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Foul odor in hall

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xylene

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New York, Upstate (not NYC)

Hello forum members.

After coming to get apartment advice, I stuck around and gave some advice.
I again need some apartment advice. :eek:

I live in a high rise apartment building ~middle of a 1 year lease, nice place, luxury level and the like. It has been great for about 2 years. Until now.

Well, a neighbor down the hall it seems has developed a serious problem with odor that is bad enough to stink up the entire floor's hallway.

I suspect this neighbor may have some serious health problems as there are nurses and home care there 24/7.

It smells of putrefaction and death and it is pouring into the hall. :(

It is so bad that I am embarrassed to have company come over and it literally makes my life partner wretch when we get off the elevator.

This level of smell has been going on for over 2 weeks.

I have verbally complained to the management.

The janitor has sprayed some freshener. :rolleyes:
The problem is too severe and is not abated by masking agents.
 


atomizer

Senior Member
You can complain the the health department. It's possible that the ill person is not getting proper medical attention, or cleanliness issues are not being tended to by the very people that are suppose to be taking care of it.

Management can post a notice to enter and take a look-see for possible cleanliness issues.
 

FarmerJ

Senior Member
Xylene I hate to ask this but are you able to pin down the type of odor it is? I would say first suspicion would be whom ever the nieghbors health care providers are might be doing a lousy job by not removing the clients trash. Literally if it is more of a urine, feces type of odor the client might be using adult diapers and care providers are being lazy about taking trash out, I would suppose even severe infections where bandages are used would stink , But anywho consider calling either the police or social services vulnerable adult services and express concern that the tenant might be neglected by caregivers since its possible the caregivers are not addressing trash build ups and asking if its possible to do a health-welfare check on them where they go and check it out. Any more communications with the LL do it in writting. If the tenant is found to be living in poor conditions by the county it will be addressed.
 

xylene

Senior Member
Update: Good and bad news

Per the management, the smell is not from nursing care's apt, and the sick guy is not living in filth, feces or with an infected wound. And he too is as upset as anybody on the floor about the smell. :rolleyes: :eek:

They can't pin down the source of the smell.
They are going to call in a steam cleaner and do the carpets in the hall.

I am holding off on any radical action like calling the health dept unless that does not work.
 

atomizer

Senior Member
If the odor is that of decaying meat, then you may have a dead rat or animal within the walls.

Or, a sewage pipe may have a leak if odor is fecal type.
 

sandyclaus

Senior Member
Update: Good and bad news

Per the management, the smell is not from nursing care's apt, and the sick guy is not living in filth, feces or with an infected wound. And he too is as upset as anybody on the floor about the smell. :rolleyes: :eek:

They can't pin down the source of the smell.
They are going to call in a steam cleaner and do the carpets in the hall.

I am holding off on any radical action like calling the health dept unless that does not work.
That's it? That's all that management is going to do? I'm guessing they don't have to live with the issue, do they?

Hate to rain on their parade, but if the smell is so bad it is permeating the apartments on that entire floor, the problem is NOT going to be as simple as a carpet that needs to be steam cleaned. There would have had to be some serious mess on that carpet, which would be quite noticeable to all, for the smell to have developed and lingered this long and been this bad.

I'll bet that cleaning that carpet doesn't even begin to solve the problem, but you will all be happy because you have a nice, clean carpet, right?? Management needs to be more diligent in locating the cause of the problem instead of trying to fix the issue cosmetically.

I would be HIGHLY concerned if this is the only solution management can come up with. I'd be on the phone to authorities already, because that sounds to me to be the only thing that will properly motivate management to do a more thorough job here to abate the nuisance.
 

atomizer

Senior Member
I've had similar problems, and have learned from experience that the unidentified odor is usually caused by a tenant that went on vacation and forgot to throw out the garbage. I would start with inspections on all apartments in the general area of the odor.
 

CraigFL

Member
Remember that people who lived near Jeffery Dahmer didn't pursue the smells that came from his apartment! :eek:
 

xylene

Senior Member
Remember that people who lived near Jeffery Dahmer didn't pursue the smells that came from his apartment! :eek:
Sadly, this was along this line of my thinking, excpet maybe with like a misguided loves pets too much... :eek:

However, no Jeff Dahmers live on my floor, and the management is being proactive.

Thanks all for the advice and we'll see what happens next.
 

csi7

Senior Member
Are there air vents in the hallway? The smell may not be coming from the carpet.
I would ask for a courtesy check with the health department. It doesn't establish a complaint, and the source of the foul odor may be quickly identified by their process.
 

BL

Senior Member
Is there rodents ?

Have they laid down poison ?

Dead rodents can stink like high heaven,and id one is in a wall ,well I guess it will have to dry up all on it's own.

Just a thought.
 

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