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AIBU?

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AIBU to feel annoyed by my neighbour's complaints about rats?

145 replies

Becnextdoor · 19/05/2026 22:50

Do not have many neighbours, only 4 on our street. I live next to this lady, detached houses but our garden is seperated with a hedge if that makes sense. She has lived in that house for 4 years and we used to get along in a good neighbour way - as she lived alone I would often do garden work for her and she came round for a family barbecue once a year, normal neighbour stuff.
We (me and my wife) have had pet chickens for about 7 years now, they are located near the connecting hedge, out of her sight, and she’s never had a problem with them, however the chickens have randomly just now started getting rats, and as a result some of them have gone in her garden, she has messaged to complain, and came round twice to complain, all in the same week, after the first complaint we told her we were dealing with it - as we were, however rat traps take time and don’t work instantly, however, she kept coming round and telling us it was our problem and we need to sort it, and getting progressively annoyed, even though we were managing with it. We payed for pest control to come today, and they even went and spoke to her about how it was getting sorted - as we were tired of her continuous complaints, I didn’t even get a ‘thank you’ or anything, and even after the pest control she is still complaining. She is about 40 years old and a lot of her money is “mummy’s money”, private school and parents brought her a nice house in a nice area, so especially with knowing that, we really think she’s just acting abit entitled now. We are probably going to fall out with our neighbour over this, are we in the wrong for being annoyed? edit: The rats only started coming the same week she got a new cat and dog, she’s also recently had an oil spill - which apparently can attract rats, I don’t know if that’s relevant but.

OP posts:
unsync · 20/05/2026 07:38

Well, aren't you just charming posting photos of someone's pets on a public forum, especially as you're the one that caused the problem. Presumably you asked her permission before doing so? I'm looking forward to this being picked up by the DM.

Hoardasurass · 20/05/2026 07:35

Becnextdoor · 19/05/2026 23:33

I was never trying to insult her age, I was adding it as if she had been younger and this was her first time living alone I would have allowed it more. I’m always doing free garden work for her on my days off, I even built a cat flap for her cat so it can get through our garden into the near woods - she doesn’t like her cat wondering in the road. Pest control came 4 days after she alerted me, and I put traps out on the first day.

Edited

Ok let's spell this out got you in simple words so you can understand
YOU and YOUR chickens ARE the PROBLEM.
YOU dont have a say in how she complains or even if its daily until YOU fix the problem that YOU created
YOU trying to paint her age and financial situation as the problem shows that YOU are a MISOGYNIST.
YOU need to clean YOUR chicken poop and feed everyday along with collecting all eggs daily.
IF your neighbour complains to environmental health they will make you get rid of the chickens.
IF the rats get in her house YOU will be liable for ALL cost for their extermination however long it takes and ALL repair and cleaning costs.

Most importantly YOU need to go around and APOLOGISE TO HER.
It doesn't matter how many threads you create about this the answer wont change YABU and no we wont be calling her a "Karen" because YABU and this is a womens site not a misogynistic cesspit like reddit

burnbabyburnout · 20/05/2026 07:34

Have chickens have rats.

twilightcafe · 20/05/2026 07:29

YABU.
Keep chickens, get rats. Which are vermin.
Poor woman, having you as a neighbour.

Stressedoutmummyof3 · 20/05/2026 07:24

I would be complaining if my next door neighbour had rats that were coming in to my garden. Perhaps she is like me and terrified of rats. Maybe she'd like to use her garden without rats running around and they breed like mad so it's not one or two rats.
I wouldn't be thanking you for getting pest control out either as presumably you would have done that anyway (I hope) without her saying anything.
Your actions have inconvenienced her. Someone here sounds entitled but it's not your neighbour.

DelphiniumBlue · 20/05/2026 06:36

You are causing rats to be in her garden, but she is the entitled one ?? Of course she is complaining! The fact you invited her to a barbecue or that she has family money has nothing to do with this at all.

Becnextdoor · 20/05/2026 01:38

FullOfLemons · 20/05/2026 00:39

I love the way you pointed out the DN getting new (I suspect fictional ) pets at the end.

