Vermin in a shared student house - compensation?

Ames

At least it's not rats - my sister was in a shared house which had a problem with them (the landlord refused to follow Rentokil's advice and block off the big hole in the kitchen floor that was a nice rat sized front door for them).

She actually phoned me one night at about 10pm to go round and dispose of one that had died in the middle of the kitchen floor.

SnooksNJ

Get a cat.

mekonite

Ames wrote: »

At least it's not rats - my sister was in a shared house which had a problem with them (the landlord refused to follow Rentokil's advice and block off the big hole in the kitchen floor that was a nice rat sized front door for them).

She actually phoned me one night at about 10pm to go round and dispose of one that had died in the middle of the kitchen floor.

Well, the vermin corridor I mentioned above - it's in Plymouth btw - is seething with rats, so if they're in the property as well it wouldn't be a big surprise.

There are two kitchens in the property, one on the ground floor and one on the first and though there are eight students in occupation, the kitchens have been in good order whenever my wife and I have seen them. This is most likely due to the fact that there are only two males in the house. There is a cleaner and she has told me that there have always been mice in the property, sometimes just a few, sometimes a lot more. They live in a walk-in cupboard which contains the central heating boiler and this appears to be their base. Also, I’ve been told by pest control that once vermin are in an older property, eradicating them completely is unlikely and they will never guarantee a result, especially not here. This property is in a 150 year-old terrace, it’s not in a good state of repair externally and there are plenty of cracks in the brickwork for vermin to get in. They live in the walls and the terrace loft space is one continuous void, so they can move about freely up there.

I think I’ll ask CAB’s advice as a house in multiple occupation has to be free from all pests and vermin such as mice, rats and cockroaches in order to be licensed.

SnooksNJ wrote: »

Get a cat.

Indeed, they are the first line of defence, but not allowed under the tenancy agreement.

Soot2006

The good news is that if you have mice you are unlikely to have rats at the same time. Rats will quite happily opportunistically munch away at baby mice and so generally mice will avoid the same living quarters. Those ultrasound anti-vermin thingies are fairly good for small spaces, though I personally can't sleep with one on in the house so it's not for everyone.

sooz

Why can't she call pest control or the CAB?
Or the student welfare office?

bargainbetty

The landlord is taking steps to put pest control in place, so why would you speak to the CAB? To force them to do what they are already doing?

If your adult offspring is unable to handle this themselves, perhaps they should move back in with you. That sounds harsh, but it's just a few mice. My old office (a 17th century listed building) had them. We put down traps, poisons etc, but ultimately learned to put our food in tubs and wipe down surfaces in the morning. They moved on when we removed their food sources.

You cannot predict an infestation (when they have been cleared before that does not mean there is a guarantee of their return). The current weather conditions are pushing lots of smaller wildlife to cohabit with humans (frozen ground means outdoor hides/dens etc are too cold) and the landlord is taking steps to deal with it. It requires proper checks, but ultimately your daughter chose to stay away for that period. Given the vast number of properties in this country (and others) that have some measure of vermin in residence, you would be hard pressed to claim it was utterly uninhabitable, and the food losses are incidental. Your daughter has a phobia, but the landlord isn't responsible for that either.

You can try, but I have to admit that if I were the landlord, I'd be tempted to decline your request.

Naf

It's been said, and they're right; even if the little b€ggars are about and in other nearby properties/sewers/gardens etc. they'll not make themselves at home (indicated by the young mice you mentioned) if there's no source of food for them. Anything stored open, or in paper packaging/plastic bags is fair game for them; and mice can get through any gap you can stick a biro into.

Basically, if there's a problem then it's not the LL or the property, it's the resident.