Mice problem, whose responsibility is that?

[youngadult109]

Hello all,

Some time ago, I posted a thread asking if I should wait for my landlord to respond on the mouse problem I had(or have!) in my ground floor flat but reckon that I couldn't wait long so I called for pest control and paid for the four visits myself.

Yesterday, I received a note in my letterbox, it's from one of the residents in our apartment living on third floor saying that he/she has also spotted a mouse in his/her property. They've tried communicating with the property management but they say they only take care of the communal area.

I know there's slim chance for us to make any claim from the property management or my landlord, but whose responsibility is it to really look into this matter? Does it mean all residents in this apartment will need to fork out money for their own pest control? Surely the mouse(or mice!) will be running around between walls throughout the apartment?

I'll be moving out of this apartment soon but would really like to know what's the correct way of doing things here. Pity the next tenant who will be living here with a more serious mice problem if it's not resolved soon..

pest control for mice is not rocket science. You clear up all loose food, store all food in sealed containers and put poison/traps down. The last may need to be in communal areas and attics, so the people with access to those need to do that.

four visits from pest control? Someone saw you coming, I'm afraid. It does take a while but mouse poison is not expensive and this is a DIY job.

If your block has a managing agent, the third floor neighbour could approach them to see if they can put traps down in the communal areas. However, mice inside the flat will be the responsibility of the occupier (whether owner or tenant). You need to make sure you have taken precautions to stop them getting in to yours, as does the third floor neighbour. If there is a mice problem generally, then hopefully the management company will take steps to eradicate them, but each occupier does have a responsibility to not encourage mice by taking the steps that specialsubject has suggested.

For the good of the block, the managing agent may co-ordinate some sort of plan of attack, and write letters to everyone about future maintenance - but it would have to be at the cost of the people occupying the flats.

I'd say there would be mice in most blocks, somewhere or other - I know there are in ours, but they don't come into the flat. The block managers should have traps or bait down, but inside flats it's up to you. Cats work very well.