And while the flea-bitten critters are now gone, the Zaslavskys are still not out of the woods.
Bandits like this one ran wild in the Brooklyn home. Boston Globe via Getty Images The city issued a stop work order to a neighbor in July 2022, due to flea-infested raccoons. Michael Nagle Alice Zaslavsky and her daughters, Claire and Paige are still dealing with the cleanup from the raccoon rampage. Michael Nagle
Contractors estimate the ninja furballs caused $100,000 worth of damage to the three-bedroom, 1,930-square foot home, and the family’s insurance company won’t cover the necessary month’s worth of repairs.
“We have this tiny little clause in our homeowner’s insurance that says they do not clean up wildlife secretions which they deem toxic. Raccoon poo,” an exasperated Alice Zaslavsky told The Post of the AmGuard policy.
The problem began more than two years ago after the city slapped a stop-work order on a neighbor two doors down at 194 Minna St. in Kensington. The owner, Majestic Holdings, was allegedly doing work without permits.
The company left the house, which had been vacant for over a year, in a state of disrepair, with “numerous holes . . . to the outside,” the Zaslavskys said in court papers.
“One night, [the couple] woke up staring into the face of a raccoon hanging down from one of the access panels pushed open by the raccoons,” according to a Brooklyn Supreme Court lawsuit filed in September 2023 and settled a month later.
An exterminator found the critters were entering through 194 Minna, creeping through the connected houses and ending up in the Zaslavskys’ two-story home.
Mesh was placed above the ceiling — inside an access point to the ceiling — inside the Zaslavsky home. Michael Nagle A bedroom ceiling has stains from raccoon waste left behind by the nature ninjas. Michael Nagle
The raccoons chewed through new HVAC ductwork, new electrical wiring, ate insulation, and defecated on and stained the ceiling, the family said.
Living with the constant smell of toxic animal feces and knowing there were wild animals above their heads gave the family PTSD, they said.
“It came to a head early one morning in September 2023, when the raccoons came busting through the HVAC access panel in our master bedroom and we decided it was time to take legal action,” Alice Zaslavsky explained.
Contractors estimate the raccoons caused $100,000 worth of damage to the three-bedroom, 1,930-square foot home. Michael Nagle In order to do the future repairs, the Zaslavskys have to temporarily relocate. Michael Nagle
“Three appeals, and more than $30,000 in legal fees later, the final judge ruled the homeowner had to close up any access points,” she said.
However, no damages were ponied up and the Zaslavskys ended up paying $1,000 for an exterminator.
The exterminator caught five baby raccoons and their mom in the attic crawlspace. “They were . . . released back into the wild on Long Island,” Alice Zaslavsky said.
The raccoons chewed through brand new HVAC ductwork, brand new electrical wiring, eaten insulation, defecated in the same spot in the Zaslavsky’s daughter’s room causing staining and cracking in the ceiling, the family said. Courtesy of Alice Ann Gentry Zaslavsky The bandits — who noshed on pipe insulation, were finally banished in Sept. 2023, the family said. Courtesy of Alice Ann Gentry Zaslavsky
In order to do the future repairs, the Zaslavskys have to temporarily relocate.
“We have to pack up the second floor of our house as if we were moving. Everything has to go to storage. We cannot live in the house during that time because of the toxicity,” she said.
“We’re left holding a pretty big bag of repairs. We’re still paying off our legal bills from last year,” she lamented.
The Zaslavskys contracted a wildlife exterminator that caught five baby raccoons and their mom in the attic crawlspace. “They were taken away and released back into the wild on Long Island,” Alice Zaslavsky said. Courtesy of Alice Ann Gentry Zaslavsky The raccoon rampage and renovation saga began more than two years ago. Michael Nagle
“We can’t do the repairs until insurance agrees to pay. We don’t have $100,000 liquid to foot the bill,” Alice Zaslavsky explained.
“We’ve already appealed twice. We will continue to appeal until they do the right thing,” the homeowner said.
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