Whose Responsibility Is It to Rid Your Co-op Apartment of Mice?

Sept. 10, 2014 — So who's responsible for eradicating mice in your co-op apartment when your cat's too lazy to do the job? That depends, say legal experts in BrickUnderground.com's latest "Ask an Expert" column. In most cases, the little rodents are emanating from one of the common areas, usually the garbage or compactor room. And co-ops, since they operate under a proprietary lease, are subject to such rental statutes as those involving the warrant of habitability, meaning the board has to keep the building up to a certain legal standard of livability. On the other hand, if you're a hoarder or just a really, really, really messy person, getting rid of your mice might not be the board's responsibility.