u/FrenchOnionSoupies

Location: Southern IL

Hi, I had just toured and signed a lease for a house rental in St Clair County, IL. the unit looked good in the showing and I was happy despite some dirty cabinets.

I asked before signing if there was history of an infestation and if they had done pest control after the previous tenant left. the landlord avoided the first question and said the unit was sprayed once after the tenant left.

I took the keys yesterday and within less than ten minutes, I found two German cockroach nymphs in the bedroom. There were some sticky roach traps on the floor that weren’t there during the showing and they had over twelve roaches as well. I then kept finding roaches at every instar stage from nymphs thru adults, with egg casings as well.

I was panicking and upset, and found out the landlord was aware there was an infestation because the previous tenants trashed the place to the point everything was updated except the appliances. Cabinets, sink cabinets, pretty much everything was new. They said they could continue to spray to tackle the issue.

After they left, my mother and I continued to clean. I opened the fridge and there were about 12 dead roaches in it (not there during the showing). More started crawling out of the fridge’s seams and I sprayed them with insecticide. I stood there and kept spraying. In minutes, there were over 44 dead on the floor.

I told the landlord I was pretty upset they hid an active infestation and they immediately had someone take the fridge outside to be sprayed and taken away the next day. There were hundreds of roaches and mouse poo and roach poo under the fridge and they were falling onto the floor and running away as it was pulled out of the unit.

We opened the stove and dishwasher and found mouse poo and live roaches in both of those appliances too but the landlord isn’t clear on replacing either of those yet.

I counted HUNDREDS of roaches in the 3.5 hours of afternoon we were there and I am very distressed. They were running around the floor in broad daylight, indicating a severe infestation. The landlord only sprayed once with professional pest control after the previous tenants left so I don’t the issue is under control yet.

I felt too upset to leave any of my belongings there so I had to drive it all back to my current apartment and unload.

I told the landlord today (day two of my lease) that the kitchen is still filthy (a cleaner was supposed to come but didn’t yet).

They said maintenance will be looking at the unit today for issues like broken window locks that make safety an issue.

They said we are in the “follow up phase” but it doesn’t feel like it. They said they will be sealing cracks and holes as well but I wonder if those should have already been addressed.

Also, no one has inspected the unit from the city to declare it fit for residency yet, they do that on Tuesday even though my lease started Friday.

I don’t think an infestation this severe will be fixed by the time I have to leave my old unit (end of May). I had previous experience with a less severe infestation and that took about about 8 months to get under control.

I am very distressed and wondering what my rights are. I took pictures and videos of the roaches and kitchen but I need to know if this is grounds to break my lease after 1.5 days because they hid something this severe from me or if I have a chance at getting my rent and deposit back, or what I should do and wait it out? Please help!!