buying house where animals lived: fleas

[curryeater]

We don't have pets and I am very sensitive to, or delicious to, fleas.
We're renting a temporary place and some beastie is biting me every night. Looks like fleas to me. (please no one mention bed bugs please please please don't even let me think it) (Actually does anyone know, other than catching one, how you can tell what is biting you?)

The house we want to buy has dogs and cats living there now. What can I ask the vendors to do about fleas? I mean I know they will say "our animals don't have fleas" but they all bloody do and they all bloody eat me (especially because once the vendors have taken their animals away they will be desperate to eat anything; people with flea-ridden animals often don't realise it because the fleas are eating the animal of choice). Do I just have to accept it as our problem and try to get the place properly dealt with before we move in? Vendors with pets, what is your position on this?

also, does anyone know anything about how long the little bastards can live with no animals other than humans to eat? I am desperately hoping that the ones biting me now are residual ones left from some previous animals and eventually they will die without the right animals to eat. I am sure I had heard that. but I can't find any information on that now.

Thanks!

Hi again - curry I still empathise - we have just been renting before buying, and on day 6 we noticed several furry animals in the garden, using the edge of the garden as a 'rat run' literally - when we told the agent we were told that the owner was aware of it ( but hadn't done anything about it!) - this was an extremely expensive rental for us having just moved from north to south, and couldnt believe we were paying rent for a property with a 'known' and acknowledged problem. When we mentioned it to ( owner occupier) neighbours they couldnt have been less interested... the agents told us it was OUR responsibility to sort out, even though it was clearly an ongoing issue and community problem... sorry but we didnt get that at all - if you live in an area with rats, surely the whole neighbourhood needs to get it sorted???

Why are people so insulted about the idea THEIR pets may have fleas - surely fleas are like headlice etc, a community problem, people/animals get them, it is a fact of life and they have to be dealt with.... whether owners like it or not. It is highly unpleasant for those of us who are hyper sensitive to bites. Nobody is blaming the owners or the animals for having them, they just need to be dealt with immediately.

I have just had the council round - no bedbugs/fleas here on first inspection, I have to be vigilant and report back if any new bites etc, but have to say that it is only me who is itchy and bitten. No new bites to report thankfully, but it is a mystery...

Allbelly, glad you are amused, but what exactly is so rude about suggesting that animals carry fleas, which they do, and being pissed off about it, because they are really affecting my home and my life?
I know I am not going to get the vendor to do anything about it, I have accepted that. I don't agree with that, ethically, but what can you do.

By the way the outraged attitude you have seems so stupid to me, it is like standing on the tube with someone else standing on your foot and asking them to move it and them saying "I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO INSULTED IN ALL MY LIFE! FEET? I DO NOT EVEN HAVE FEET. WHAT YOU ARE FEELING IS PROBABLY A GIANT ANVIL-SHAPED WEIGHT MADE BY ACME. EVEN IF I DID HAVE A FOOT IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MOVE IT." There is empirical evidence. you are denying it, and getting peevish about it. It makes you look silly and selfish.

It's interesting to me that there seems to be pretty much a mn consensus that dog-shit on paths isn't on, but cat shit in gardens is divisive, and fleas either don't exist or are AOK. not sure why this is.

I'm not outraged, I'm amused.

You asked for advice and opinions, people gave them. You were then quite rude to some of those who didn't give the response you wanted.

I also haven't denied anything. I know fleas exist, I've lived with pets and worked with animals all my life, I know what a pain they can be. Your analogy is daft