To respect Alexandria’s privacy, Her Campus USF will not be releasing her full name or major.
When living in Florida, a few things are inevitable: hurricanes, heat and roaches. While your apartment might be clean and well-kept, roaches can find their way into the cracks and crevices of walls, pipes and appliances. If one lone roach is found scurrying across the floor, it’s best to contact building management and maintenance department right away to get ahead of a pest infestation.
Alexandria, 24, has lived at Venue at North Campus since August 2015. After a less than stellar living experience, she warily followed the advice of a Venue employee who suggested, from personal experience, she try renewing for a two-person apartment the following year.
“I was still in school and wanted the convenience of walking to campus if needed. It was the most seemingly secure apartment option, so I chose Venue,” says Alexandria, a graduate student. “Moving into my new apartment was when the major problems began.”
In November 2016, Alexandria found several roaches throughout her apartment and submitted an official work request to have her apartment treated immediately. In January 2017, after several unsuccessful pest control treatments, she agreed to pack up most of her belongings and left her apartment for several hours so Terminix could apply a more intense pest treatment. However, she noticed the apartment was not treated as thoroughly as she was told it would be and continued to urge Venue to treat the roach infestation.
Alexandria went on to explain that Venue even admitted this was a problem in the entire building, not just her apartment. Although she’s unsure whether they have treated surrounding apartments, she has insisted they treat every apartment in the entire building.
A second intensive cleaning was scheduled; however, the success of the treatment was questionable.
In four months, Alexandria has submitted five official work requests with Venue, as well as several phone calls and email regarding the roach infestation. She has tried her best to document the roaches she is finding in her apartment by taking photos of the bugs when she can.
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the saliva, feces and shedding body parts of roaches can trigger both asthma and allergies. Alexandria is asthmatic and says the roaches in her apartment at Venue have posed a risk to her health.
“I’ve been forced to leave the apartment for extended periods of time to stay in my office, the library, and even my friends’ houses,” she said.
Additionally, she had to get an emotional support animal from the stress this situation has caused her. She said she also has lived in a constant state of paranoia when she is in the apartment after finding roaches in her bed and in her dresser drawers.
The infestation has even strained her financially as she can’t keep food in the apartment. This has caused a complete lifestyle change, with her now eating on USF’s campus for every meal. She said she found roaches in the LED screen of her stove and in the cabinets where her dishes are stored. Since then, she’s packed her dishes and utensils into snap-top plastic tubs for storage.
Greystar, Venue’s management company, could not be reached for comment.
Alexandria says more than anything, she wants other students to be aware of the issues within student apartments.
“These student apartments charge a lot of money for convenience and amenities, but they do not reveal how dirty the premises are in the tours, and they do not know how to control their pest issues,” she said. “I feel the Venue on site management and regional management do not take me seriously.”