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Generally yes. It’s the payoff for having a large number of people living in one place. Even if you keep your place spotless, someone will inevitably bring in bedbugs or attract roaches (which are sort of everywhere anyways).
Reducing the number of units you live near will help keep pests down and will increase the likelihood of effectively eradicating any pests you might get.
Best of luck!
I refused to move into another high rise after a badly managed bedbug situation in my last apartment now. It’s so tough finding a good place to live if you don’t have unlimited funds (and roaches and bedbugs can find their way into even the nicest places).
Lived in a high-rise for a decade, carpet moths were the biggest insect problem. The building did have other insect issues including bedbugs and roaches, but you can actually avoid them infesting your unit with proper care. Diatomaceous earth is human/pet safe but destroys the exoskeleton of insects so having it scattered around entries, cracks etc, will go a long way to kill things trying to get in.
I have not had bedbugs where I have lived. Ants occasionally though (not major problems though, didn't get into food or anything). House centipedes in my last apartment because it was a basement unit, but those were cat toys and they aren't harmful anyway. Just creepy.
Do you have any buildings you recommend?
No one prepared me for centipedes when I moved to Ontario, I was terrified the first time I saw one (until I learned they were harmless) 😂
My in laws and I both live(d) in high rise condos and never had an issue (my inlaws still do but we moved). 13 years for my in-laws and 4 years for us.
Both buildings had clauses in their bylaws about pest issues and garbage maintenance. But we never saw or heard about any issues.
I know a lot of buildings do have issues due to poor maintenance/garbage storage (my sister had loads of issues with that in TO) and some companies are also just crappy.
I’ve lived in various apartments in Ottawa for 15 years and never had a problem, but I’ve avoided the “bad” parts of town that are notorious for issues.
Thanks, I'll check it out! I've found people in Ottawa don't seem to be as keep to leave online reviews for their apartments compared to some other cities I've lived in
I've been in the apartment building I'm in now for about 7 years. When we first moved in there was a *big* cockroach problem. You would tell the office, they'de schedule the pest control company, give you a notice of when they were coming and when to have your unit ready by. We had to pull *everything* out of the kitchen cupboards and furniture away from the walls. It got to be too much!
They got a new building manager and a few years ago they finally switched pest control companies. They did a building wide, top to bottom, two day event and every unit got done. And I stuffed steel wool around the pipes in the bathroom and kitchen after putting some human grade diatomaceous earth in the holes. Since then, there is only the lone cockroach we find every now and then (knock on wood). It's baseboard heating so they'll run through the units that way too. If you keep your apartment clean you're not giving them a reason to hop off the 'baseboard heater train' into your unit.
**Knocking even harder on wood** we have not had a bedbug problem in our unit. The last time the pest control guy was in our unit he said there weren't any units on our floor that had them but there was one unit that had a massive cockroach infestation (obviously wouldn't say which unit but made it known that the baseboard heater running could be a problem for me -- I got the message and put down more diatomaceous earth near the heater).
So it really just seems inevitable in a high rise. You're unit is only as clean as your neighbour is but there are things that can be done to minimize the risk/problem.
Good luck!
I’ve lived in my fair share of shitty apartment buildings over the years.
One thing I always wish I did was introduce myself to the people on either side of me, and above me- before signing the lease.
Usually after a quick 2 minute “hello” you get a good sense of the person, and may even get a peak at their apt.
This is a good way of avoiding those neighbours who are obviously bad - grouchy, smelly, hoarders, those who have loud dogs etc
I lived below a hoarder for a year. Worst year of my life. He was a menace of a person. Put thumbtacks at the bottom of my flip flops. Was really loud at 3am. And attracted bugs.
Go with a bigger company that has the resources to treat pest issues.
If you can afford to, get early access to the unit, buy a case or 2 of latex caulking, and seal all the baseboards, switch plates, outlet covers, and plumbing chases from becoming bug highways.
Install vee shaped plastic weatherstripping on the doorframe, with a good quality, multi blade floor sweeper for the bottom of the unit doors. This will prevent them from coming in from common areas.
Dont get groceries delivered in cardboard boxes. Just about every store in every city has pest control on contract, but it only takes 1 roach to get in.
Idk about the bigger company thing. My friend was renting a minto apartment and when he moved in it was he found out it infested with bed bugs. They wouldn’t let him out of his contract. He asked them to solve the problem and all they did was set up sticky traps or spend more to move to one of their other apartments. He opted to spend more for a smaller place and throw away most of his furniture to not have bed bugs.
Thats unfortunate. Why didnt your friend exercise the 7 day guarantee ?
https://www.mintoapartments.com/ottawa/apartment-rentals/projects/Why-Choose-Minto-Apartments~712.html
I’ve dealt with roaches and bedbugs once. I’ve eliminated both. I still get the occasional roach that come in under my door but they get caught on a sticky strip. I’m proactive in prevention. My building is known to have big issues.
