Use the empty apartment to your advantage
Before moving boxes against every wall, take a short walk through the empty apartment. Open accessible cabinets, look at the edges of rooms and photograph anything you want the building team to review. This is easier while you can still see the floor and reach under the sink.
Treat the visit as a record of conditions, not proof that the apartment is pest-free. An empty room can look clean while a plumbing gap or an unresolved leak still needs attention. The useful outcome is a clear list of observations and someone responsible for following them up.
Check the kitchen, bathroom and entry
Look from accessible positions without moving heavy appliances or opening building equipment. Concentrate on details you can photograph and describe accurately.
- Under sinks: visible pipe gaps, moisture, damaged cabinet panels or small dark pellets.
- Cabinet corners: insects, shed material or unexplained spotting; ask for identification rather than guessing.
- Along baseboards: cracks, damaged edges and openings where pipes enter the room.
- At the apartment door: visible gaps and whether the door closes properly.
- Around the bed area: inspect any furniture included with the apartment before adding your belongings.
Ask what was found and what was repaired
A statement that the apartment was treated is only a starting point. Ask which pest was identified, when the work happened, what repairs were completed and whether another visit is planned. Keep any preparation or monitoring instructions with your move-in paperwork.
HPD says owners of residential buildings with three or more units must ensure vacant apartments are cleaned and free of pests and mold before a new tenant moves in. Its indoor allergen guidance explains the applicable requirements. Use that source for the rules; use your photographs to describe the condition in this particular apartment.
Guidance: NYC HPD: indoor allergen hazards and vacant apartments
Send a short, specific handover note
A useful message could read: “Before unpacking, I found an opening around the pipe beneath the kitchen sink and photographed dark pellets in the rear cabinet corner. Please arrange identification and confirm who will inspect the opening.” Add the apartment number and a few access times.
Keep each repair separate from the pest observation. That makes it easier to check whether both have been addressed. In a managed Manhattan building, ask who can authorize access to shared areas if the inspection finds a route beyond your apartment.
After you unpack
Leave the reported areas accessible until the building team responds. Store your record in one place, including the date of each reply and any promised appointment. If something reappears, take a new photo from the same position and explain what changed.
Book a pest inspection when you need help identifying evidence or assessing possible entry routes. Tell the company that this is a move-in assessment, which rooms are involved and whether building management is coordinating repairs.