Rats. At My Wits End. ( sorry it’s a bit long)

[SuperFi]

Bought Our house last year, 2 weeks after moving in (November)heard rats in the loft. Got pest control out immediately, apparently the previous owners must have been aware of the problem as old bait trays were found up there. Survey never picked up on this, or failed to report.

Paid£££ to have rat proofing work done, but then they reappeared in March making a racket in the cavity wall down stairs.
Previous pest control we’re no longer interested in coming out, got another company who couldn’t be less interested and just put bait down
Problem not going away, found another company to come out, they advised that it could be a drain issue.
Paid ££££ for a specialist pest drain company ( supposedly well rated) to do the survey. They couldn’t find the man hole and had to do survey via neighbours manhole ( so view restricted) they then said I should get the water company.
out as it looked like neighbours gully collapsed.

Had visits from water company ( who managed to find the manhole) and their contractors, it was eventually found that sewer and gully had collapsed and they would fix. The repair was fine 4 weeks ago ( a sleeve repair).

Last Friday I heard rats again. Called a different pest control again, he went under the house and said it stinks of rats😢 Also the water company contractors appear to have removed the manhole cover and just buried it with earth and left gaps round the gully repair. I’ve now been told the iron waste pipe should be replaced with a plastic pipe and I need another drain survey.

If anyone reading this is in the process of buying a house, get a drain survey before buying.

Ugh, rats in the house is horrendous! I am sorry for you as know how awful it is.

We had them last year and they got to everywhere, in the loft, the wall cavities, under the kitchen cupboards and even in to the cutlery drawer and corner one which was the food cupboard! We could hear them under the cupboards, they ate my chopsticks and had been in the flour and sugar bags. It was awful and dd and I moved out for a week due to the final trauma which was like a horror film for her! Luckily some friends were on on holiday so we stayed in their house.

We had 2 pest control companies out and one put a one way trap door in the drain so it would flow out from the house but nothing can come in. Have you had that put in?

Dh also blocked every gap he could find coming in to the house through the garage and by the kitchen drain. We also had the backs of the kitchen cupboards replaced with thicker wood as the ply had broken due to being an old kitchen.

It took about 6 weeks of stress before it was sorted. Our dog was exhausted from being up all night following the noises in the kitchen - useless as a rat catcher though!

I don’t mind them being in the garden just don’t want them in my house..

We've had issues on and off for years. Eventually told we had to simply keep on top of them (bait and traps) than expect them to go completely. Did pest control set traps overground, too?

The drain valve did make a difference and we have been told to fill any gap possible with a mix of wire wool and expanding foam- the only thing they won't chew through.

It's such an invasion of your home comfort and space- sympathies OP.

You should raise with the surveyor if it wasn't mentioned in the survey. You may be able to claim on their insurance if it wasn't spotted and was easy to see

Third the drain trap. That's how ours got under our house. I would say start from there and work your way up the house searching and blocking all access. No point treating the problem if they're still coming up from the sewer system (most likely) as they leave a scent trail for other rays to follow.

I had the same problem, I really feel for you! They were in the roof space above my bathroom — I was weeing in a bucket at night for weeks because I couldn’t bear to go in there and hear them — and I too did pest control, 2 drain surveys etc at great expense.

The second drain company (rat specialists) suggested putting 2 long screws crosswise at intervals into my rainwater down pipes so the rats couldn’t climb up inside them. After spending over a grand on the other measures, it cost me about 50p to do this and no rats since (touch wood)! Worth a try.

Hope you get rid of them, it’s awful.

Thank you for your supportive replies. I will defo get one of those rat gates for the drains.

The whole episode has been made worse by the poor service I have received by the various pest control and contractors .
@LMBoston i would have been using the bucket too!

you need a trap fitted to the drain that will let the water drain,but it won’t let anything come back up. That is probably the only way to fix the problem. Also if you have creepers going up your walls outside take these down. Good luck it’s horrible.

Thanks @Roselilly36 no creepers, but there was decking attached to the house when we moved in, needless to say that is long gone.

We also had rats so I feel your pain. One came up our toilet 🤮. They knawed through pipes in both bathrooms and caused 1000s of pounds of damage. We got rid of them when the drain valves were put down the pipes though they briefly made a reappearance when rain floods knocked a valve off. We are now currently battling a mice problem. The only good thing is that apparently if you have mice, you don’t have rats as they don’t share habitats!

Oh god @Verite1 thats horrendous, were you able to claim on the home insurance?

I have contacted a Which Trusted Trader drain person for the rat valves, and also lodged a complaint to YW re them leaving the site without a man hole cover, which I hope will be rectified swiftly.

It’s like fighting a battle on 2 fronts, the rats and the dodgy workmen/rubbish pest controllers.

Yes - luckily we were able to claim on house insurance. Thank goodness. Also - I saw someone suggested expanding foam. We had an old disused water pipe that was blocked with expanding foam. They ate through that! So I wouldn’t rely on that as a potential remedy. Even wire wool - although they can’t knaw through it they can pull it away if there are any gaps. I live in fear of them coming back - hyper alert to any scuffling noises under the floorboards now.

What sort of company does the valves please?

We had one of the drain valves fitted as well, and that definitely helped, as well as keeping on top of the bait stations, even if the rats seem to have gone away. Initially they weren't going for the bait stations and the pest control company we called out said there's more than one type of bait they can put into the bait stations, and sometimes they have a preference for one over the other. We switched and that made a difference too. We were also advised to get rid of the bird feeders and log store in our garden. The guy that came out to our house said one of the best rat deterrents is to get a terrier dog! A lot of them were bred as ratters so I guess the instinct never goes away and eventually the rats get fed up of being chased away!