NEW YORK—It’s been almost a year since Jenice Ruiz noticed a rodent problem in her walk-up apartment building in Hamilton Heights. The tenants tried to get help by calling 311, the city’s complaint call system, but a solution is nowhere in sight.
Rats still camp out in the basement laundry room; unyielding droves of mice invade their homes.
“They don’t really do much about it,” said Ruiz, sharing her impression of the Health and Mental Hygiene Department (DOHMH).
The City Comptroller Scott Stringer at least partially vindicated her opinion in an audit report released Sunday.
The audit revealed that one in four rat complaints wasn’t inspected within two weeks, a limit the department set for itself.
Even when inspections are conducted, only two out of five actually report signs of rats. If the inspectors indeed find rat activity, the department requires the property owner to correct the problem within five days.
Within a month after receiving the notice, such landlords can expect a follow-up inspection. If signs of rats persist and the problem is severe, the department may clean up the site or send exterminators and bill the landlord for expenses.