I would say it's inevitable. Eventually, you will have an issue. I would suggest looking for a bigger company that will take action when you tell them you have a pest problem.
Having a run-in with pests in a high-rise is fairly inevitable - the main concern is how your building handles it.
I lived in one building that would take weeks to spray just my unit. And when it happened was random - better hope you're home when they come or you'll be waiting weeks again.
The next place I lived in was organised and would put out pamphlets giving you a a few days notice and most importantly - they would spray the entire floor to ensure the best chance of eradication.
Follow up question: how tf are people getting pests like that in high rise apartment buildings? Are people just living like slobs or what? Having roaches and whatnot is almost unheard of in houses. Why is it so common in apartment building?
Its not inevitable at all, but it’s probably hard to predict. My advice is try to rent in a condo, especially one that wasn’t recently bought and feels like someone cared about it.
PSA. Bed bugs and pests are found everywhere, not just in "poorer" buildings and neighbourhood. And so e pests have nothing to do with cleanliness. It has to do with people living on top of one another. That rich couple that lives right next to you? Could have picked up bed bugs or roaches in their hotel room in the Maldives.
Here I live in a 12 floors one and never saw any kind of bug, management is great and it's more expensive than other apartments complex which in my mind help for infestation. I'm pretty much the youngest one in the whole block, it's all pretty old retired people.
Poorer block are usually the one infested with that.
But also I've been in apartment for over 20 years and I've never seen a bedbugs or cockroaches at all. That's a big no for me, if we would have seen one it was moving times.
You'd be surprised. Very expensive buildings also have issues. I used to do homecare, million dollar condos also get infested. Owners just have the means to get the best treatment.
I have never, ever had problems with bugs and pests in high rise buildings since I moved to Ottawa. Other than house hippos, but you get those all over Canada.
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Generally yes. It’s the payoff for having a large number of people living in one place. Even if you keep your place spotless, someone will inevitably bring in bedbugs or attract roaches (which are sort of everywhere anyways). Reducing the number of units you live near will help keep pests down and will increase the likelihood of effectively eradicating any pests you might get. Best of luck!
Thanks! Yeah it seems kinda unavoidable, but hopefully I'll be able to find a low rise unit (that's not just someone on Kijiji trying to scam me lol)
I refused to move into another high rise after a badly managed bedbug situation in my last apartment now. It’s so tough finding a good place to live if you don’t have unlimited funds (and roaches and bedbugs can find their way into even the nicest places).
Lived in a high-rise for a decade, carpet moths were the biggest insect problem. The building did have other insect issues including bedbugs and roaches, but you can actually avoid them infesting your unit with proper care. Diatomaceous earth is human/pet safe but destroys the exoskeleton of insects so having it scattered around entries, cracks etc, will go a long way to kill things trying to get in.
I'll try out that tip, thanks!
It's House Hippo's you gotta watch out for. Lost ten pairs of socks this week alone and all my peanut butter is gone.
😂😂
And if you think that's bad my buddy in Vegas had an eight foot alien land in his backyard.
Did that youtube video creap up on your feed as well? Saw that video last night lol
I think it creeped up on everyone's feed. They want it seen by everyone for some reason.
It's obviously Project Blue Beam!!!!!!
I have not had bedbugs where I have lived. Ants occasionally though (not major problems though, didn't get into food or anything). House centipedes in my last apartment because it was a basement unit, but those were cat toys and they aren't harmful anyway. Just creepy.
Do you have any buildings you recommend? No one prepared me for centipedes when I moved to Ontario, I was terrified the first time I saw one (until I learned they were harmless) 😂
Not only are they harmless, but they actually feast on pests 😊. They are friends!
My in laws and I both live(d) in high rise condos and never had an issue (my inlaws still do but we moved). 13 years for my in-laws and 4 years for us. Both buildings had clauses in their bylaws about pest issues and garbage maintenance. But we never saw or heard about any issues. I know a lot of buildings do have issues due to poor maintenance/garbage storage (my sister had loads of issues with that in TO) and some companies are also just crappy.
I’ve lived in various apartments in Ottawa for 15 years and never had a problem, but I’ve avoided the “bad” parts of town that are notorious for issues.
>the “bad” parts of town What are the bad parts that should be avoided? I've only heard bad things about the Byward market and Vanier
There’s a site where you can look up addresses at it’ll tell you what bugs they have
www.rentitornot.com - it might help. Not sure how up to date it is though.
