Rats

[Itchywoolyjumper]

We moved into a rented house about 3 months ago. Yesterday we saw signs of rats in our garden under the deck and we saw one in the street outside our neighbours' house. When we phoned our management company to get something done they said the landlord knew about the rats, that they were an ongoing problem. Nothing has been said about when someone will come to exterminate them. I've phoned our local environmental health dept, who are coming during the week bit I'm a bit cheesed off with the response of our management company. Should someone have let us know before we took the house and what legal rights do we have here?

You are never more than ten feet from a rat and it is finally spring so they are all coming out of their hiding places. IMO the most effective exterminator is a really dedicated cat who will work in even the tiniest corner till every last rat has gone.

Not sure what legal rights you mean, really; unfortunately rats are a fact of life whether you're in an inner city or rural village.

Your environmental health team will get rid of them quickly and at no charge, I believe.

You're right, I've probably lived closer to rats than this for all my life but it just makes me feel a bit sick knowing they are there. I didn't realise they were more active in the spring, I had this idea they were doing their little ratty thing all the time. A cat might be a really good idea.

Mumblechum, I was wondering if they should have mentioned them to us before we moved in.

I'm a bit freaked out by it, I don't mind admitting that.

I wouldn't waste time worrying about it - we had rats under our shed and when the man from Environmental Health came he said that they were becoming more and more common and that he'd been to virtually every house in our road at one time or another. For some reason rats are creatures that people just don't like admitting to having around them. I felt really guilty when he put the traps/poison down as our raty family, especially the smaller ones, looked really cute when they poked their noses out from where they'd made their home.

The rat man was easily able to identify the routes they were taking to and from their nest and advised us to water Jeyes Fluid around the shed at regualr intervals - apparently rats are all but blind and find their way around by the smell of their urine which they constantly drop. The smell of the Jeyes Fluid masks this and disorientates them meaning that they move elsewhere. He also suggested that as a precautionary measure we should check the exterior of our house for possible points of entry and block up any holes we found.

Milly, I'll try the Jeyes fluid. And you're right I'd be happier admitting I had the clap than rats under the deck.
Thank you, you two, I came on here ready to bust out of my lease and move to some rodent free island but I feel a lot calmer about it now
Just need the man from the council to come round.