Martin Nwaiwu    |    Newark    ,    New Jersey 07106    Landlord Complaint 23-2548

I've been renting at 22 Poe Ave Newark NJ for 16 months. First the third floor for three months then I moved to the second floor. When I Moved To Second Floor In July of 2012 I ask my landlord verbally if I could apply my security deposit to July's rent since I had lost my job. He agreed again verbally. I continued paying my rents each month being late sometimes but catching up continuously. in January and Feburary 2013 when I paid my rent he held it and in March gave me a receipt stating he applied $2400 (two months rent) towards owed security deposit. its been over five months now that I'm asking him to provide me, in writing, the name and address of the banking information for my security deposit. He refuse to. Eventually the tenants on the first and third floor moved out I began having rats. Droppings was everywhere, in the closet, on the kitchen counter on my living room couch and area rugs even in the bathroom. My apartment is spotless because I'm a very clean and organized person. I take my garbage out regularly if not everyday and never leaves dirty dishes overnight. I contacted my landlord and he bought me a box of moth balls then some sticky rat traps that contained crackers and peanut butter. Still the problem persists. About a week ago I notice two swollen bites on my breast and arm, then some days following my eight year old told me he just saw an ants on the bed. I brushed it off thinking it was probably a mosquito bite and believing that my son was only exaggerating. A couple of days later I showed the bites to a some of my friends, they insisted that it was bed bug bites. Too embarrassed, I argued it was not. This morning @ 2:00 am I was awaken by something biting me. When I woke up and switched the light on, I saw three bed bugs on my bed I immediately contacted my landlord and ask him if he could come upstairs and take a look. Rather than saying tomorrow he will have a look, he told me go back to bed, and don't call his phone because his house don't have bed bugs and hung his phone up on me. I am hysterical right now because this is a serious problem for me. I just got finish furnishing my apartment and I recently bought that new mattress, which I have to throw out no questions asked. I'm worried that this spreads throughout my apartment and gets into my clothes and area rugs. I need this problem resolved, I'm in the process of finding another apartment but as we all know this could take a while.