Rat problem at rented property

shoe*diva79

I privately rent a house (since Aug 12) and the ast 2 days I have seen a rat in my garden. Garden is wll kept and full of play equipment for my daughter who s 2.

Is it my responsibility to get pest control in, or my landlords?

Thank you.

whalster

I would imagine it says in your contract that pest controll is down to you .
Local councils do vary I have some property in North yorkshire where the council classes rats as a health hazard and does the service free for residents and then I have some in West Yorkshire where not only do they charge but also send out a very abrasive letter from the outset threatening a £5000 pound fine if you do not either pay for their service or deal with the problem yourself.
Most of the time I do these bits for tenants wasps nests cleaning gutters etc however if you check your contract I am sure it is up to you to do this

shoe*diva79

Thank you. I have sent a email to my landlord and just checked out the local council website. They charge £10.50 so ill give them a call tomorrow. I had visions of it costs hundreds of pounds which I just don't have!

Werdnal

If you had only just moved in, and there was a pre-existing rat problem, then LL would have a duty to deal with it. Similarly, if there were mice or rats indoors, and they were entering due to holes or other problems with the property, LL should sort it.

As you have had a lengthy tenancy, then it is down to you.

TBH, whilst many people find rats abhorrent, they are not a problem as long as they remain outside. Many people have rats living around them and never see them, so are totally unaware. I live in a rural spot, keep chickens and other animals and have a farm next door. We know we have rats outside but let them get on with their lives, as they do us no harm.

Please be very careful if you use poison, as it can cause secondary poisoning in cats and dogs who may eat the rats or mice that take the bait!

shoe*diva79

Thanks. I don't want to put anything down myself as i have a 2 year old who plays in the garden regularly and next door have a cat. As i mentioned, my local council charge £10.50 so ill be giving them a call tomorow.

whalster

It keeps my little girl ocupied for hours shooting rats in the hen run , It is beter as said above though to bait

antrobus

There is a a Parliamentary standard note on the subject - Dealing with infestations in privately rented property SN/SP/6041 - presumably because this is the kind of issue that MPs frequently have to deal with on behalf of their constituents.

If the property is already infested when the tenant moves in, it is likely that the landlord will be responsible for dealing with it ....If the property has become infested during the course of a tenancy, the question of who is responsible for dealing with it will depend in all the circumstances involved....The landlord may be responsible for dealing with the infestation if, for example, it was caused by some structural defect or disrepair...

But such rules relate to pests in the property; I don't believe that a landlord would ever be held responsible for dealing with a rat in the garden, any more than they'd be held responsible for a pigeon, a fox, a squirrel, or any other creature perceived to be a 'pest' that had wandered in to someone's garden.

BitterAndTwisted

A rat in the garden? Heck, it was only passing through. They are only a problem if they start coming in.

shoe*diva79

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

A rat in the garden? Heck, it was only passing through. They are only a problem if they start coming in.

I have seen it 3 times now in the last 2 days so suspect its living fairly close. Possibly in a wooden 'cubby hole' thats used as storage to the back of my house. Best I deal with it now then wait for its family to join it putting my small child in danger of all kinds of diseases.

wannahouse

rats live outside, so i wouldn't be surprised myself to see one once in a while!!!
its if they come inside, thats the problem!!!

however, where we live, the council does rat and mouse pest control free of charge. check with your council if they do also.

wannahouse

shoe*diva79 wrote: »

I have seen it 3 times now in the last 2 days so suspect its living fairly close. Possibly in a wooden 'cubby hole' thats used as storage to the back of my house. Best I deal with it now then wait for its family to join it putting my small child in danger of all kinds of diseases.

i doubt very much the rat will ever come into contact with your child!!!
YOU pose more danger to it, that it does to you!

leave the rat alone unless it comes indoors...
there are creatures all around us, just trying to go about their business...
rats clean up other stuff,they have their place in the ecosystem and are useful, UNLESS they invade our environment indoors.

i don't get these parents that want to "sterilise" their child's world! (i have 3 kids myself)
these animals are currently causing NO HARM to your child, so why just kill it?
a friend of mine was on facebook complaining her garden was over run with bumblebees, and was worried her little precious ones would be attacked by them, so wanted to know how to kill them all!!! @**!$£!!! why?
i know bumblebees seem a bit "nicer" than a common rat, but its typical of the modern human mentality that nothing else has the right to exist in "our space".

to this date, despite living in the country (and also regularily seeing rats in the environment, i do not know of ONE person , that was harmed or diseased by a rat outside!

come inside to my house however, and you're a goner, if you're a rat or mouse!!!
we got the council in to deal with rats that had gotten into our walls causing a royal nuisance... had they stayed outside, they would have lived...

just a thought...