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AIBU?

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Original poster

Landlord won't pay for pest control??

149 replies

485bantuknots · 30/12/2021 13:30

On Christmas Eve I woke up during the night because I heard an unusual sound coming from the kitchen. I went to investigate and saw a squirrel in my kitchen😳 (still no clue as to how it got in the flat). Anyway I let my Landlord's agent know who are always super helpful. Because I sent the email during the Christmas period I hadn't received a response up until now.

One of the estate agent's have emailed saying that the Landlord has refused to pay for pest control to resolve the issue. They've said that they can send pest control out if I'm willing to pay for the service but unfortunately he won't be covering the costs.

I private rent and moved into the flat in the summer. I'm also pregnant and have a 8 month old DD and I explained that I had to pack my bags and stay with my mum for a few days. I'm not sure why/if the Landlord is just being stingy but I also have no clue why he's refusing to pay for pest control, it's his bloomin house!!

Can someone tell me if this is allowed and if so, how?!

OP posts:
Danikm151 · 30/12/2021 14:59

My tenancy states pest control is my responsibility to sort but councils will offer reduced prices services.
Some landlords will provide the bare minimum they have to and charge for other services.
Totally legal but very frustrating

AutumnAnn · 30/12/2021 15:00

@NewYearNewBeer

Just to back up the OP, I have lived in a house where a squirrel got into the loft through a hole in the roof. Made a nest and raised a young (and very noisy!) family in there. They used to run down inside the walls and above the ceilings.

One day chewed straight down through the ceiling into the bathroom - stuck her head out of the hole when I was brushing my teeth.

Don't expect anyone to believe me but I swear it's true.

Squirrels really can be pretty destructive and can choose to live in housing structures.

In the end, we used a camera to make sure it was out of the house one day, then my landlord got someone to take the roof tiles off, remove the nest (including a fresh batch of babies Sad) and reseal the hole to prevent further access.

@NewYearNewBeer that sounds adorable, did the little ones get rehomed or given to a rescue?
unfortunateevents · 30/12/2021 15:01

You don't want to deal with the squirrel yourself but are hoping that the person who comes to check your gas is going to do it for you? Seriously? A single squirrel is not an infestation so if you want it removed (assuming it is still somewhere in your kitchen - which is frankly bizarre!) then you will need to pay for someone to deal with it.

icedcoffees · 30/12/2021 15:06

Yes, the landlord can refuse to pay.

I also don't understand why you didn't just shut it in the kitchen with the window open for a couple of hours, though?

icedcoffees · 30/12/2021 15:07

Just to back up the OP, I have lived in a house where a squirrel got into the loft through a hole in the roof. Made a nest and raised a young (and very noisy!) family in there. They used to run down inside the walls and above the ceilings.

We had the same in our old house! They lived in the (unused) loft space and had babies up there. You could hear them squeaking and running about. They moved on once the babies were grown up.

Original poster
485bantuknots · 30/12/2021 15:18

Are you 12? You are about to have 2 kids and your reaction is to run away to your mum's?

Why do people search your name and use information on your other posts as if to have one up on you😂 I've never understood this.

As for people saying I don't need pest control for a single squirrel. I never asked them to send pest control, I just asked if anything can be done about it as it seems to be chilling near the oven. I also just asked if the landlord could refuse to pay for pest control if I ever had an infestation in future (ie mice).

Thanks to all of those that have said to read my tenancy which I have now done.
The gasman has been and gone and has identified a serious problem for an electrician to sort out which means I'll be leaving the thread to sort that out.

No sign of the squirrel behind the oven which the gasman moved so all in the clear😁

OP posts:
choosername1234 · 30/12/2021 15:20

To be fair if the squirrel has been trapped inside for almost a week I would imagine it will soon be an ex-squirrel

Whinge · 30/12/2021 15:22

I never asked them to send pest control, I just asked if anything can be done about it as it seems to be chilling near the oven.

I'm not trying to be rude here OP but what exactly did you expect them to do? Confused

You say you didn't ask for pest control, but then in your OP you say

I'm not sure why/if the Landlord is just being stingy but I also have no clue why he's refusing to pay for pest control, it's his bloomin house!!

I just don't understand what you wanted the landlord to do about a squirrel in the kitchen. 🤷‍♂️

queenmeadhbh · 30/12/2021 15:30

I bet the EA had a great giggle receiving an email saying “there is a squirrel in my kitchen chilling beside the oven, can anything be done about this?”

I get that you might be afraid of squirrels or whatever, but in that case you try to find a family member or friend or neighbour to help you, not your EA/landlord!

CaptainHammer · 30/12/2021 15:33

For everyone saying how cute squirrels are, yea that’s true but if you get an infestation they can ruin your house.
Just the one I’d try and encourage it out but I’d want my house checked for any more left behind too! OP you’ll definitely hear them if there is any still around.

JuergenSchwarzwald · 30/12/2021 15:34

@485bantuknots

Is anybody going to actually answer the question on whether the Landlord can refuse to pay for pest control in future if I was to ever have an infestation?
We don't know because this was/is ONE squirrel. Rats or mice would be different.

