Survey Results: Rodents in loft!

[FiveStarMadness]

Survey report for purchase property advised (amongst lots of other things) evidence of rodents in loft and has a picture of the droppings on the insulation. Property is empty currently, chain free wanted quick sale.

I can cope with repairs and maintenance and new kitchens. Rodents are in my book something I don’t think I can get past. Would you pull out of the purchase?

Don’t pull out. It’s an easy fix!

Get a quote from a local pest remover and take it off the asking price!

I’d much rather pests than something structural, plumbing or electrical!

No, I wouldn’t pull out, I’d get pest control around.

Even if you don’t have them now there’s no guarantee that you won’t get them in future anyway. We have permanent traps in the loft just in case.

Have you had a bat survey? The dropping can look very similar depending on species ? If its bats it's a more complex problem.

I wouldn’t pull out for rodents , surely mice are in huge numbers of houses?I know we’ve had them intermittently here and in other properties.I haven’t had rats but know that after a lot of rain and particularly in the countryside they can seek shelter inside. If the house is empty you can arrange for pest control to sort them out. We had squirrels for a while but cut the tree branch back that they were using as a tightrope and haven’t heard from them since.

Totally solveable. Get pest control round. They’ll tell you what you need to do to prevent it happening again.

Thank you all! It needs roof repairs as it has a hole in roof where one of the edge tiles has moved, plus all ridge tiles need upgrading. evidence of water on roof lining however no damage to wood etc.

The list of repairs required has grown and grown to the point I’m starting to think this might not be my forever home. It’s scary buying a home on your own!

Should the vendor call pest control?

Evidence of droppings does not necessarily mean active infestation. And no, you want to call pest control if you want to buy it because you need to hear what you need to do to prevent in the future (for us, cutting bushes and trees near the house, clearing the flower beds next to the front wall, don’t leave kitchen dooR open). But it’s a sale and a negotiation so you can ask for whatever you like. If you are phobic about rodents though that might be a change if the house is rural: pest control will sort but no 100% guaranteed you will never again heave rodents in any house.

You can ask
They don’t ‘have’ to do anything though

You really do need a bat survey, particularly as you mention a hole at the edge of the roof - that's what they love and the droppings can look just like rodents. They stay well hidden in the day so could easily have been missed by a not switched on surveyor.
If you end up with a protected species in the roof it really is a more serious problem.

Is it a detached house? If so, then you have a better chance of stopping them but it they're coming through from an adjoining house, you may not be able to identify how/where they're getting in to stop them (or persuade a neighbour to take action). If it has cavity walls, they may be getting in through the drains and climbing up the cavity so you'd need a drain survey and repairs, which can be £1000s. I would be very cautious about proceeding. It's easy enough to poison them to stop a current infestation but they'll just return year after year if you can't stop them getting in from outside.

some dirty people down the road attracted with their behaviour rodents, they came in the loft. Pest control, killed the stink out of them. Never to return

My DH worked in lofts all the time and also worked for lots of little old ladies.
He said that he had never encountered a loft without mouse droppings, he simply always just quietly left bait and got on with his jobs.
He didn’t trouble the senior ladies with any details. They didn’t need to know (or worry).

I just store a pack of bait in each loft hatch now - and set some out periodically if it’s been eaten.