Mice problem - my or the LL's responsibility?

talking muffin

Hi all,

I have a big mouse problem in my home in the countryside. I’ve seen a few mice in my kitchen but I didn’t mind too much until I saw mouse droppings all over the kitchen counters, floor and inside my food cupboards. They’ve chewed a big hole in the cupboard too. A lot of food has to be thrown away now.

Is this normal in country houses at this time of year? Is it good to just clean all the time and set traps and just live with the problem OR should this be the responsibility of the landlord to fix this problem?

Thanks for reading.

Pawwed Rig

Set up a load of traps for a few days and you should see results fairly quickly. Using a small piece of chocolate in the trap worked best for me.
I would not be overly concerned with a couple of mice (especially in the country side). Where there is alot it may need to be dealt with by a professional.

thegreatiam

move all of your food from boxes and bags into sealed plastic containers. be really strict on leaving any crumbs around. Give them no reason to live in your house and they will bugger off. They only have a territory of a few meters, so remove the food source and they have to go elsewhere.

KatyMac

Plenty of traps, I use peanut butter because they have to stay around while they lick it off the trap, that way there are less escapes. My house always has mice this time of the year as they come in looking for warm spot and food. Be very careful that the edibles are inaccessible in containers/ And when you have caught them all leave a couple of traps permanently set to mop up the next wave.

thegreatiam

Had mice in my old house, used peanut butter on the traps.
It's true they had to stick around licking it off. I even saw them doing it. Sat right on the trigger of the trap enjoying his peanut butter. Cheeky ****er was too light to set it off.
I had some luck tying stuff to the trigger, bacon rind tied around the trigger etc, they pull it and it sets the trap off. You may get lucky.

CardBordWindow

If you don't have any peanut butter, nutella works great too!

Corkbah

not sure if my advice is correct but its your problem - but LL should reimburse you for any payments made to purchase mouse traps (assuming you don't go overboard and spend loads of money on traps and agree this with LL first)

a quick call should help find out if LL is willing to pay up.

also, on the subject…. again not 100% if it is correct but mice follow repetitive paths so if they have poo'd somewhere …place a trap there, they will cross that pathway again.

Pawwed Rig

A mousetrap costs about €1.50 and can be used over and over again.

Santa Cruz

Mousetraps. Keep killing until the traps are left alone.

talking muffin

All good advice here, thank you!

I bought a humane mouse trap and I hope it will work so I don't have to kill them. I will take them far from the house and release them... hopefully unharmed.

Are they dangerous? If their droppings are in say riice or on potatoes, is it safe to clean and cook the food or is it a case of throw everything potentially contaminated out?

spaceHopper

Forget about humane traps they will keep coming back. Get the cheap wodden ones.

Set it up with the trigger facing against something they run along like a wall or bottom of a press so if they scurry over it they get killed. Bait it with bacon or chocolate.... what vert they like and can't lick off.

wirelessdude01

Humane traps!!! Why bother with them? Release the little bugger and he/she will just be back. I remember years ago my mam had a trap set under the sink where they used to get in via the piping. Mouse was caught by the tail so my sister got the tongs from the fireplace and threw the trap out the door with the intention of putting it out of its misery with a hurley. When teh trap hit the groud outside the mouse somehow got free. Fast forward less than a week and in the same place under the sink the trap went again. The same mouse had met his match this time. Could tell it was the same mouse by the big mark on its tail!!!!

KatyMac

Humane traps are a waste of time. Don't forget a female mouse can have young something like every 3 weeks, with loads per litter. Why wouldn't you want to put an end to that? Last year I caught female mouse, and every day for about a week a young one.

srsly78

Get a cat!

KatyMac

srsly78 wrote: »

Get a cat!

I have 3 cats. When we catch a mouse they get the corpse - everybody happy

Mrs OBumble

KatyMac wrote: »

I have 3 cats. When we catch a mouse they get the corpse - everybody happy

Ahh, you're doing it wrong! They are supposed to be the mousers, not you.

The_Conductor

Both tenants and landlord's have rights and obligations in a situation such as this.

Tenant's rights and obligations

1. Firstly and most importantly, you need to tell your landlord as soon as you notice the issue, so the landlord can take appropriate action to exterminate the pests.

