An elderly New York City woman says her rat-ridden apartment is absolutely unlivable and is concerned she might be at risk of severe health issues if the rodents aren’t cleared out.
Cora Robinson says she has made repeated complaints to her landlords about the rats that started invading her apartment in The Bronx last year and made it their home.
The infestation has become so problematic that the 71-year-old had to mount large baseboards and makeshift defenses just to prevent the vermin from creeping into different parts of her home.
But rats are smart creatures, and they’ve found their way around despite Robinson’s efforts.
Robinson said the invasion even prevented her from hosting an Easter Sunday dinner.
“I’m tired of cleaning poop off the stove. I mean, if you turn the oven on, it smells like them,” she said to local station WABC.
Moreover, the breast cancer survivor says it’s affected her mental and physical health and caused immense emotional distress.
“I can’t sleep, I’m not eating. And if I don’t stop this, I’m going to wind up in the hospital. I almost wound up there yesterday,” she added.
She added that her doctor even shared concerns, given the state of Robinson’s health.
“My doctor is worried because I am a breast cancer survivor, I don’t have a spleen, I don’t have any immunity,” Robinson said.
Robinson added that she was even forced to store her dog’s belongings in her bedroom just to avoid exposure to the critters’ filth as much as possible.
“Her food and her bed and her water are in my bedroom. I can’t leave it out here because they’ll get into it. I’m just done. I’m just so disgusted because it’s not right that I should have to live like this,” she said with tears in her eyes.
The 71-year-old said she would love to move out, but can’t afford to.
“All these people need to come and take a look and smell. That’s what I wish they would do,” she said.
After hearing news of her story, a local exterminator visited Robinson’s apartment to clear out the rats free of charge.
The exterminator surveyed Robinson’s apartment and informed her of the extent of the contamination.
He said that the strong smell of rat urine and filth flies made it unsafe for her to live there. Filth flies are pests that breed in decaying matter, like rat feces, and can even transmit disease.
A GoFundMe was launched to help Robinson relocate. The fundraiser exceeded its $25,000 goal, reaching more than $68,000 in donations. The Bronx Borough president has also become involved in Robinson’s case.
Robinson has regularly turned to the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) for help resolving the infestation.
Documents obtained by WABC reveal that the agency has cited her landlords in the past for housing violations in the 71-year-old’s building.
Her landlords, Asden Management, are also embroiled in a lawsuit brought by 30 other tenants in the same apartment building. Robinson’s niece is one of those tenants.
The suit, filed in 2023, alleges the landlords have failed to remedy run-down conditions that make their apartments uninhabitable. Residents say their apartments have missing stoves, broken fridges, rat infestations, mold, and leaks that have gone years without repairs.
The HPD had documented 561 open violations against the property managers as of 2024, according to News12. More than 200 of those violations were designated as “Class C,” resulting in the highest fines a building owner could face.
“I reached out to the landlord three times and they refuse to do anything for me. They didn’t respond,” Robinson’s niece, Sherene Morris, said. “Who’s looking out for us? Who’s gonna help us out? Nobody’s doing that.”
The suit is still pending.
