To sell this stinking rat hole, I mean house because we have rats?

[RedWineAllMine]

So to cut a long story short, purchased first house a year ago, have since discovered the bastards that sold it to us never told us of the rat problem. I found rat droppings tonight in living room, and knawed pieces of wooden coving and doors throughout the house. I have been away so noticed it when I came back. I have just paid £99 for the council pest control, they will be here within the next 2 days. I know it's rats because we caught one in the loft not long ago, but laid down poison and that was the end of that until now....
So, told my Partner we are selling or I'm leaving him once council have sorted the rats. I can't live here.

I hate and I mean HATE rats and mice. I went to war with them last year.

It clearly went down in the rodent history books as the little bastards don’t come within 100m of my house anymore.

Rats stink. If you have nests it might be that?

Get a terrier who likes chasing and catching rats.

Re-decorate, one room at a time, to get rid of the cigarette smell.
Hire a carpet cleaning machine, they're not expensive, (or get a steam cleaning service in , they are more expensive ) to deep clean the carpets and rugs.
When the warmer weather arrives air each room as thoroughly and often as you can. If you inherited the curtains ditch them. The fag smell will disappear probably over the summer , and as you redecorate.
The pest control people will get rid of the rats.
But if it is damp as PPs have suggested then that will have to be dealt with separately or you would have difficulty offloading selling it to some other mug.
TBH, it sounds as if you'd hate it there anyway.

Thanks NewMe i will google that trap. As for a out building I don't have one. Only the hollow under my house that you can open via a side door at the base of the garden under the house. I can't put something under there and leave it can I? That's not fair on a cat or ferret or whatever I get. So that option is probably not going to work. I think we do have nests, from what I've been told it's a problem that has accumulated going back 5+ years. I think this is going to be major. I'm so mad we wasn't told. Im seriously thinking of taking action against previous owners if I can.

Grab what you need and go.....fine for your partner,who's not there as much,and maybe isn't even affected by they're presence. I lived with rats for weeks,ended up like a zombie,couldn't sleep,afraid to shower,go to kitchen,sit in living room,until finally they were gone,but it never felt like home after,I couldn't relax,so upped and moved. Please don't torment yourself,if there's a possibility you can stay somewhere else,go go go

You could put a cat flap in that door and leave it be. Feral cats don’t want you around, it’ll be in its element with somewhere safe, dry, food and a full on rat supply!

Just the smell of a cat will make them bugger off.

Nests stink, really musty/old bin/damp smell. I bet my bottom dollar that’s what the smell is.

Ask the pest man if he can tell roughly how long they’ve been established. Seems like something they should have declared

Re decorated living room and utility, but because didn't do all the house in a owner it's lingered back into the decorated rooms. I've told partner when he's back we need to rip all of the carpets up and walk on wooden floor boards. It's their carpet, been wanting to get rid of it for ages but can't spend so much on the house all of once. Decorating, carpets. Saving for a bloody wedding too. But I'm not getting married if I'm gunna end up stinking on my day. We have 2 pairs of of their curtains and furniture. I'm going to skip the lot when he's back. We know stuff needs doing to the house but can't afford it all if you know what I mean.

NewMe you’re right! Works like a charm!

Newme that's the smell. Is it nests under the house then? We've been under the house and can't see anything. Ok I think I will get a feral cat n let it be wild but come in through a flap. They used to have a cat so we have a cat flap.

I feel for you Red you will be able to get rid of the rats try not to stress. With regards to the smell if you don’t think it’s damp it could be the previous owners carpets, curtains and even wall coverings that are giving of the charity shop aroma, you need to strip off old walllpaper and paint all the walls and ceilings, ditch the carpets and curtains or at least get them cleaned. If that does not solve the issue I think you may have an undiscovered damp problem. Really hope you get it sorted.

No point decorating house when they're there,they'll destroy it,and the stench will just move on to your new stuff. Even move out,until your confident they're gone...

We have a cat flap at the back kitchen door. Not one on the door to under the house, but I will get one put in there. I can't have it coming in house because of my allergy. I will see what council man says about how long he thinks the problem has been there for, n see what what can be done about doing the fuckers for it.

Yes the smell moves. I've noticed it's gone in the newly decorated utility room and living room because the other rooms haven't been done. I just feel like I need to live in a wooden floor board house with bare walls until we can afford to decorate it all. But who wants that? The stuff they left us has seen is through. But it's really depressing me now. N partner knows coz he can't believe I said I'd leave him if he doesn't agree to sell.

I don't want to push the problem onto someone else but if the problem is a infestation, I can't see us ever getting rid of it. And the only option would be to do what the previous owners did, and sell, but at least get the council on to the problem first. Unlike them. Then if it comes back years down the line I can't help that.

So,why not Leave for now to at least give yourself a break,'re charge batteries,be able to think properly? It's impossible to try sort this and know what you want to do,whilst feeling under so much pressure

And consider the cat idea,they can drag the rats back in,not yet fully dead

Just heard them in the ceiling in the room above me under the floor boards scuttering about. You know it's funny coz all this time I thought it was cats on the roof. But it wasn't was it. I'm gone tomorrow. I'm not going to get any sleep tonight, this is bad.
I will get a feral cat for outside, but it can live under house n be in the garden n that.
Can't say how disgusting I feel. God knows what they've peed on.
I don't have any food about just in a electric sensor bin that closes and in my cupboards. No sign of rats in cupboards.
As for the walls you won't believe it, it's not wallpaper. It's artex, we got it tested for asbestos n was positive, had a quote for £6,000 for safe removal. Plasterer said the grooves are too deep to plaster over. That's why I haven't been able to do the walls, coz who has that kind of money when everything else needs doing too?
They didn't tell us about asbestos either, n it wasn't on the house survey report. Partner said if he'd of known he wouldn't of bought it.

Okay,just remember the cat won't forget where it's source came from,and will return there,you have a cat flap,so welcoming it into your home,and it'll return,of course it will,for its yummy delight! And by the sounds of it,is it really worth all the money to sort the house out? Up to you op,but the whole house sounds like a disaster. Whatever you decide,I hope it works out ok. Hope you get some sleep x

Don't get a cat if you are going to put poison down. The cat might eat a rat, or part of, and get poisoned too.

OP, it sounds like you will always hate the house. Consider just getting rid of it, life’s too short

Agree that you should get rid of the house. It sounds awful and like it needs a lot of work to sort the damp/infestation out, which you can’t afford to do all at once right now. Honestly don’t think you will be happy there

That sounds awful I think the smell is them as I keep pet rats and if I don't clean them enough they give off an awful damp musty smell.

As much as I love my pets there is no way I could live in a house infested with wild ones I would never relax. I hope the council get the problem sorted for you but I don't think you'll ever be happy there so would move if I was in your position.

Look up rat deterants too, OP. There are certain smells we can't smell that will send rats running a mile. I'm sure you can find something to keep them away once exterminator locates and removes the nest.