Reporting a roach infestation in New York City starts with written notice to your landlord, then a 311 complaint if the problem does not stop. NYC311 forwards the complaint to the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), which can send an inspector with authority to issue a violation carrying a legal correction deadline.
Roaches fall under a specific 311 category with their own correction deadline once a violation is issued, separate from the general rule for most housing conditions. Filing the complaint correctly from the start, and checking back on what happens to it, is what turns a complaint into an actual repair.
Notifying Your Landlord in Writing First
HPD's own guidance for reporting a maintenance issue tells tenants to contact the property owner or managing agent directly before filing a complaint, since that is often the fastest way to get a condition fixed. A phone call or text works, but an email or a letter sent by certified mail works better, because it creates a dated record that you gave notice. Describe what you have seen, such as live or dead roaches, droppings or egg cases, and where they are concentrated, and ask for the name of the exterminator and the date of the next visit. Keep a copy of whatever you send.
That written notice matters beyond getting a faster fix. If the infestation drags on, a dated record of when you first told the landlord becomes evidence in an HP action or any other Housing Court case, since it establishes the landlord had actual notice of the condition. Ask what pest control company the landlord already used and when, since a documented history of ineffective visits also strengthens a later complaint.
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Filing a 311 Complaint With HPD
If the landlord does not respond, or the roaches come back after a visit, file with 311 through any of three channels: call 311 (TTY 212-504-4115), use 311 Online at nyc.gov, or use the NYC311 mobile app. On the 311 site, the complaint sits under Pests and Wildlife as a Residential Pest Complaint, which covers roaches along with mice, rats, bed bugs, fleas and flies, either inside your apartment or in a shared area of the building.
On the back end, HPD logs the complaint under complaint type Unsanitary Condition with the descriptor Pests. That is confirmed directly from NYC Open Data's 311 Service Requests dataset: filtering for agency HPD, complaint type Unsanitary Condition and descriptor Pests returns 70,607 complaints citywide in the twelve months ending September 1, 2026, the same category a roach report lands in.
Have the exact address and apartment number ready, along with a description of what you have found. Photos help. You can also ask 311 to keep your identity confidential, though HPD notes the inspector will still need to enter the apartment to document the condition. Once the complaint is filed, 311 gives you a Service Request number. Save it, since it is what you use to follow up.
What HPD Does After You File
HPD's process runs as a sequence rather than a countdown. First, the agency reaches out to the building's managing agent about the complaint. It then tries to contact you to confirm whether the condition has been corrected; if you confirm it has, the complaint closes without an inspection. If it has not been fixed, or HPD cannot reach you, a uniformed Code Enforcement inspector is sent to examine the condition in person, and can arrange for a translator if English is not your first language.
HPD does not publish a guaranteed inspection window for pest complaints the way it does for heat outages in winter. Several advice pages print a specific number, anywhere from 24 hours to 45 days, but no such figure appears in HPD's own description of the process, so treat any specific day count as someone's estimate rather than an HPD commitment.
When an inspector does come, they document what supports a violation: live or dead roaches, droppings, egg cases, and conditions that let an infestation spread, such as gaps around pipes, cracked tile, or exposed food and garbage.
Violation Class and Correction Deadline for Roaches
A confirmed roach problem is written up as an Unsanitary Condition violation and classified Class C, the "immediately hazardous" tier, the same class used for no heat. Most Class C conditions carry a 24-hour correction deadline, but HPD's penalties and fees schedule sets a specific exception for mice, cockroaches and rats: the landlord has 21 days from the date HPD serves the Notice of Violation to correct it, the same 21-day window that applies to mold, lead paint and window guards.
The 21 days is a legal deadline, not a promise the roaches will be gone by then. It marks the point after which HPD can pursue penalties if the landlord has not certified the repair. The violation stays open on the record until the landlord certifies the correction and HPD accepts it, or HPD verifies the fix directly.
Tracking the Complaint and the Violation
Use the Service Request number to check your complaint's status through 311 Online or the 311 app. Once HPD issues a violation, it becomes a separate public record. Searching the building's address turns up the violation and complaint history in one place, and it is worth searching again once the 21-day deadline passes, since a violation only shows as corrected after the landlord certifies it or HPD confirms the fix in a follow-up inspection.
Checking back matters because certification is not automatically verified. HPD's most recent Certification Watchlist, published in February 2026, found 7,500 false certifications among the 100 buildings it flagged that year for a pattern of falsely certified hazardous violations, out of more than 20,000 hazardous violations those buildings had certified as fixed. Pest violations are specifically excluded from the criteria that put a building on that list, so a falsely certified roach violation will not trigger the extra reinspections that Watchlist buildings get. Checking the record yourself after the deadline passes is the only way to know whether the correction actually happened.
Escalating When Nothing Changes
Filing with 311 documents the condition, but it does not by itself change what you are already entitled to as a tenant under the warranty of habitability. If the violation is still open after its correction deadline, a few options remain. File a new 311 complaint if the roaches return after a supposed fix, since a fresh complaint creates a new inspection record even on an address with an existing violation. Contact your local community board or council member's office, both of which routinely follow up on stalled HPD cases. Met Council on Housing's tenant rights hotline gives free, direct advice on escalating a specific case.
If none of that moves the landlord, an HP action in Housing Court can force the repair, and in some circumstances it is possible to sue a landlord over a roach infestation directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What 311 Category Should I Use to Report Roaches?
Choose Residential Pest Complaint under Pests and Wildlife, whether you file by phone, online or through the app. HPD logs it internally as an Unsanitary Condition complaint with the descriptor Pests, the same category used for roaches, mice, rats, bed bugs, fleas and flies.
Do I Have to Tell My Landlord Before I Call 311?
HPD's own guidance recommends it, since contacting the owner directly is often the fastest way to get a repair without waiting on an inspection. It is not a legal requirement to file with 311, but written notice creates a record that matters if the problem continues.
Can I Stay Anonymous When I Report My Landlord?
You can ask 311 to keep your name confidential, and HPD will not share it with the landlord. The inspector still has to get into your apartment to document the condition, so your landlord can often work out who called even without being told directly.
How Long Does HPD Take to Inspect a Roach Complaint?
HPD does not publish a set turnaround for pest inspections. The process runs as a sequence: outreach to the landlord, an attempt to reach you, and an inspection if the condition remains unresolved. Treat any specific day count you see elsewhere as an estimate, not an HPD commitment.
What Happens if My Landlord Falsely Certifies the Repair as Done?
The landlord can tell HPD the violation is fixed without HPD verifying it first. Recent citywide data shows thousands of certifications turn out to be false on reinspection, and pest violations do not get the automatic extra scrutiny that HPD gives its Certification Watchlist buildings, so check the address yourself after the deadline passes.
Can I Withhold Rent or Sue Over a Roach Infestation?
Rent withholding and lawsuits both carry legal risk if done incorrectly, and the right approach depends on how long the condition has gone on and what the violation record shows. An HP action is the more direct route to force a repair through Housing Court.
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