There is nothing worse than discovering you have a mice or rat infestation in your rented property, and of course you will report this immediately to your landlord if this is the case. Such an infestation is usually the sign of a bigger problem, but while you wait for your landlord to act, you need to do something yourself. Unlike a slow leak or broken heating that you can perhaps live with for a short time while you wait for the landlord to resolve the issue, dealing with mice and rats requires immediate action.
Which mice and rats are common in UK homes?
The good news is you are more likely to discover mice and rats in the garden of your home rather than inside, but if you don’t look after the home, or the landlord doesn’t respond to issues you have reported, then mice and rats can be found indoors. House mice, wood mice, yellow-necked mice and brown rats are all common in UK homes. House mice and brown rats are most common in houses close to city centres, while wood mice are more commonly found in suburban homes, and yellow-necked mice in rural homes.
What are the signs of a mice or rat infestation?
Mice and rats will most likely be found in roof or wall spaces, rather than cellars or cupboards. So if they have found their way inside your home, you may:
- Smell an odour resembling vinegar or ammonia
- Hear gnawing sounds
- See small teeth marks on skirting boards or wooden surfaces
- See small droppings on the floor
- See damage to furnishings or internal structures such as insulation or electrical wiring
How do you prevent mice and rats getting inside your home?
Mice and rats are attracted by two things; food and shelter. Hence, if you leave food waste available for any length of time, it will attract them. This could be food waste outside or inside the home. An untidy home also provides areas where they can shelter and keep warm, particularly during the winter when inside is far more attractive than outside. Mice can squeeze through gaps around 2cm in diameter, while rats are slightly larger. But this means that if you have gaps around doors or windows, in brickwork, or in roof spaces or around external pipework or ventilation, then this could easily introduce mice and rats into your home.
It is possible to leave traps for mice and rats if you suspect them to be in your home, this may kill them immediately or if you leave poison it will kill them slowly. Either way this is not an easy or pleasant thing to deal with, and is also inhumane. You can set-up electromagnetic devices which drive mice and rats away, and plug-in devices also emit a hi-frequency noise that drives them away, but the best way to avoid mice and rats in the home is to:
- Keep the house clean and tidy
- Make sure food waste is disposed of regularly and prevent external build-up
- Keep food stored in fridges and cupboards and in airtight containers
- Report to your landlord any incidents of internal/external damage and the house not being airtight, i.e. any disrepair issues where gaps to outside are appearing
- Mice and rats also dislike strong smelling odours such as essential oils, so leaving cotton wool buds soaked in these in strategic places can also drive them away.
If you have reported a disrepair issue to your landlord and this has resulted in a mice or rat infestation, then you should contact your local authority, who may send a pest control contractor round to your property. But you do have a responsibility as a tenant to keep the inside and outside of a property clean and tidy, particularly with regards to food waste.
Contact Legal HD if you have made a disrepair complaint to your landlord
If you have complained to your landlord about a disrepair issue that has contributed to a mice or rat infestation, then you should immediately use the above-referenced actions and techniques to get rid of them. However, you should also contact Legal HD to start a housing disrepair claim. This could reward you with compensation for your emotional ordeal, but also any costs you have incurred dealing with the infestation. We work on a no win, no fee basis so get in touch today.
