Mice in Flat

rustyg

I own a 5th floor flat in a tower block containing 100 flats. The freeholder is the local council and I pay ground rent and service charge.

The flat is rented out. The tenant recently noticed mice and alerted me. We found and patched up two holes in the same skirting board in one of the bedrooms but we've found mice in other rooms as well.

The tenant is reasonably clean and tidy. Bins get emptied and food isn't left lying around.

We have two mousetraps baited with peanut butter and have caught around 10 mice so far. However, we can't find any more entry points. It's possible that another hole is in the kitchen which would mean dismantling the units and cupboards to inspect the wall behind.

We've asked the council for help but they have refused saying it's the leaseholder's responsibility. We think that's unfair as the mice are clearly entering our flat from the internal structure of the building which the freeholder is responsible for. Perhaps the mice are running around cavities or through communal pipes or sewers. We are not allowed to interfere with or modify supporting walls but the mice are coming through them into the flat.

The topic of vermin isn't mentioned in the lease but the freeholder is supposed to allow the leaseholder to "enjoy" the flat which we can't do if mice are constantly invading.

Any thoughts? Should the freeholder or leaseholder be responsible in this scenario?

Cakeguts

Call out your council's pest control department and let them work out where the mice are coming from.

SmashedAvacado

If you bait traps then you will attract mice.

charlotte1994

Sorry but I think in this instance it would be down to you to get rid of them. I had mice in my house, they were there before I moved in and I did everything I could. What seemed to work was getting some of these poison blocks from Screwfix, they don't kill them straight away, so they don't associate the blocks with poison. They then take the block back to the nest and they all eat them. I haven't heard a peep since. I felt terrible but I was at my wits end. I also managed to get my LL permission to get a cat to stop anymore mice from returning. Is that something the tenant would be willing to do?


Though, I would keep pestering the council to see what they can do if it's their building! They're obviously coming in from else where. Personally I would exhaust all my options first, then contact the council.

davidmcn

rustyg wrote: »

We are not allowed to interfere with or modify supporting walls but the mice are coming through them into the flat.

Doesn't mean you can't block up holes though.

bouicca21

Mice are a nightmare to get rid of. There's a thread somewhere on another board. Seriously the best solution is to borrow a Jack Russell or to get a cat.

When I had them in my last flat I would only get one at a time in the colder weather. I was sure they were nesting under the building, but landlord and freeholder did nothing but block holes (you need to block them with wire wool, the pesky things will eat through anything else, and even that needs to be reapplied regularly as it collapses on itself).

But catching 10 suggests you have a way worse infestation. They must be nesting close by.

EachPenny

rustyg wrote: »

We have two mousetraps baited with peanut butter and have caught around 10 mice so far. However, we can't find any more entry points. It's possible that another hole is in the kitchen which would mean dismantling the units and cupboards to inspect the wall behind.

You might want to try checking with a USB borescope - you can buy them from well known online sites from as little as £5.

You'd need to get a bit creative in terms of working out how to use one to best effect to see behind the kitchen units (either drill an access hole near the top of the back of the unit and drop it down, or poke it up from below using a stick) but it would be easier than having to remove the units completely.

Another option might be to use an IR 'wildlife' camera with PIR... the kind that switch on and record in night-vision if it detects movement. Obviously something you'd need the tenant to help with... not least to avoid capturing any of their nocturnal activity. They cost a bit more, but a lot less than calling in the Council's pest control department. It might be that over a series of nights you'd be able to go from capturing a whole-room view down to pinpointing a particular location or route they are using. (temporarily 'springing' the traps but leaving them baited would be necessary to ensure the mice fully cooperate You won't learn anything about the hole if they are all dead.)

rustyg

We have used wire wool to block the holes. The problem is that mice could simply nibble their way through in another place.

We're not allowed to keep pets in the flat so a cat is out of the question, even if the tenant liked the idea.

I didn't really want to use poison because I thought that the mice might die in locations which are difficult or impossible to reach. Then we might have a smell to deal with. Using poison also doesn't help with finding and blocking up the entry point.

bouicca21

Voice of experience: dead mice smell (nastily) for 2 days. After that it's ok.

You can also track where they are coming from by scattering flour over the floor overnight and checking for dinky little paw prints in the morning.

bobbymotors

Buy the blue colour mice / rat poison from ebay.

remove kitchen kickboards an put plenty down.

check every week and top up as needed

when no more gets eaten you're done.

very effective.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Pest-Expert-Formula-B-Rat-Killer-Poison-1kg-Professional-Strength/301102456409?_trkparms=aid%3D555017%26algo%3DPL.CASSINI%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D55148%26meid%3D77dadea2946a4db5ac136f397ba3ebb8%26pid%3D100505%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26%26itm%3D301102456409&_trksid=p2045573.c100505.m3226

p00hsticks

Cakeguts wrote: »

Call out your council's pest control department and let them work out where the mice are coming from.

Although bear in mind that this is unlikely to be a free service.