All very real pets thank you, her previous cat dies and she replaced it with a new cat and dog. Thank you for all the replies, I’ve been reading through them.

AIBU to feel annoyed by my neighbour's complaints about rats?
AIBU to feel annoyed by my neighbour's complaints about rats?
OP posts:
OrangeOpalFruits · 20/05/2026 01:08

Becnextdoor · 19/05/2026 23:00

Thanks for the fast responses, I get the rats are our problem, but we do a lot to help her out and we got started on the problem the second she mentioned it, she’s just still telling us off on it even after pest control told her face to face that it will take a few weeks. Edit: we only have 4 quiet, small, chickens (we’re not running a chicken farm, they’re just pets) they get cleaned out every week and she has never had an issue until now.

Edited

Oh well, if they're small AND quiet, it can't possibly be your fault, can it? You could clean them out three times a day, have alcatraz level security and wash and blow dry them to your heart's content, but its their chickenness that is attracting rats. 😱

RealOliveTraybake · 20/05/2026 00:43

I think you're lucky. If I was your neighbour there's a good chance you'd have had an invoice through the door for any damages and pest control on her property.

FullOfLemons · 20/05/2026 00:39

I love the way you pointed out the DN getting new (I suspect fictional ) pets at the end.

caringcarer · 20/05/2026 00:29

MrsBennetsPoorNervesAreBack · 19/05/2026 22:55

I'm sorry but you sound awful.

I have no idea what "mummy's money" means, or why private school or the question of who paid for her house is remotely relevant to your post.

You have caused a rat problem. She doesn't want rats in her garden. You haven't dealt with it quickly enough. Of course she is going to complain.

This. What has going to a private school got to do with rats? 🤷

MeganM3 · 20/05/2026 00:27

Because of you she has had rats. It’s horrible. They carry diseases and are hard to get rid of.
If you lived round here a neighbour would probably put a brick through your window for this.
Sort it out as quickly as you can and you owe her an apology.

Howmanycatsistoomany · 20/05/2026 00:23

lol at you expecting a thank you from your neighbour for calling pest control to deal with your rats!! I've kept chooks for donkeys years and have never had a rat problem because I don't leave feeders out and I clean up spillages/anything the chooks don't eat. It's not hard.

mathanxiety · 20/05/2026 00:21

Becnextdoor · 19/05/2026 23:33

I was never trying to insult her age, I was adding it as if she had been younger and this was her first time living alone I would have allowed it more. I’m always doing free garden work for her on my days off, I even built a cat flap for her cat so it can get through our garden into the near woods - she doesn’t like her cat wondering in the road. Pest control came 4 days after she alerted me, and I put traps out on the first day.

Edited

Unbelievable obtuseness and entitlement.

Do you honestly not see rats as a massive problem?

mathanxiety · 20/05/2026 00:17

You are being massively unreasonable.

You need to get rid of the chickens and apologise to this woman for inflicting rats on her.

Where she got the money for her house is none of your business. She's not an entitled snob. She's just a home owner who is rightly passed off that she is now dealing with rats because she has neighbours who have a much higher vermin tolerance threshold than she does.

The cheek of you!

thebustonowhere · 19/05/2026 23:58

I’m in my 40s. How old are you? 5? And did you actually just say “I would allow it”???? Who do you think you are?!

BreadInCaptivity · 19/05/2026 23:52

You sound as if you are expecting her to be grateful for you resolving a problem that is of your creation.

Chicken’s are rat magnets. Having them in a domestic garden is not appropriate (especially near the boundary - but frankly, even moved unless your garden is over an acre, it’s still an issue - the buggers can scavenge far and wide from their base).

In your OP you are keen to label her as entitled. Can you not see the irony in this?

Arguably your sense of “entitlement” to cleve to a lifestyle choice of garden hobby chicken owning is far more entitled than her right to live in a home (whomever paid for it) that isn’t infested by rodents.

Frankly your response is so wide of the mark here in its arrogance it’s ridiculous.