However it would depend on your contract. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the tenant's responsibility though.

Now go home, open the door, let the squirrel out and get on with your life.

Sausagedogsarethebest · 30/12/2021 15:36

Possibly the squirrel found its way into your flat through a hole or vent, looking for somewhere warm for the winter. Squirrels can be very destructive to wiring and stuff so you definitely don't want them nesting anywhere. Are you the top floor flat with a loft that they could be in?
If the LL hasn't added a clause under the section of what are your responsibilities that relates to dealing with vermin or infestations, then I don't see how he can pin the cost on you. It would be in his own interests not to have his property destroyed by nesting squirrels.
Oh, and to the PP who said squirrels are cute - they may be cute to look at, but they are not cute if they bite, or scratch you with their sharp claws. I got scratched once (offering food to the ungrateful little blighter) it drew blood and I had to go for a tetanus injection.

elbea · 30/12/2021 15:52

I don’t know why everyone thinks grey squirrels are cute, they are a pest that has almost wiped out our native population and spread disease. They are trapped and killed in most of the country to keep the population numbers down (by wildlife charities too!)

Doubledoorsontogarden · 30/12/2021 15:52

So you left a squirrel locked in your house? When are you planning to return? What do you expect will happen to it in n your absence?

I am a landlord, I wouldn’t pay for pest control in these circumstances, I would love n a genuine infestation/emergency.

saleorbouy · 30/12/2021 15:53

You are totally overreacting and it's not up to your landlord to pander to your odd behaviour.
Put your big girl pants on and try to see if the squirrel entered though an open window, vent or other large hole. What would.you do if you couldn't run home to your mum?
It's not normal for a squirrel to be inside a home and very unlikely they'll be living inside.
What do you expect the pest control to do? Poison or trap the squirrel! Better you find the access point and block it yourself.
The landlord should act if there are rats, mice or other vermin but again it is up to the diligence of the tenant to try and prevent attracting vermin to start with.

Northernsoullover · 30/12/2021 15:54

Pest control is the tenants problem. You aren't over reacting though. Squirrels can be nasty and destructive.

Hoppinggreen · 30/12/2021 15:57

It’s a squirrel not a bloody Velociraptor
All you had to do was open an external door or window and shut the kitchen door.

LynetteScavo · 30/12/2021 15:57

So the squirrel had to find it's own way out? Confused

Dontletthemuggglesgetyoudown · 30/12/2021 15:58

Actually squirrels can cause a heck of a lot of damage and do chew their way into houses.

stillvicarinatutu · 30/12/2021 15:58

Op one squirrel isn't an infestation! Just
Open the window ! It will be far more scared of you the little mite ! He will want to get out . I have one in my garden every day - it's hilarious it drives my dog insane 😂. I'm not saying you need to like them or find them cute but this is something of a huge overreaction ! Let it out . It
Will get on with it's day and o can you

stillvicarinatutu · 30/12/2021 16:01

Also - if a bird flew in would you expect the landlord to sort that ? Who do you think sorts it when you own a house !? Open the door . Problem solved .

I rent - if I had an infestation of mice or rats or cockroaches I'd speak to my landlady . One bird , one squirrel, one neighbours cat - ppffft . Open a door

Calmdown14 · 30/12/2021 16:09

If I were a landlord I'd be decidedly unimpressed that you'd left an animal locked in the flat for a week without attempting to do anything about it.
They are destructive and can chew through wiring.
Have you left food or anything to tempt it out? Or a trail out of the window and just shut it out?
I think grey squirrels captured cannot be released into the wild so must be destroyed

Horst · 30/12/2021 16:09

If it’s come in though a defect the landlord needs to fix where it’s getting it. The one squirrel itself however is your problem.

JurgensCakeBabyJesus · 30/12/2021 16:09

Squirrels are bolshy we've got two living in our garden who regularly steal fruit from my plants and dig others up to bury things under them. We have lots in our local park and they are often fed with nuts so seem quite tame and will eat from your hand, one attacked my mum and bit her finger though when she put some seeds and dried fruit she'd been eating back in the nappy bag, it jumped onto the pram and she tried to shoo it away and it bit her 😂
One isn't an infestation op and it could easily have been chased or lured outside

EmpressCixi · 30/12/2021 16:13

@485bantuknots

Is anybody going to actually answer the question on whether the Landlord can refuse to pay for pest control in future if I was to ever have an infestation?
Yes. Pest control is usually the responsibility of the tenant in the U.K. There are only a few exceptions.
  1. The infestation existed when you moved in and you noted it on the inventory and requested pest control with first few days of moving in.
  2. The infestation was directly caused by LL failure to carry out exterior repairs in a timely fashion despite your repeated written requests for the repair (LL has to have known repair was needed, if there’s been a hole and you didn’t say anything, pest control then becomes your problem for failure to mitigate famage). Example- hole in roof led to wasps nest or mice or bats or squirrels or birds living in your attic/roof space.
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