Completed, moved in , found serious rat infestation

moneyistooshorttomention

holly_hobby wrote: »

If they have actually gotten into your cupboards, you must discard anything open, or not protected in tins, and wash what you are keeping and the inside the cupboards, with disinfectant/bleach, this is becuase they (as do rats) pee as they walk (disgusting I know). This pee is a trail/message for them, but if ingested by ourselves can cause all kinds of serious issues - even death (which is why I also NEVER EVER drink pop from a can, or open a tin without disinfecting the lid - as you have no idea where its been stored and if its been exposed to rodent activity).

Hope this helps .... and I haven't given anyone any nightmares :eek: !!!

Love

Holly xxx

Errrr...yep....EUW!:eek:

You learn something every day - and I never knew that. Guess I've been a bit naïve in expecting the cans any canned food I buy to come in to be clean then....:(.

holly_hobby

Yep .... friends of mine had a old pub, and when they moved in a rat problem in the cellar, they'd be poop everywhere, which sort of gave you an idea where they had been exploring !!!

Proffesional extermination, blocking of holes and a Jack Russell later, they had it under control..... but its left me with the habit of always wiping and drinking with a straw from a can, and wiping tins over before I open, just as a precatution really. But if they are getting into your cupboards you can bet they will have walked over everything .... throw what can't be wiped, and wipe what is wipeable and sealed would be my advice ..

Holly xx

holly_hobby

olly300 wrote: »

I suspect the reason why the OP hasn't posted again on this thread is because they had a basic valuation survey.

Agreed, which means sadly they're on the own really, given that the basic was for the lenders remit only.

So survey;s and liability dealt with, hopefully the advice on enviromental health and other bits will assit them taking this forward.

Holly

ACG

I cant add any comments of any use but i dont think the OP is wrong.

You cant be expected to ask every question otherwise the house buying process would never go through. There is some responsibility on the buyer to disclose material facts. If there was a rat in the back garden, that is different to an infestation that theyre clearly aware of in the house.

I would be speaking to my solicitor and asking for all the money and then potentially negotiate down - but i would begrudge paying anything towards this as a buyer.

If i was a seller then this is something i would have resolved myself as its the right thing to do.

ruggedtoast

Can you not try reasoning with them?

holly_hobby

I agree absolutely ACG, however as we know Vendors do conceal things (inc in my case where I inherited a mouse problem).

However the basis of ‘caveat emptor’, means the seller, with regards to voluntarily disclosing material facts, is under no legal obigation to do so, at least in respect to issues that could be reasonably discovered upon the buyers inspection (this is where a survey comes into play).

If however, they were asked, in this example, if there were a rodent or any kind of infestation issue, and if the vendor knew they had one and lied about it, then this is mis-representation, and the buyer would have the vendor by the short and curlys (if it was clearly apparent that the issue was indeed in evidence pre-sale).

Morally, its pretty bad, but the fact the vendor had apparently lived with this issue for some time, is completely and utterly nauseating.

Apparently, rats give off a sweet musky smell (readily apparent where they are in numbers), which is instantly recognised by surveyors and pest control operatives, meaning if the OP is also experiencing this smell, that the Vendors went to great lengths to eradicate it for the viewings and survey ...... totally wrong, but legally I don't think there will be a case (unless as I say the Vendors are guilty of dilberate mis-representation).

A free half hour with a conveyencing soilicitor will top and tail if this has any legs (could I also encourage the OP if they do puruse legally to only do so on an "no win no fee"basis .... for obvious reasons).

But as a lesson to all (inc myself, as I inherited a flooding garden and mouse problem when I boughy my current home !), do ask (and get it in writing), as many questions as you can of the vendor, even if you feel they are silly, niggly or unlikely to be an issue. As it may save a lot of later heartache in providing you with a legal avenue for pursuance, under Mis-Representation.

Hope this helps

Holly xx

Mezza1979

olly300 wrote: »

Actually with a Homebuyers report the survey is fully conducted as long as the surveyor states why s/he can't look into a particular area on the report.

Your claiming the surveyor is negligent if they had free access and didn't look but the negligence is also if they couldn't look and didn't state why.

This is why they are useless for all houses unless it's reasonably new. Flats are different.

I suspect the reason why the OP hasn't posted again on this thread is because they had a basic valuation survey.

No Olly, You're wrong. I did get a full survey and am pursuing a claim based on this. The reason why i had not posted back was the simple fact that i came here for advice not a battering of abuse that i seem to have recieved from many posters. Thanks to all who posted helpful or at least, sympathetic posts but to the others .... your nastiness is not neccesary!

Mezza1979

holly_hobby wrote: »

Agreed, which means sadly they're on the own really, given that the basic was for the lenders remit only.

So survey;s and liability dealt with, hopefully the advice on enviromental health and other bits will assit them taking this forward.

Holly

Thanks for your advice Holly. :-)

holly_hobby

Mezza1979 wrote: »

Thanks for your advice Holly. :-)

Pleasure chuck x

Right we have a FS - then the loft space should have been inspected, unless they were prevented from doing so by the Vendors - which the survey should state that the survey was conducted without access/vendors refusal to loft access - to which they can and may have refused, but in doing so they should have expected alarm bells to ring, and the sale to fall out of bed/or stall until access was facilitated or granted. So I can only assume your FS did not mention any such access restriction ?

If as bad as you say (and I don't doubt it is !), then as I said earlier, where these blighters are in numbers you will definately smell them (they don't half pen and ink !) - so unless the smell and any distruction (which I would expect to see esp where they were nesting), had been hidden/eradicated by the Vendors for inspection (so the surveyor couldn't have been reasonably expected to have discovered the issue on his assessment).

One would expect an experienced surveyor to have at least asked about/questioned any odd smell, and def any evidence of rodent damage, and possibly question the vendor as to its source, but definately hightlight and request a pest control evaluation (if they picked up on it that is, and recognised it as evidence of a rodent infestation). Any claim will come under his PI/libility insurance. If you are unhappy with the surveyors repsonse to your complaint you may refer to RICS for their mediation - http://www.rics.org/uk/regulation/complaints/.

Please let us know how you get on !

Hope this, and other comments help

Holly xxxx