The management is very polite, however, they don't seem to be able or willing to take action over the complications they themselves caused. I...
The management is very polite, however, they don't seem to be able or willing to take action over the complications they themselves caused. I moved in less than a week ago and now have a serious bed bug infestation and over 30 bites, despite the fact that I had no bed bugs at home and no visitors in the intervening days. It seems pretty clear that this infestation is the Nook's fault, but all they could offer to do was have an exterminator come 6 days from now, and proceeded to suggest that I sleep on the couch (which is about 5 feet long) for the next week. I paid for this apartment and it seems to clearly be unlivable due to the Nook's negligence. Bed bugs are, of course, a risk that comes with every apartment, but it's the nonchalant, unhelpful response and lack of any real sense of responsibility for the problem on their part that has pissed me off. Bed bugs are very difficult to get rid of and require EVERY cloth item in the room to be washed and dried at high temperatures, but I have received no offer of compensation for my time or utilities, nor any alternate place to sleep. My mother had to hire an exterminator herself, who confirmed that the bugs were definitely there before I moved in and said that he would be billing the apartment because of us. However, the bedroom will still have bed bugs for the next 9 days, because he has to stay twice, but I have received no offer to pay for alternate housing for the week. I have 30+ bites, 5 of which are on my face, and are incredibly itchy. Furthermore, when I asked for the manager's number, I was told that she probably wouldn't be available until Monday. Although the Nook is a Peaks property, I encountered the same inability to address urgent pest problems with Collier, which took two weeks to remove a fire ant infestation below my bed, even though I'm allergic to them. I still have scars on my feet over a year later, which isn't itself a problem, but rather evidence of how long it took them to address it. Gainesville apartments seem depressingly incapable of dealing with insects and the Nook is more of the same. UPDATE: The manager finally came in on Monday and called us, then consulted with her higher ups. They've agreed to heat treat the entire apartment, which is supposed to be highly effective in killing both the bugs and their eggs. They're going to reimburse me for the hotel that I stayed at while they treated the apartment. They're giving me a $50 gift card, which will cover my anti-itch medicine, and the bins and trash bags I purchased. I ended up giving up halfway through all my laundry and took the rest to a laundromat, which cost about $64, and hopefully they will reimburse me for it once I produce the receipt. I'm doubtful I'll get any compensation for the hours I spent doing laundry, carrying it down from the third floor, and buying all the stuff, or for the general itchiness and the emotionally draining nature of this weekend, but I think, without going through the effort of getting in touch with UF Student Legal Services and having one of their entomologists examine the room and the bugs I squished to establish that it was a preexisting condition, this is probably the best we can hope for. The situation has certainly left a bad taste in my mouth, and I'll probably move elsewhere if I end up going here for grad school (in part because I'd prefer a 1-1), but I'm ultimately appeased. >>>>As for the actual apartment, it's pretty nice, though the bedrooms are a little small for my taste. I recommend the 4-2's, since most of them are newly renovated and in a good area of the complex that's guaranteed good sunlight. There was a problem with a lot of the new mattress frames being left out in the rain or something so that they're now pretty creaky and unstable, but I've put in a maintenance request, so hopefully they'll find a way to stabilize or replace it.