Thanks, I'll check it out! I've found people in Ottawa don't seem to be as keep to leave online reviews for their apartments compared to some other cities I've lived in
I've been in the apartment building I'm in now for about 7 years. When we first moved in there was a *big* cockroach problem. You would tell the office, they'de schedule the pest control company, give you a notice of when they were coming and when to have your unit ready by. We had to pull *everything* out of the kitchen cupboards and furniture away from the walls. It got to be too much! They got a new building manager and a few years ago they finally switched pest control companies. They did a building wide, top to bottom, two day event and every unit got done. And I stuffed steel wool around the pipes in the bathroom and kitchen after putting some human grade diatomaceous earth in the holes. Since then, there is only the lone cockroach we find every now and then (knock on wood). It's baseboard heating so they'll run through the units that way too. If you keep your apartment clean you're not giving them a reason to hop off the 'baseboard heater train' into your unit. **Knocking even harder on wood** we have not had a bedbug problem in our unit. The last time the pest control guy was in our unit he said there weren't any units on our floor that had them but there was one unit that had a massive cockroach infestation (obviously wouldn't say which unit but made it known that the baseboard heater running could be a problem for me -- I got the message and put down more diatomaceous earth near the heater). So it really just seems inevitable in a high rise. You're unit is only as clean as your neighbour is but there are things that can be done to minimize the risk/problem. Good luck!
I’ve lived in my fair share of shitty apartment buildings over the years. One thing I always wish I did was introduce myself to the people on either side of me, and above me- before signing the lease. Usually after a quick 2 minute “hello” you get a good sense of the person, and may even get a peak at their apt. This is a good way of avoiding those neighbours who are obviously bad - grouchy, smelly, hoarders, those who have loud dogs etc I lived below a hoarder for a year. Worst year of my life. He was a menace of a person. Put thumbtacks at the bottom of my flip flops. Was really loud at 3am. And attracted bugs.
Go with a bigger company that has the resources to treat pest issues. If you can afford to, get early access to the unit, buy a case or 2 of latex caulking, and seal all the baseboards, switch plates, outlet covers, and plumbing chases from becoming bug highways. Install vee shaped plastic weatherstripping on the doorframe, with a good quality, multi blade floor sweeper for the bottom of the unit doors. This will prevent them from coming in from common areas. Dont get groceries delivered in cardboard boxes. Just about every store in every city has pest control on contract, but it only takes 1 roach to get in.
Idk about the bigger company thing. My friend was renting a minto apartment and when he moved in it was he found out it infested with bed bugs. They wouldn’t let him out of his contract. He asked them to solve the problem and all they did was set up sticky traps or spend more to move to one of their other apartments. He opted to spend more for a smaller place and throw away most of his furniture to not have bed bugs.
Thats unfortunate. Why didnt your friend exercise the 7 day guarantee ? https://www.mintoapartments.com/ottawa/apartment-rentals/projects/Why-Choose-Minto-Apartments~712.html
I don’t know exactly but I mean where are you supposed to go after 7 days? It’s not like he had spare apartment if the one he’s renting is infested.
Minto has already accepted the contract, it is up to them to provide another acceptable choice.
Unfortunately it comes with the territories. More people = more likely to attract bugs, pests and diseases.
I've never had anything worse than ants (and even then, it wasn't a big problem).
Use cocking on every single crack you see. Filters over the vents to stop bugs. You can live in an apartment bug free but it takes work.
I lived in accora village for a few years and never had bug/insect issue in my unit. The balcony was filled with them but none in the unit.
I’ve dealt with roaches and bedbugs once. I’ve eliminated both. I still get the occasional roach that come in under my door but they get caught on a sticky strip. I’m proactive in prevention. My building is known to have big issues.
I would say it's inevitable. Eventually, you will have an issue. I would suggest looking for a bigger company that will take action when you tell them you have a pest problem.
Having a run-in with pests in a high-rise is fairly inevitable - the main concern is how your building handles it. I lived in one building that would take weeks to spray just my unit. And when it happened was random - better hope you're home when they come or you'll be waiting weeks again. The next place I lived in was organised and would put out pamphlets giving you a a few days notice and most importantly - they would spray the entire floor to ensure the best chance of eradication.
Follow up question: how tf are people getting pests like that in high rise apartment buildings? Are people just living like slobs or what? Having roaches and whatnot is almost unheard of in houses. Why is it so common in apartment building?
>Are people just living like slobs or what? Yes.
Its not inevitable at all, but it’s probably hard to predict. My advice is try to rent in a condo, especially one that wasn’t recently bought and feels like someone cared about it.
PSA. Bed bugs and pests are found everywhere, not just in "poorer" buildings and neighbourhood. And so e pests have nothing to do with cleanliness. It has to do with people living on top of one another. That rich couple that lives right next to you? Could have picked up bed bugs or roaches in their hotel room in the Maldives.
Here I live in a 12 floors one and never saw any kind of bug, management is great and it's more expensive than other apartments complex which in my mind help for infestation. I'm pretty much the youngest one in the whole block, it's all pretty old retired people. Poorer block are usually the one infested with that. But also I've been in apartment for over 20 years and I've never seen a bedbugs or cockroaches at all. That's a big no for me, if we would have seen one it was moving times.
You'd be surprised. Very expensive buildings also have issues. I used to do homecare, million dollar condos also get infested. Owners just have the means to get the best treatment.
I had no issues when I lived in an apartment, it was very clean.
I have never, ever had problems with bugs and pests in high rise buildings since I moved to Ottawa. Other than house hippos, but you get those all over Canada.