In addition to sorting pest control you should be accepting that your chickens need relocating out of the garden (not just within it) and going round with a bunch of flowers/bottle of wine and a card of apology (and also losing the chip on your shoulder about her background).

ACynicalDad · 19/05/2026 23:52

What does her schooling have to do with this? You are causing a rat problem, and a decent neighbour would sort it out and not victim-blame someone with a reasonable complaint.

SALaw · 19/05/2026 23:50

This reply has been deleted

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SALaw · 19/05/2026 23:49

Entitled?! She just doesn’t want rats on her property and, as you acknowledge yourself, it is your chickens that are attracting them. If she’s been complaining repeatedly to the point it has annoyed you this much it sounds like it has gone on for some time now. Team Neighbour all the way.

Lavender14 · 19/05/2026 23:46

"She is about 40 years old and a lot of her money is “mummy’s money”, private school and parents brought her a nice house in a nice area, so especially with knowing that, we really think she’s just acting abit entitled now."

All of this^ utterly irrelevant

"We've helped her out lots in the past"

Again^ utterly irrelevant

Being a decent neighbour and helping someone out at times doesn't generate a carte blanche for you when you then cause a problem (albeit unintentionally).

I know rats are just part of our natural bio diversity in outside spaces but they're super destructive if they decide to take a liking to a nearby house. We had major, major issues with rats destroying our electrics and even got into our water system and it needed checked and flushed. It was an absolute nightmare getting rid of them once they'd worked their way in.

So she's right to be pushing for this to be resolved urgently and the chickens unfortunately are the issue. Moving them and doing all you've done so far to address it is great but you can't expect her to not still be annoyed about a nuisance you've created without meaning to until its fully resolved. That doesn't make her entitled and there's no reason for you to fall out with her over it. A lot of people also have real phobias of rodents so this is probably really affecting her enjoyment of her home.

ToKittyornottoKitty · 19/05/2026 23:46

Why would she say thank you? The rats are caused by your chickens. Your judgement on her age and money makes you sound pretty unpleasant. She had every right to be stressed and annoyed, I’d say 4 days to call out pest control isn’t particularly quick.

Hopefully you manage to rat proof your chickens going forward

Xkk · 19/05/2026 23:44

Becnextdoor · 19/05/2026 23:33

I was never trying to insult her age, I was adding it as if she had been younger and this was her first time living alone I would have allowed it more. I’m always doing free garden work for her on my days off, I even built a cat flap for her cat so it can get through our garden into the near woods - she doesn’t like her cat wondering in the road. Pest control came 4 days after she alerted me, and I put traps out on the first day.

Edited

You helping her has absolutely nothing to do with your rats. You chose to help, you weren't force to, that is a choice you made. If the T&C for your help would be that she should tolerate rats from youe chickens I am sure she would decline your help. There are very few things I detest in this world, one of them is rats. If I would see rats in my garden I would be afraid to go out and enjoy my garden. She doesen't have to thank you and you need to start apologising, if I was in her shoes I would go balistic so you were quite lucky you only got complaints.

todayImstruggling · 19/05/2026 23:39

You need to make the chickens space rat proof. We have chickens and don’t have rats because we keep the space clean and free from food. All feed and water containers are removed every night and surplus feed cleared away. Make sure the area around the chicken run is kept clear so rats would have to come out ans not have anywhere to hide. Our primary run is on concrete so nothing can burrow underneath and that is the only place the chickens are fed.

I can’t blame your neighbour for being irritated by the presence of rats. I cannot stand them either. I would be very apologetic and be clearly showing that I am making a huge effort to get rid of them.

Strandas · 19/05/2026 23:37

Becnextdoor · 19/05/2026 23:33

I was never trying to insult her age, I was adding it as if she had been younger and this was her first time living alone I would have allowed it more. I’m always doing free garden work for her on my days off, I even built a cat flap for her cat so it can get through our garden into the near woods - she doesn’t like her cat wondering in the road. Pest control came 4 days after she alerted me, and I put traps out on the first day.

Edited

Ok, but I still don’t think age has a bearing on whether it’s acceptable to be annoyed with having a rat problem caused by a neighbour.

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