aarrrgghhhh-going round in circles!!!!!!

zoesmummy_2006

sorry, just really need to vent!!! The H/A property i moved into in july is the problem-well the bloody rats in the attic again are!! They discovered them while preparing the house for me and my kids to move into. They apparently put poison down and said that it was dealt with. we moved in and have been happily settled......until the last couple of weeks. Ive started hearing noises in the attic, and a few nights ago heard a scrabbling inside the stud partition wall in my living room-scared me to death as i was sat watching a film on my own. Over the weekend i could hear them scurrying around at night-ive been awake since 4am this morning and am shattered. I even resorted to banging on my ceiling with a coat hanger to get the lil !!!!!!s to sod off a bit!!! My neighbour has heard them too.

So first thing this morning i called my housing association to inform them, they immediately said they dont deal with that and to call the pest control people at the council. Ok, so i called them-the person i spoke to said they would send someone out for £22, and was about to take a payment from me over the phone when they suddenly asked if my attic was floorboarded. I have no idea and told them so, they said i'd need to check and get back to them, and that if it wasnt there was nothing they could do. So i called the lady who dealt with me getting the house and she's been great, has asked around re the situation, and called me back to say no its not floorboarded. GREAT!!! She did say that I have to call their repair line and book it in for someone to come out and look at it and find out where they are getting in and block that off to stop it happening again-well why didnt they do that the first time round?????????

So i called to book it in as a repair job, and the woman i spoke to said she doesnt see what they can do as they cant trap them in the attic cos......"theyre a protected species". seriously i kid you not!!! I told her that I want to know what they're going to do about it, I have a 5 year old whos scared cos she can hear the scratching above her head at night, and its keeping me awake non stop!!! Im awaiting a call back again at the min, shes going to see what their options are regarding it.

whitewing

Yuk.

Perhaps Shelter will be able to offer you some advice.

lifeisgood

Did the lady mis-hear you? Bats are a protected species.

Lotus-eater

Ring the repair line again and get someone who knows what they are talking about.

zoesmummy_2006

lifeisgood-thats a possiblilty, but i told her specifically that i could hear them scurrying around and scratching etc.

Lotus-eater, ive called the number twice today and each time got the same woman lol!!

I just want it dealt with-thinking of borrowing a couple of jack russels and letting them loose up there! My ex did offer to go up with his dads pellet gun this morning..........

Lotus-eater

zoesmummy_2006 wrote: »

lifeisgood-thats a possiblilty, but i told her specifically that i could hear them scurrying around and scratching etc.

Lotus-eater, ive called the number twice today and each time got the same woman lol!!

I just want it dealt with-thinking of borrowing a couple of jack russels and letting them loose up there! My ex did offer to go up with his dads pellet gun this morning..........

Well yeah, your ex has good intentions, but 0% chance of shooting anything.

Can you ring this other woman back (the one who told you to ring the repair line) and explain the problems you are having, she may have some way round it?

You can buy poison yourself, but I think the commercial stuff is stronger and there are problems with some rats being immune to some sorts of poison, so they will have ways with dealing with that.

lizzywig

zoesmummy_2006 wrote: »

So i called to book it in as a repair job, and the woman i spoke to said she doesnt see what they can do as they cant trap them in the attic cos......"theyre a protected species". seriously i kid you not!!!

I am a big animal lover but seriously....a protected species....and you and your children are what...insignificant? Surely they have a duty of care what with all the human rights that people spout these days.

Incidentally I've just looked up the list of protected species and rats are not on there. As 'lifeisgood' suggested bats are though...

Savvy_Sue

Are they rats or squirrels? Not that it makes a lot of difference, they are both pests ...

Emmzi

mention that rentokil currently have no issues bumping off rats!

http://www.rentokil.co.uk/residential-customers/home-pest-control/rats/

lisawood78

Rats are no way a protected species,they are vermin pure and simple.

Call the silly woman back and tell her so.

Good luck

zoesmummy_2006

well im still going around in circles, the rats are still there and im still not sleeping well!!!!!

Called the repair line back, they DID have it down as bats, apologised and changed it and said that someone would be in touch. Meanwhile my neighbours called environmental health out (the guy was GORGEOUS and very flirty lol so made it bit nicer!!), he looked in her attic, and then checked round my yard and said they'd come back and do further investigation. Turns out from his return visit that its my drain on the back yard, its sunk on one side has a split in it so he thinks thats where they're getting in and doing the proverbial rat up a drainpipe and into the attic. They're also in my neighbours cavity walls which they're having filled shortly to help.

Environmental health put in a work order to the HA to repair the drain (also turns out that water from my bath and sinks that should go down that drain, isnt-its just spreading around under the yard/garden!!). HA sent a letter to say the work will be completed on the drain by 16th dec. OK.

Last week all my lights upstairs went out when i went to bed. downstairs were fine, but upstairs-nothing!! strangely they started working again the next morning when my dad had a look, none of the trip switches had gone. My dad has been up in the attic to put down some traps etc and he's noticed that they've been chewing at the wiring and he can see the copper, which leaves me now thinking that that could be the reason my lights went off.

So ive just called the HA repair line again to report that-only to be told that they wont send their workmen up into the attic while there is an ongoing pest problem!!! Yet there was one up there dealing with the removal of them/cleaning out before i moved in, so how is now any different.


The lady i spoke to was very helpful and has just called me back after speaking to the relevant departments, and it was STILL down on the system as bats!!!!! OMG!!!!! Anyways, apparently one of the maintenence managers has said they can look into getting a pest control person out-but that it would be charged to me. Im not happy about it, why should I have to pay this when this was going on before i even moved into the property and should have been dealt with properly before i moved in. She has just called me back and they're not going to do anything until they've got a pest control person out to deal with the rats in the attic, whenever that may be! so in the meantime the rats can continue nibbling on the wires and possibly cause more damage............

Im so sick of this, this house was supposed to be my fresh start, my new life with the kids after my ex walking out and getting divorced. Yet its just been nothing but problems!!!! sorry, rant over xx