Rotting body under the floorboards

eur0

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

To be honest, if you do nothing about a dead rat, the smell will eventually go away, once nature has completed the decomposing process.

This is correct. We recently had a similar situation. We started to detect a nasty smell. When the pest control man came, he took a look around and basically said that if the pest was behind the walls there wasn't a lot we could do except let nature take its course. He gave us an amazing bag filled with something to absorb the smell that we just hung up in the room. As it turned out, he did eventually find the source of the problem (a decomposing mouse)...along with another brittle one that had been there a lot longer!

Wordsmith

Thanks everyone for your comments.

The tenants took up a bit more floor and found the rotting carcase. It was a rat, and it was, apparently, huge.

They haven't said any more about the woodworm and have said they can put the laminate back ... so hopefully that is that for now.

Obviously I will get the pest control people in, and at some point I will have to tackle the woodworm (the tenants would like to buy the house so no doubt this will be something they will use to try to bring the price down - don't blame them for that, but I haven't yet decided I will sell anyway). But for now, I am just grateful that I don't have to fork out for new floorboards and floor covering. :j

Thanks again.

poppysarah

I would still ask if pest control have been next door ... and get someone in to check soon that it's all been put back right. You wouldn't want anyone slipping on poorly relaid flooring.

Ste_C

Wordsmith wrote: »

The tenants took up a bit more floor and found the rotting carcase. It was a rat, and it was, apparently, huge.

:rotfl:Aren't they always? Everytime someone sees a rat their first thought is "wow, look at the size of that rat!" even though they're all quite small. I think people see the length of the tail and it distorts things, as well as people having an awful perception of them.

At least it was found dead though and not alive. A smelly dead rat is nothing compared to a live one running about.

poppysarah

I got a pic of one dead in our garden if you really want to see a big rat...
luckily our cat only brings small ones in.

Ste_C

poppysarah wrote: »

I got a pic of one dead in our garden if you really want to see a big rat....

On this occasion I think I'll just trust your judgement