Rodents in rental property (Scotland)

scottishblondie

My tenant sent a message on Thursday to say they had seen a rat in the property and they didn’t know what to do. I advised them to contact the local council’s pest control for help in dealing with it, as that is what I would have done. Our council will deal with rodent issues free of charge. 

I heard nothing over the weekend, then this afternoon another message to say they called a private company who has been out and charged them £220. It sounds as if this company blocked some small holes (no details given as to where) and laid some poison. 

The tenant now says they intend to go to B&Q and buy materials to block off some “large holes” they have found and they expect me to pay for this and the cost of the private company. 

I’m not happy to pay for this for a number of reasons, and under no account do i want them to buy materials and attempt to DIY covering up what I feel are normal gaps, as I think they may well cause damage. 

I’ve owned this property for 20 years, and I lived there for the first 10. There were not any rodent problems before, and the property is in good repair. The holes they have sent images of are a gap between the plasterboard and subfloor under the kitchen units, a gap under the door to the cupboard where the utility meters are, and what looks like a shot of the pipes behind the bathroom sink pedestal. 

From what I’ve read online I am responsible for fixing any structural defects (fine, I can arrange for any problem holes to be blocked) but I can’t definitively find it written down that I’m not liable to pay for the pest control company that they hired themselves without asking me. 

They will not believe whatever I say, so can someone point me to a good online guide for this?  Or indeed correct me if I am liable!

[Deleted User]

Was there a reason you didn't contact the council yourself as landlord?

Secondly - did the tenant try the council do you know and have to go to the private company? (Possible)

scottishblondie

Deleted_User said:

Was there a reason you didn't contact the council yourself as landlord?

Secondly - did the tenant try the council do you know and have to go to the private company? (Possible)

I didn't contact the council myself because then I would have become a go between trying to arrange access to the property - they have very specific times and requirements for people coming into the property and historically it has become something of a farce trying to get a contractor to give a time/date that they will agree to.

They have not specified if they tried to contact the council (I gave them the phone number for the correct department and the website address), and they didn't contact me before hiring a private company.

deannagone

I had a problem with mice in a rented property.  I bought something like this https://ratpak.co.uk/rodent-tracking-dust-pink, placed it along the walls, (particularly in the kitchen) so I could see how they were getting in and moving around the property (couldn't see any obvious holes in walls).  This helped me know where to place the traps.  Within four weeks, there were no more rodents.

I have to say, it wasn't a pleasant process though.  My LL wouldn't do anything so I, as the tenant had to do it all.  It was low cost though.

My rodent problem was caused by an alleyway at the back of the property being cleared of rubbish and debris.  The mice then came into the house.

If the council came to your house, they could charge you, as the LL/property owner and make orders for necessary repairs. This could also turn out to be expensive. I knew a LL with a really bad rodent problem in a HMO who was ordered to put wire netting around his victorian badly repaired house to stop the mice getting in.  It wasn't a cheap proposition. He also was ordered to clear rubbish from the garden (not the tenants, god knows who actually put it all there, could have been fly tipped years before, he wasn't the most proactive LL.  He stopped being a LL after this, thank goodness).  

anselld

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/housing/repairs-in-rented-housing/repairs-common-problems/repairs-infestations-of-pests-and-vermin/

It would tend to suggest that if the infestation was a result of disrepair, ie holes in the walls or floor you would be responsible for dealing with the infestation as well as the repair.

scottishblondie

I would not say there is any "disrepair".  The flat is only 20 years old, and the holes they've sent pictures of are all normal sized holes around pipes, gaps between plasterboard and chipboard under the kitchen units etc. all internal to the flat.  There are no gaping holes in the fabric of the building.  So I don't think the council (if they came) would be putting any repair orders onto me, as the flat and building as a whole are in good condition.  There was actually a programme of major works undertaken in partnership with the council about 2 years ago due to issues with the roof (faulty construction), so the building is probably now better than new as receiving the funding from the council mandated that any issues found in the building by a surveyor had to be fixed all at the same time.

This is where I am struggling to understand my liability.  I'm already arranging for someone to attend the property tomorrow and seal up any holes that are there and I will of course be paying for that, but am I really liable to pay for a private pest control company that they called without even asking me?

Mr.Generous

I have a strict "No Pets unless rent surcharge applied" policy, and rats fall under this. Tenant can pay an extra £20 per month or get rid of the rat.

I believe wire wool stuffed into the holes will do the trick, they cannot chew threw it.