It starts with a noise in the wall around 2 AM. Or a small dark dropping behind the stove. Or a neighbor texting the group chat about what they found under their sink.

Spring pest season is here in New York City, and it's arriving on schedule. Warming temperatures bring mice out of their winter hiding spots, cockroaches out of wall voids, and bed bugs — always present, never seasonal — into peak activity cycles.

Whether you rent or own, you have rights and responsibilities around pest control in NYC. Many people — both tenants and homeowners — don't know the specifics until there's already a problem. By then, it's more expensive and harder to fix.

Here's what you need to know.

Pests don't disappear in winter — they go dormant, consolidate, and nest in warm spots. Your walls. Your floor joists. The gap behind your stove. The subfloor under your kitchen sink.

When temperatures rise above 50°F consistently (which in NYC typically happens in late March and April), several things happen at once:

In Brooklyn, the Bronx, and upper Manhattan — neighborhoods with significant older housing stock — spring pest complaints to 311 spike by 30–40% between March and May every year.

NYC's Housing Maintenance Code is specific about pest control in residential buildings. Here's the breakdown:

Landlords in buildings with 3 or more units are required to:

This is not optional. A landlord who ignores a roach infestation, a mouse problem, or a bed bug complaint is in violation of the NYC Housing Maintenance Code — and violations can be issued by HPD inspectors.

Bed bugs are treated separately. Under NYC Local Law 69 of 2017 (the Bed Bug Disclosure Law), landlords must:

If your landlord failed to disclose a prior infestation when you signed your lease, that's a legal violation. Document it, put your complaint in writing, and file with HPD.

Filing through 311 works, but it's slow. The more effective path:

Homeowners don't have a landlord to call. You own the problem — literally.

The good news: early spring is the best time to identify and seal entry points before the full pest season hits. The bad news: most homeowners in NYC wait until they see something, which means the problem is already established.

What to do right now, before peak season:

1. Inspect and seal exterior entry points.
Mice can squeeze through a gap the size of a dime. Rats through a quarter. Walk the perimeter of your home — foundation, basement windows, where pipes and conduit enter the building, garage door seals, dryer vents. Use steel wool and expanding foam together (mice chew through foam alone; they can't chew steel wool). Hardware cloth is better for larger openings.

2. Check your basement and crawlspace.
This is where infestations start. Look for droppings, gnaw marks, grease smudges on baseboards (a mouse highway marker), and burrow holes in insulation or wood.

3. Kitchen and appliances are priority zones.
The area behind your stove, the bottom of your dishwasher, and underneath the refrigerator are the three most common cockroach harborage sites in NYC homes. Pull them out and clean.

4. Trees and shrubs touching your house are access ramps.
Squirrels, mice, and rats use overhanging branches to access rooflines and attic spaces. Trim anything within 3 feet of the structure.

Bed bugs in NYC are an endemic problem, not an epidemic one. They're in every borough. They're in luxury co-ops and NYCHA housing. They do not indicate filth. They indicate foot traffic.

If you find bed bugs:

Don't throw out your mattress. This is the most common mistake. Moving an infested mattress through your apartment spreads bugs. A professional treatment on a good mattress is almost always more cost-effective than replacement and reintroduction through secondhand furniture.

DIY treatment for bed bugs rarely works. Bed bugs have developed significant resistance to over-the-counter insecticides. Professional heat treatment or targeted professional chemical treatment is the standard of care. Expect to pay $300–$600 per room in NYC.

Encasements protect your investment. Mattress and box spring encasements (specifically rated for bed bugs) prevent reinfestation even if you're treated. Look for covers labeled "bed bug proof" with sealed zippers. Amazon carries a wide range starting around $25–$40 for a queen set; for a more robust encasement, AllerEase and SafeRest are well-reviewed options.

This is a real concern for families with young children or pets.

Under NYC's Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Law, the city's own buildings and schools are required to use the least toxic pest control methods first — traps, exclusion, gel baits — before spraying pesticides.

Your private landlord isn't bound by this law, but you can request IPM methods. Gel baits for roaches (like Advion or MaxForce) are highly effective and low-exposure — no aerosol residue, no air contamination. You can apply them yourself or request that your building's exterminator use them.

For mice, snap traps remain the most effective and lowest-chemical option. Electronic ultrasonic devices have not been shown to work consistently in peer-reviewed studies — don't waste money on them.

There's one pest-prevention step most NYC residents overlook: humidity control.

Cockroaches, silverfish, and centipedes are all attracted to moisture. NYC apartments — especially ground-floor and basement units in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx — routinely hit indoor humidity levels of 65–75% in spring and summer.

A portable dehumidifier running in your basement, bathroom, or kitchen area during the spring and summer months removes a key attractor for pests while also preventing the mold growth that thrives in the same conditions. Units from Sylvane — the HVAC and indoor air quality retailer — start around $220 for small-space models and are available with free shipping. It's a legitimate dual-purpose purchase: pest prevention and mold prevention in one.

Pest season in NYC is not something that happens to unlucky people. It's infrastructure — it's what happens when millions of people live in dense, old housing stock alongside millions of creatures that have evolved specifically to exploit it.

Your job is to be ahead of the curve. Seal entry points now. Know your rights as a renter. File in writing, not just verbally. And don't wait until you've got a full infestation to take it seriously.

The city has the rules. Use them.

The Metro Intel covers all five NYC boroughs — Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island. Have a pest situation your landlord is ignoring? Reply and tell us what borough — we'll point you to the right HPD resources.