MN I need your help! Landlord & mice related

[brightnesses]

Hi all just posting for some advice as posters have helped me a lot in reviews to my LL (previously posted about the bed situation if anyone remembers that!)

So I first saw a mouse 3 weeks ago now. I saw it twice again the next day, put traps down in the kitchen and stayed at my mum’s with the kids for a few days. During that time I sent an email to the estate agents asking if they could send round pest control. They responded saying that they would and was just waiting for the LL’s authorisation. They came back to me and said they couldn’t send them round instead the LL has bought a ‘peppermint spray oil which deters rats and mice….’

As you can probably already tell, the LL is TIGHT and doesn’t spend money on anything and will not get things fixed. The estate agents always come back with, ‘we’ve tried to speak to the LL but unfortunately he isn’t in the financial position to do xyz.’

I arranged for pest control to come round myself and they’ve just left. They’ve managed to take a picture of where they believe the mice is coming from and you can also see they’ve made some nice bedding for themselves. Please see the pic attached.

When I last posted about this, someone said if there were mice prior to me moving in, then it’s the LL’s responsibility. Well within the email sent via the estate agents, he said, ‘Unfortunately, a block such as Fenwick place (not real block name) will always have the odd mouse travelling through it. This often happens when other tenants are moving in or out of the whole property. I would say that the problem isn't to do with this flat specifically; it's a general problem.’

Does this mean he’s now liable to get involved as he’s admitted mice have been in the property before?

I also mentioned that the mice are coming from beneath a cupboard and if the opening from under the cupboard could be closed. The LL said, ‘As regards the hole in the wall behind the cooker, this could be filled but mice can flatten themselves and get though the smallest crack elsewhere. I think you'd have quite a task to seal every wall.’

Do I ask for the LL to get builders to close up the hole? Do I ask pest control to fill the hole with wire wool next time they come and hope for the best?? I have a kitchen that has no door and I can’t have mice in and out of the living room when I have 2 kids under 2. Pls help!

Sorry here’s the picture!

I’ve caught four mice btw so it isn’t the odd mice like the LL has said

The problem with flats is they are often riddled with mice. I used to stay in tenements in Edinburgh and it was a recurring problem. You can treat them or pest control can but they will just come back unless whole block takes action simultaneously and even then they come back eventually. Get an electronic deterrent. Fill any holes with wire wool and expanding foam. Make sure there’s no crumbs around and use a bleach based cleaning spray. They don’t like the smell/ removes scent trails. It’s horrid but it’s nature of flats.

Lots snap traps loaded with peanut butter. Go round with chop stick and stuff wire wool in every space you can find. Esp round radiator pipes.
You can put flour or talc in floor to see where they are running

Thanks for the tips but I’ve already done all I can.

My question is, if there’s a blatant hole where the mice are coming through, is it the LL’s responsibility to do something about it? It’s not like one mouse has slipped through a crack or something. There’s literally an entrance point.

So am I better off asking the pest control to stick wire wool up there then?

If you know exactly where the hole is, why don't you just block it up with expanding foam or similar and put bleach around it?

I take it you don't leave food crumbs, chocolate, etc around to attract the mice?

You live there, so whatever you do is going to be more effective than sending round a pest control company who will do their generic stuff and then depart. You might have to keep treating this problem.

I only saw the hole this morning when pest control came round!

When they come back in a week, I’ll ask them to fill it with wire wool that I have. They took off the skirting boards or whatever is under the cupboard and I didn’t even know that could be done

I don't know the law but I would think that you pay the rent and the upkeep of the building is the landlords responsibility. In your position I would not be renewing my lease and would be looking for somewhere else. The mice are destructive and I would expect the landlord to want to safeguard electric wiring in his building, especially if he's tight with money. If he lets the problem increase its going to cost him a whole lot more in the long run.

Give your notice to the landlord. They will soon find the time and money to sort this out for you. Or message with a pest control quote asking if they would like you to take the fee out of next months rent.
It's actually not expensive as long as you do it before you're overrun with the little fuckers.
I paid £150 to a private pest control (my hero) and bought some filler to fill in the holes he told me to. (Had to leave the holes exposed for a week before filling or you trap the mice in the house) Also bought some cheap snap traps from the pound shop. I wouldn't bother waiting on the council if they're anything like ours- waste of time and will be weeks before they come.
I did move into a hotel for a week whilst the poison did It's work (preparing to be flamed for killing rather than rehoming the vermin) so that was the biggest cost! Worth every penny... they won't go unless action is taken -and they breed fast!!
Your landlord sounds horrendous.
Other advice- get a cat, if you can. Or borrow one to get the scent around the place.
Mouse man told me not to waste money on electronic deterrant- said they don't work.
Good luck- be firm with your landlords, they are taking the piss when they refer to the problem as 'a mouse,' its never one mouse... he'll be there with all his mates running riot through the house! Exterminate! Exterminate!

This is exactly what I thought! Why would you want to risk mice chewing through wires etc all because you’re tight.

It’s a joke because I pay £1180 for a one bedroom and there’s three of us. I really did consier handing in my notice and moving out because it’s really frustrating that the LL won’t ever help in situations like these. However I was placed here through the council’s private renting sceme which helps homeless people.

No one is going to take me and the kids as I’m on UC and don’t have money for a deposit. So moving out isn’t actually an option unless the LL asks me to move out which means I’d have to go back to the council and the whole situation would start again. Really tricky situation but I do wish I could just leave. I really want to have a good relationship with the LL and it’s just not possible with this man

I was advised to get a cat but the contract says no pets🫠 just kill me now!

Anymore advice in regards to what the LL actually has to do, if anything?

I think calling in pest control and moving out because you have seen two mice is a bit of an over reaction. If you think that hole is the problem, then fill it up or block it, you could have done it in the length of time it would take you to get into legal wrangling over who should do it.

I don’t rent, but we had a mouse issue a year ago, had quite a few more than you had. We put a few humane traps out, tried a few other things like the sonic things and little parcels of things mice don’t like the smell of and in about a week they had all moved out. It was also a good excuse to get a new kitten. 😻

I know everyone on MN seems built for having mice in their house but I’m not one of them. You may think it’s an overreaction, I think it was a perfectly suitable reaction.

Maybe I haven’t made it clear in my post. There’s a massive gap under the cupboard between the cupboard and oven. That’s where I suspected the mice were coming from, the area underneath somewhere. It’s only this morning that I’ve seen the actual hole once pest control lifted up the skirting board.

When pest control come back next week, I’ll kindly ask them to fill up the hole with the wire wool I have

Why are you waiting for pest control to come back and fill the hole? You have wire wool, fill the gap with that, pop to the shop and get some expanding foam to add to it.

Unfortunately it is one of the problems of living in old flats. We had a massive problem for a while when downstairs flat didn't clear rubbish.

@justagirlstandinginfrontofcake the guy recommended that you keep the whole open for one week so as to not trap any mice in the house.

He’s the expert, I’m just the one listening. Also I’m not getting underneath the cupboard where the mice have laid their bed. Sorry

My question is, if there’s a blatant hole where the mice are coming through, is it the LL’s responsibility to do something about it?

Legally I'm not sure but when I got mice last summer it honestly never occurred to me to contact my LL. I took the kickboards off, found some massive holes and covered them with some wood I had and expanding foam, plugged in the sonic deterrents and I've not had a problem since.

Saying that my rent is reasonable so I tend to deal with smaller stuff myself in order to keep it that way!

If you have wire wool I don't understand why you would wait for someone else to put it in the hole

My cat was useless by the way but it was her who alerted me to the fact we had them so I got it sorted quickly. I was also worried about wire chewing!