Report: Complaints of rat sightings decline across New York City

By Brick Underground | August 6, 2019 - 9:00AM

A recent news story described one Prospect Heights building as having a rat infestation that’s so bad that some neighbors walk in the street to avoid rats grazing on garbage strewn around the property. A community group has organized to address the crisis and collect stories of rat sightings.

But that situation is an exception to the current trend: While rats are still common in NYC, all boroughs had fewer rat sightings in 2018, according to RentHop’s annual rat report. NYC received a total of 17,353 rat-sighting complaints in 2018, 9 percent fewer than 2017.

But it's not all good news: Certain neighborhoods, such as Auburndale, Queens and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, had an increase in the number of rat sightings last year.

The Bronx saw the greatest decline, with only 3,134 sightings, 16 percent lower than in 2017. Brooklyn has the greatest number of rodent complaints among the five boroughs, while Manhattan actually leads the number of rat sightings per square mile.

What is the situation like in your neighborhood? Use the interactive map below to zoom in on your neighborhood. Darker shades mean a higher concentration of rat sightings.

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