mice problem in rented house

pmlindyloo

rubys_mummy wrote: »

:beer:well said Yorkie! i could get really nasty and put on here the kinds of remarks i've had to put up with from the landlady's husband ie requesting "favours" instead of paying a month's rent, but that would be a completely different thread lol!!

oh and the reason i stay is because private rentals are hard to find where i live so i dnt have much choice

Requesting favours! Love it! Do tell!

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

G_M

rubys_mummy wrote: »

just to clarify......., i've had to replace ALL electrical items ie the fridge, washer, oven even tho they were listed on the inventory and i am paying for a partly furnished property THAT INCLUDES ELECTRICAL GOODS as stated in my tenancy agreement

........
edited to add ...... just had the pest control man out, who told me that it IS the landlady's responsibility to remove mice and rats......the only vermin a tenant is liable for is fleas

I would love to know what basis the pest control man has for this claim!?

The best advice has been Werdnal:

I would advise caution using poison for mice. Whilst it is usually effective, if the mice don't die instantly, they can wander outside the property, and be caught and eaten by cats and dogs (or owls and foxes depending on where you live), leading to secondary poisoning in them.

Correctly set traps are far more effective. They kill very quickly. You can dispose of the dead ones without them crawling off somehwere to rot and cause a smell. You know how many you have caught and can tell when they stop coming in. Bait them with peanut butter or chocolate (contrary to popular belief, they are not partial to cheese!).

Check for holes where they may be getting in. Look outside too for gaps around drain pipes, air bricks etc. If you can fit a pencil through it, a mouse can get through it too. For smaller holes, scrunch up balls of tin foil and block them up as a temporary measure. If the tin foil is chewed or pushed out, you know that where they are coming in. If these holes are left as a result of the LL's shoddy workmen, you then have proof that they are to blame. However, mice can infest a house for some time before you actually see signs or know they are there, so you may have had them indoors long before the workmen disturbed anything.

I live in the country and every winter the field mice move in. It's nice and dry under my floorboards! Care with food storage and traps keeps them where they belong.... under the floorboards. I tried poison once but the smell of decaying mouse took weeks to clear - never again.

Repair/replacement of appliances is not so clear-cut as you imply. The Landlord and Tenant Act 1987 states:

11 Repairing obligations in short leases.

(1)In a lease to which this section applies (as to which, see sections 13 and 14) there is implied a covenant by the lessor—
(a)to keep in repair the structure and exterior of the dwelling-house (including drains, gutters and external pipes),
(b)to keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling-house for the supply of water, gas and electricity and for sanitation (including basins, sinks, baths and sanitary conveniences, but not other fixtures, fittings and appliances for making use of the supply of water, gas or electricity), and
(c)to keep in repair and proper working order the installations in the dwelling-house for space heating and heating water.

However you are right the specific tenancy agreement/inventory may alter this, in which case you should be negotiating in writing with the landlord, not taking responsibility upon yourself but resenting it and using this to justify complaints on unrelated issues.

may_fair

rubys_mummy wrote: »

edited to add ...... just had the pest control man out, who told me that it IS the landlady's responsibility to remove mice and rats......the only vermin a tenant is liable for is fleas

Wow, a pest control man who is also specialist in landlord and tenant law. Why not ask him about LL's statutory repairing obligations under s.11 LTA1985 next time he comes round.

The_Palmist

poppysarah wrote: »

I've been away until now!


A cat can add to the problem though.

No problem, get a dog to keep the cat in line.

poppysarah

The_Palmist wrote: »

No problem, get a dog to keep the cat in line.

What do you get to keep the dog in line?

Yorkie1

poppysarah wrote: »

What do you get to keep the dog in line?

A mouse? :rotfl:

G_M

poppysarah wrote: »

What do you get to keep the dog in line?

A sheep? Keeps the lawn under control too.

The_Palmist

poppysarah wrote: »

What do you get to keep the dog in line?

You can just get a Man !