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Original poster

House backing into railway line, will rats be a problem?

68 replies

Overdon · 12/11/2021 20:24

Viewing a lovely house next week, it backs onto a branch line, 5 mins away from a local station.
Not bothered about the noise as I love trains, but mentioned the viewing to someone and they said train tracks are rife with rats. Is this true? Does anyone have experience of living next to a train line and being invaded by rats/or not?

OP posts:
Mum6776 · 12/11/2021 20:36

We had a house by the railway. Never, ever saw a rat there.

Iggly · 12/11/2021 20:37

We lived in a flat by a railway line. No rats in our property but I think downstairs did have them.

We moved house to somewhere with no railway line and had rats in our house 😬

gerbo · 12/11/2021 20:38

Same. We backed onto silver link in London, definitely no rats. And I have lived with rats, so I would've known!

BurnedToast · 12/11/2021 20:39

Never seen any rats and we live backing onto a railway line. I see the odd fox that's all.

IHateCoronavirus · 12/11/2021 20:41

I don’t live near a train line but never saw a rat until DCat came along. DCat had aspirations to be a farm cat and now we see loads of dead rats. Point being there are rats everywhere, even where you’d leSt expect them. Don’t let that put you off getting your dream home.

TheVolturi · 12/11/2021 20:41

What would attract rats to a railway line?

marriednotdead · 12/11/2021 20:42

I've lived backing onto a train line for the last 30+ years. Seen one rat in that time.

marriednotdead · 12/11/2021 20:43

Foxes are another story!

LefttoherownDevizes · 12/11/2021 20:45

I live on one of the main mainline and we definitely have a problem with rats (and foxes)

Definitely make sure you do as much as you can to stop gaps up and make the garden less rat friendly ASAP

duvetfan · 12/11/2021 20:46

I live backed into a railway line. Never seen a rat.

CasperGutman · 12/11/2021 20:46

I can't think why you'd get a lot of rats on a railway. A nice garden with decking or a shed they could live under, on the other hand....

521Jeanie · 12/11/2021 20:47

Rats need food, water and shelter. A railway line offers none of these.

BurnedToast · 12/11/2021 20:47

That's a good point - why would there be more on a railway line. They are normally near food.

Thesearmsofmine · 12/11/2021 20:49

DP hve lived backing onto a railway for 40 years(2 different houses) no rats seen.

Amberflames · 12/11/2021 20:51

Not a problem in my experience.

womaninatightspot · 12/11/2021 20:51

I think there's rats everywhere. I think the biggest issue comes when they are disturbed and they swarm up to the houses nearby looking for warmth and food. I remember being told there was hundreds of them running around when they knocked down a brewery in Edinburgh. Issues with them in houses and gardens when Network rail do work to the line and disturb a nest.

There's a recycling place in Perth that's rife with rats to the point it's destabilising the council buildings on site. There's a housing estate which backs on to it so at some point something will have to be demolished and then the estate will be full of rats.

peppersauce1984 · 12/11/2021 20:51

Never heard of rats being particularly interested in railways. We had rats because NDN decided to have an outdoor compost unit. We have a stream at end of garden and decking and never seen one. We do have a dog though and lots of visiting cats so don't know it that helps.

Zarene · 12/11/2021 20:52

Used to live backing on to a railway, and never ever had one.

maofteens · 12/11/2021 21:14

Just visited a friend who backs on to train tracks - no problem with rats. I think it's more a problem within stations, not on the line.

Constance1 · 12/11/2021 21:15

Is your friend thinking about the mice seen on tube tracks and getting confused? Our house backs onto a railway line and I've never seen a rat. Do love living so close to the railway though, and watching and hearing trains all day. It's a branch line so not too busy.

BurnedToast · 12/11/2021 21:18

I like living on the railway line too. No houses overlooking us .

Vendeevola · 12/11/2021 21:23

Yep I lived by one for a few years and rats were a known issue! No idea why though

Forestcantrun · 12/11/2021 21:28

Lived in 2 properties on the same street. The first one backed onto the station but there was an alley between the line and my back gate. Not a rodent to be seen in the decade I was there. Moved 100metres down the line (temporarily) where the yard went straight to the train line and it was a rat fest down the backs of those houses.
To be honest, what put me off buying on that street wasn't the rats, it was the Japanese knotweed which seems to be an issue around train lines.

BonnyEm · 12/11/2021 21:42

I used to live only a few feet from a railway line and never had rats.
I don't live there now but do have 4 as pets 😁

rockingthelook · 12/11/2021 21:42

Friends back onto a rail way line in North Wales, never seen a rat yet, also the train goes really slow past the fence too, great location tbh

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