What can I do about mice in my apartment building?

Question

I have been complaining about this problem for months now only to have the building maintenance guy come and do a half job plugging up the holes near and under the cabinets and sink. We have also had a problem with roaches here for about 3 years. Aside from moving (our lease is up in August) what can be done about these issues when the people who own the apartment building are not doing what they are supposed to do in helping to get rid of the problem?

Answer 1

by law you should record these issues and the managers innability to do their job and then you don't pay rent. Those problems are harsh enough that rent can be withheld until corrected. you need proof that it has gone on for awhile and is still a big issue.

Answer 2

You have the right to call in a professional exterminator for your own unit yourself and send the bill to the owner. If they are not doing anything about it, you have the right to do it yourself and send the owner the bill. It's in the renter's bill of rights.
go to:

http://www.caltenantlaw.com/
for California Tenant's Rights.

You also have the right to 'smoke bomb' your apartment, set your own traps, and do this on a regular basis. (You might want to warn your immediate neighbors on either side of you, above, and below you about the days you will do the 'smoke bomb', and warn them each time.) It will take a few months to fully kill all of the roaches in your building by bombing your own apartment, but keep records and take photos of how many you find in a week before and after your extermination attempts, so if your landlord gets upset, you can show your records to a lawyer and win your case. Make sure you also keep records of when you filed your complaints and how long afterward you hired your exterminator or did the job your self.
Good Luck.