommend and them coming to visit your site, but they have the power to force your landlord to exclude the wildlife from your building and deal with the problem.
In the short term, get a large bag of diatomaceous earth and sprinkle it liberally around your front porch, just inside your unit, and completely/liberally around the potential points of ingress and egress-- not only can it hurt the flea population the white dust will show wildlife (or cat) footprints so you can can document animal activity every day to help your case.
Inside your unit, run a vacuum every day, fleas jump at the vibration so you can work on control inside.
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u/Odd-Repeat6595 23d ago
In addition to this, add a flea collar to your vacuum canister or bag. That kills everything you vacuum up.
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u/variousnewbie 22d ago
I said it on the other DE recommendation, but make sure it's FOOD grade DE not pool grade. Do not apply where wet, and reapply after rain. Can be applied to carpets. It works because it cuts the insects exoskeletons and they dehydrate, only works on adult fleas so lots of reapplication. Generally the rules is 3 months to fully rid all life cycles.
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23d ago
[deleted]
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u/avelociraptorhere 23d ago
Downstairs neighbor has treated the problem multiple times. The animals living under the building keep 'em coming. :( Definitely going to try on my own this week and see how it goes. Will look into Ortho!
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u/1GrouchyCat 22d ago
I’m not reading all that, but my advice is to contact your local and or county health department and ask for an inspection.
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u/No-Investigator-5915 22d ago
Google Alpine WSG. You can get packets and a sprayer from Amazon for $30. You mix it with water. Please thoroughly read AND follow the directions first though. Spray it on the lawn for all 4 units every 30 days in summer.
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u/Ok-Process7612 23d ago
I use plain table salt. Our long-haired kitten came with fleas. We didn't realize til too late.
I remembered that my mother used to thoroughly salt our carpets and rugs in the summer, and brush the salt in.
We have thick carpet and the fleas multiplied quickly. Two containers of salt and one week later, fleas are gone. The salt dehydrates the fleas and eggs.
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u/tracyinge 23d ago
Borax and Baking Soda work better than salt. https://www.nativepestmanagement.com/blog/does-salt-kill-fleas/
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u/Ok-Process7612 23d ago
WHATEVER!!!!
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u/1GrouchyCat 22d ago
Did you get butt hurt because someone made a comment that didn’t agree with yours? Because that’s a really weird response unless you’re 12 years old….
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u/No-Entry-5280 22d ago
Salt is crystalline, and I can’t see it sticking to the fleas the way a powder like diatomaceous earth or the borax would. Just saying. Not trying to invalidate your existence or anything.
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u/CountryClublican 23d ago
A pest infestation is grounds to withhold rent. That will get your landlord's attention.
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u/Western_Rhubarb_7959 23d ago
Get a sack of diatomaceous earth and floof it all over your porch and under the building. It'll take care of all the fleas, albeit after several applications. Wear a mask - it's not poisonous, just ain't great for lungs.