Rats in rented house

cymru01

I currently rent a flat from a letting agency, a few days ago myself and my housemate saw a rat running into the kitchen.:eek: We called the agency who thankfully got someone in to put poison down the next day. Unfortunatly he wont be back for a week to check if it's worked and killed the horrible thing, we have moved out of the flat for a week, mainly because we don't want to wake up with a rat at the end of the bed!! And also because I'm 6 months pregnant and afraid that things in the flat could be contaminated with all kinds of vile bacteria etc. Do we have any rights regarding getting some money back for the rent for the time it takes to sort this out?

many thanks

becky_rtw

Dont think you can as they've started action to treat the problem...contact environmental health at the council though if you want to see what they say...

And ewwww by the way - poor you!

belisha-beacon

Unless it it specified in your contract, I don't believe that you would be entitled to any recompense. The only chance for that would be if landlord negligence somehow contributed to the infestation, for example if you kept reporting holes by the door or if inadequate waste facilities were provided.

In many contracts (certainly almost every one of my past rental contracts), it was actually specified that I was liable for the cost of any pest control if the pests started during my tenancy, so it sounds great that your landlord has paid for this. THat's how it should be, I think, but lots of landlords don't agree!

Jowo_2

Some contracts do make tenants responsible for pest control. I think the philosophy is that tenants are obliged to perform simple maintenance duties beholden of any householder, sometimes tenants contribute to the problem (poor rubbish disposal and kitchen hygiene, for example) or that it's hardly the landlords fault if a wasp nest appears and it doesn't come under maintaining the infrastructure, their central responsibility.

However, some local councils do insist that the landlords are responsible and bill them if they are called to intervene and other councils just sort out this kind of thing for free.

There's nothing to stop you from asking the landlord to consider giving you compensation for the inconvenience.

cymru01

Thanks guys, guess I'll have to just hope it's sorted out asap so I can move back in.