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Part of Pre-Construction Pest Risk Mitigation, across New York City and Long Island.
What makes the Bronx different?
The Bronx is largely an apartment borough: prewar walk-ups and elevator buildings, large courtyard buildings along the Grand Concourse, and a growing number of new multi-family developments. Rodent and cockroach problems in these buildings live in the cellar, the trash and compactor rooms, and the plumbing chases that tie every apartment in a line together.
City data shows how heavy the pressure can be. The Grand Concourse area is one of the four Rat Mitigation Zones the city has designated, and the Health Department has reported that nearly half of inspected locations in Highbridge and Concourse failed for signs of rats, compared with under one in ten in Greenwich Village and SoHo.
Where the work concentrates
- Cellars. Foundation walls, old utility openings, slab cracks and sewer cleanouts repaired and closed during rehabilitation.
- Trash and compactor rooms. Walls, floors, doors and chute openings detailed so they cannot become harborage, with surfaces that can be cleaned.
- Plumbing chases. Openings between apartments and floors closed whenever a kitchen or bath is opened, coordinated with fire-stopping where required.
- Apartment turnovers. A repeatable checklist for each vacant unit, so the building improves with every turnover.
- New buildings. Utility entries, elevator pits, ground-floor commercial space and refuse areas designed to resist entry from day one.
Working with Graduate
We work with owners, managing agents, architects and contractors on single-apartment turnovers through full building rehabilitations. The citywide service, with the stages of an engagement, is under pre-construction pest risk mitigation. For courtyards and rear yards, see landscape pest risk mitigation in the Bronx.
Common questions
Why focus on the Bronx?
Parts of the Bronx carry some of the heaviest rodent pressure in the city. The Grand Concourse area is one of four designated Rat Mitigation Zones, and city inspection data has shown nearly half of inspected locations in Highbridge and Concourse failing for signs of rats.
What matters most in an apartment building rehab?
The cellar, the trash and compactor rooms, the shared plumbing chases and the ground floor. Those are where rodents and cockroaches live and travel, and a rehabilitation is often the only time they are fully exposed.
Can this be done one apartment at a time?
Yes. Apartment turnovers are an excellent opportunity: when an apartment is empty and the kitchen or bath is being redone, the chase behind it can be opened, closed and checked before the unit is re-let.
Does city law require pest work during construction?
For full demolitions and work involving half or more of a building's floor area, the applicant must certify that a licensed exterminator has been retained to treat the premises for rodents. That is treatment; mitigation is design, and it addresses what comes after.
How does this help with violations and complaints?
Entry points and harborage are what produce repeat complaints. New York City's Local Law 55 treats pest entry points in apartments as conditions to be corrected. Closing them during construction prevents the cycle from starting in a renovated building.
How do we engage you?
We review plans or the scope of work, walk the building at the right stages and give the owner, manager and contractor a clear list of what to close and how.
Pre-Construction Pest Risk Mitigation in the Bronx
Start with a free consultation
A consultation is a phone call with us about your problem. You tell us what you are seeing, where in the building, and how long it has been going on, and we tell you what it most likely is and what it will take to fix. There is no charge for the call.
Work like this starts with a paid on-site inspection. We go through the building, find how the problem is getting in and why it is staying, and give you a written plan and scope of work. The inspection fee is quoted before the visit and is credited toward the job if you go ahead.
Call (631) 212-9601Schedule an inspection
Answered at any hour.