It may be unsanitary, but It doesn't surprise me that the landlord refuses to clean it. This is an act of nature, and since there are no maintenence issues involved, he's not really obligated to clean it. I'm sure that's not the answer you wanted to hear, but unfortunately I think you're stuck cleaning it yourself or paying someone to do it for you.

 

I agree that the landlord is most likely not on the hook to clean up bird droppings, but I would first start by looking over your lease and see if there is anything written in there about yard/outside maintenance. Many times with apartment buildings there are clauses about that kind of thing.
Next, your city or town should most likely have some sort of housing commission, if you call your local information line (usually something like 311) they may be able to connect you to someone who can help you out.
If all else fails, you can talk to a lawyer about the possibility of threatening a civil lawsuit against your landlord. Though, this route would probably be more expensive than just investing money in a power washer and a mask.
I think those are about all your options at this point. Good Luck!

 

I agree, you're probably out of luck forcing the landlord into action. It's amazing what a coating of soap and putting your finger over the end of a hose can accomplish though....it may be your only option.

The only other piece of advice I can suggest is mention it to your other neighbors and get them to complain to the landlord as well. There's always strength in numbers and maybe he will cave in. Although you may not want to clean it, $20 plus a teen with a pressure washer would also solve the problem. If enough complain, that's probably what the landlord would do.

 

I disagree. When I lived in an apartment the apartments and grounds were taken care of by the complex. We had to do our part with basic cleaning and such but if anything were broken or unsatisfactory all we had to do was mention it to them and they would have taken care of it. This is certainly one of those things that our grounds crew would have taken care of.

 

A quick call to a local real estate attorney should net you the correct answer. This information should be free and only cost you if you wanted the attorney to handle this case for you. In most cases it should be resolved with a simple letter from an attorney. This is assuming that you do have some legal ground to stand on.

 

You had a good landlord and there was an actual staff present...meaning it was a larger complex. Apartments range from small efficiencies to penthouse suites; not all of them offer cleaning services and it is usually stated within the contract that it is at the landlord's discression. Ultimately you get what you pay for, and because your complex was great does not mean they all are.

 

Yeah I know. I didn't think the complex was large but I guess looking at other places it was pretty big...

besides. I am the only one saying that it should be covered, wouldn't that make the "does not mean they all are" comment a bit to the wrong person?

 

I think a fire escape falls under common area. It's not in anyone's apartment.

 

Well. I'm not a legal person by any means. It's just my opinion really, but I think it's common sense.

 

IMO, this is an exterior problem that would or should generally fall under the landlord's responsibility. However, it would depend on local ordinances and/or your tenant's association by-laws with the landlord, if any. If the landlord refuses to clean it, then it's a reasonable chance that he knows what he is liable for. If he's just being a butt hole about it, then he may just be trying to get away with something. Altho legal action is likely to be more costly than taking care of it yourself, maybe you might want to contact the local health department. Maybe there is something they can do to twist his arm. But again, this likely will depend on local ordinances.

 

If you read the clause within your lease correctly, then it should ultimately be the landlord's responsibility. The true question is how much time and money are you willing to invest to avoid renting a pressure washer and paying the kid down the street twenty bucks to clean it?

Calling the health board is a good start, but realise that it is a state entity and therefore inefficient. They will likely tell you to call someone else, who may or may not actually be the person you should be talking to. Another route would be to check and see if your complex belongs to any type of organization that gives kickback dues to the property owner, or possibly contacting the property owner diectly (if it is not the landlord). It's all up to you on how far to fight this issue, and you legally could hire an attorney and sue the complex for a breach of contract.

Again, we're talking about a kid and a pressure washer here though. Me personally, I would write letters to everyone and fight it like it gave my child cancer, but that's just my personality and how stubborn I can be over things like that. The decision is ultimately on your shoulders and how far you want to take it...no answer here can change that.

 

From my experience the landlord is obligated to do certain things at a minimum like cut the lawn and present a suitable living environment. Having bird crap on a fire escape falls under the category of borderline hazardous and certainly gross. If an emergency ever came up, i think your strongest argument to get something done is that your landlord could very easily be held liable if the fire escape is legitimately dirty. I would take pictures of it and if you have a friend or acquaintance who is a lawyer see what they think. If they believe a landlord could be in legal trouble if the fire escape needed to be used and couldnt be used because it was not in suitable condition well then all youre really doing is trying to protect your landlord. Also, I would look in to what the minimum requirements are for the landlord in your state to pass any inspections. I can be sure having significant clumps of birdcrap on the fire escape probably dont help his cause. :)

 

You may also want to consider a maintenance work request for installation of bird netting or some other means of trying to prevent further accumulation once it does get cleaned up.
There are many sites out there. Just search on bird netting or pigeon netting.
Example site: http://www.birdbgone.com/

 

contact your local health dept

 

Very simple..murder the birds.

Use a 20 gauge bird shot and take them down.

show those bastards who's boss.

 

This route could be quite cathartic as well. :lol:

 

It would be hilarious to see maintenance cleaning up a bunch of dead birds covered in bird poop:yes:

you could do your best Clint Eastwood impersonation while they are doing the work:up:

"Do you feel lucky punk...well..........do ya?"

 

Wow. I'm a bonafide germaphobe but even I'm not afraid of a little bird poop. Risking your health? Seriously? It maybe be unsightly, but it's just bird poop. It's a fact of life we all have to deal with. Probably not the answer you want to hear, but there's really no need for you to be this concerned about bird poop. If the unsightly nature of it disturbs you, like someone else already said, hose and water.

 

Get some bums to clean it for cheap


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How exactly do you think we spread germs and diseases? If we get it by touching it or breathing it in, you don't think it comes out the same way? Blood, saliva, urine, and poop all work the same way....if it comes out of a person or animal then it can pass sickness to others.


That reminds me of the commercial where the woman is blowing secondhand smoke in her kid's face in the restaurant, then says, "Don't use that glass, that dirty spot on it could kill you."