Rats in rented house - would you move?

[BubblesWoo]

I’ll start by prefacing I have a horrible phobia of rats so unsure if I am incapable of viewing this logically.

DP and I rent a 1920’s terraced house. The basement/old coal cellar is sealed off and inaccessible. In front of the kitchen window the old access is concreted but is cracking and dipping (but not moving).

Moved in in September 2021 - when replacing the washing machine found an invoice for rat treatment done in March 2021 for the previous tenant. Bad sign 1. Hoped it had been dealt with although the invoice said unable to access cellar.

January 2022 heard rats behind the washing machine scratching 😭 spoke to the letting agent who sent pest control out - they laid poison and sealed up a hole in the concrete and the rats seemed to die within a week. The pest control man told us he really needed to access the cellar to check for other access points but the landlord/letting agents didn’t want to do this and as I didn’t want to kick up a fuss. We also pulled the washing machine out and stuffed the holes with plastic bags and laid snap traps as an extra measure.

No further issues until today when I found my tulip bulbs I was storing in the cupboard under the sink had been munched and found one with clear bite marks on half eaten (there is a hole in the back of the cupboard for the water stop tap and for the plug for the washing machine). Pest control are coming out again on Monday.

I’m assuming the pest control man will just lay poison again and if he can’t access the basement to seal any entry points it’s just going to keep happening and the rats will keep coming back. I’ve specified this in an email to the letting agent.

The properly is also in the process of being sold to another landlord. Our tenancy is up in September. Should we just cut our losses and move? It’s a shame as we love the area and the neighbours are nice. However I hate rats and am really scared we’ll tie ourselves into another 12 month tenancy and keep having rodent issues.

Should add I spoke to the neighbours who advised they and the previous tenants also had issues with rats. Eughhhh.

I had this problem. We moved. The landlord was furious but there was nothing he could do about it. We didn’t give notice either!

Rats are very hard to keep out once in, especially in terraces because they tend to just move next door, wait and then move back in because very rarely will an entire terrace simultaneously have pest control done all at once- which is the only way to get rid of rats for any real length of time.

Your tenancy is up in September. I would start looking for a new rental now as the rental market is insane. You can then furnish notice to your LL according to the tenancy agreement. Most are 1 mos notice. (You still have to serve this notice if planning to leave at the end of the tenancy in September.) Most LLs will release you a month or two early.

I would not involve environmental at the council until after your application has been accepted on a new place and you have passed referencing. But by all means, in the window between that and actual moving day…then contact environment. You might risk a LL dispute on your damage deposit as “revenge” but if you keep good records and evidence and have a professional end of tenancy cleaning done, then TDS will usually rule in your favour.

I wonder whether the rat problem has been disclosed to the new owner?
Totally unacceptable for a landlord not to sort this out.

Do you know they're rats not mice this time?

I'd move. We've got a rat problem in the garden the thought of them
Getting in the house makes me 🤮 . We've got take aways behind our back alley and they are attracted to the rubbish.

Leave. Do not renew the lease. Give notice now do plenty of time. You'll find something else in the area.

If your neighbours also have rats then there is probably a problem in that whole area so there will always be a new supply of rats even if you manage to kill off the current ones. TBH I would move.

I had a similar situation. The pest control guy put poison in bags on some string and lowered it through the gaps to the cellar. Mine was a ground floor flat and they were coming into my bedroom. The first night I could literally hear them ripping through the plastic to get at the poison. It made me feel sick. They came back but after a bit of arguing the landlords odd job man came and poured concrete into the gaps. It did the trick until I moved out a few months later.

@Aberration we heard them doing that last time the pest man came - there was no smell from the bodies decomposing though so god knows what happened to them.

Its putting me off for winter as if they’re coming in and it’s summer - how bad will it be when it gets cold?

Sounds weird but if I owned the house I’d feel better as Id just open the cellar and could take better measures. We were hoping to stay here until we buy but I can’t abide the thought of them running round in the kitchen chewing wires and pissing everywhere.

The neighbours said they put down poison and they went away, and have had no issues since however they have a terrier so don’t know if that puts the rats off?

@Discovereads thank you for this. I’m going to follow your advice, I’m scared of being unable to rent if they revenge reference us.

The neighbours said they put down poison and they went away, and have had no issues since however they have a terrier so don’t know if that puts the rats off?

Yes, most terriers are bred to kill rats so one would definitely scare them off especially since your lovely home is right next door with an undisputed private basement for them to nest in.

A good LL shouldn’t, but given how you’ve been treated by your current LL, I would be wary of that in your shoes.

You can tell by the poops whether it is rats or mice.

I would be wondering why the landlord is so averse to anyone accessing the basement!

If you like the house otherwise and think the wiring is still OK, I would stay and give new landlord a chance to deal with it properly. Contact them as soon as they take possession, to warn them and bring them up to date.

Otherwise move, but after it has sold warn new tenants and landlord.

@BEAM123 the thought has crossed my mind to be honest!! My brother keeps winding me up saying it’s a murder basement! Hopefully the worst thing is the rats 🥲

I’ve ordered a waterproof endoscopy camera with a light off Amazon today - hopefully this will give an indication of how bad the problem is and where they are gaining access.

I would move. In your shoes I'd be terrified - not just of the rats but also the prospect of a fire because they'd chewed wiring. The stress would probably make me ill.

I'd also be very uneasy about the locked basement.

I would feel very uneasy living in a home with a section of it essentially closed off from me entering it - what’s the big secret down in the basement?

God knows what’s down there. Could be a good explanation for why rats are down there.

I would move and not look back

Also op I never saw any rat shit so I wouldn’t rely on finding that to know where they’d been. I knew for certain they’d come into my room as I came face to face with one!

@Aberration I’ve not seen one yet but it’s only a matter of time 🤢 will be liberal with the disinfectant! My endoscope camera has arrived so going to try see what the deal is with the sealed cellar

Move. Move. Move.

100% move and just as a heads up, a rat issue doesnt have to be declared when selling a property so when your looking to buy you need to ask the specific question and document it, then if the seller has lied you have rights.

I'd move.

Can I suggest you get your next home arranged and then call Environment Health, while you are serving your notice period. Take photographs of evidence of rats, and send them over to the local authority. They can get an enforcement order, although a decent landlord would want to fix this as rats are a huge problem to human health and cause housing damage.

Cant see anything with the camera but the cellar is very big, deep and stinks of damp. Even if they open it and sort it properly we will still be moving.

If they refuse I’ll be contacting environmental health after we’ve passed referencing for our next property. Handing in our two months notice tomorrow.

Wishing you luck 🍀 finding a better home.