[LIST=2]
[*]You have a right to habitable residence, which means accomodation free from infestations of pests.
[/LIST]
[LIST=3]
[*]The landlord must act promptly to address the problem.
[/LIST]
[LIST=4]
[*]You must co-operate with the landlord's efforts to exterminate pests.
[/LIST]
[LIST=5]
[*]In severe cases that can not be remedied quickly, and in all cases when the landlord does not take reasonable steps to exterminate the pests, you may be able to terminate the tenancy immediately for cause.
[/LIST]

Talk to your landlord and work with your landlord to solve the problem as quickly as possible.



Landlord rights and obligations

When a landlord lets a residence they have a contractual and statutory obligation to provide habitable premises to the tenants.

1. Premises infested with pests are not habitable and a landlord may be liable to pay damages to the tenant for breach of contract.

If you can show that the tenant caused the infestation:

• The landlord may be relieved of liability for damages and
• The tenant may be liable to pay any costs and damages incurred by the landlord.

Tenants need to report problems as early as possible to their landlords so action can be quickly taken to prevent the problem from spreading.

Landlords need to keep your tenants informed and work with the tenant to solve the problem (regardless of who caused it).

What is relevant here- there is a pest issue that needs resolving, and it is the landlord's duty to resolve it. It may be the tenants duty to pay for the resolution the landlord comes up with- if the landlord can show the issue arose through negligence on the part of the tenant. If the tenant didn't report the issue promptly to the landlord- the tenant is likely at fault- even if the initial issue was through negligence on the part of the landlord.

These type issues arise every single autumn..........

talking muffin

The_Conductor wrote: »

Both tenants and landlord's have rights and obligations in a situation such as this.

Tenant's rights and obligations

1. Firstly and most importantly, you need to tell your landlord as soon as you notice the issue, so the landlord can take appropriate action to exterminate the pests.

[LIST=2]
[*]You have a right to habitable residence, which means accomodation free from infestations of pests.
[/LIST]
[LIST=3]
[*]The landlord must act promptly to address the problem.
[/LIST]
[LIST=4]
[*]You must co-operate with the landlord's efforts to exterminate pests.
[/LIST]
[LIST=5]
[*]In severe cases that can not be remedied quickly, and in all cases when the landlord does not take reasonable steps to exterminate the pests, you may be able to terminate the tenancy immediately for cause.
[/LIST]

Talk to your landlord and work with your landlord to solve the problem as quickly as possible.



Landlord rights and obligations

When a landlord lets a residence they have a contractual and statutory obligation to provide habitable premises to the tenants.

1. Premises infested with pests are not habitable and a landlord may be liable to pay damages to the tenant for breach of contract.

If you can show that the tenant caused the infestation:

• The landlord may be relieved of liability for damages and
• The tenant may be liable to pay any costs and damages incurred by the landlord.

Tenants need to report problems as early as possible to their landlords so action can be quickly taken to prevent the problem from spreading.

Landlords need to keep your tenants informed and work with the tenant to solve the problem (regardless of who caused it).

What is relevant here- there is a pest issue that needs resolving, and it is the landlord's duty to resolve it. It may be the tenants duty to pay for the resolution the landlord comes up with- if the landlord can show the issue arose through negligence on the part of the tenant. If the tenant didn't report the issue promptly to the landlord- the tenant is likely at fault- even if the initial issue was through negligence on the part of the landlord.

These type issues arise every single autumn..........

Thanks for this, it's hugely helpful!

MurdyWurdy

KatyMac wrote: »

I have 3 cats. When we catch a mouse they get the corpse - everybody happy

We don't have mice but sometimes the cat brings them in and releases them in the house - the opposite of what he is supposed to do. Our old cat was a ferocious mouser but he got old and weak and couldn't catch them anymore, my Dad bought traps and the cat dragged the trap with a mouse in it to my Dad to show him the mouse he had "caught"!

On topic, I had mice before and our landlord bought traps and blocked up access points, we had to deal with emptying the traps etc. I would also be a fan of humane traps if you can release them in a field far away from your house.

ted1

My tenant called me last week, she had caught some mice and was a little bit freaked as she has a young child. I called out pest control and will claim it as an expense.
I don't know weather or not I'm legally meant to look after the problem, but the way I see it. The tenant will be happy, and stay longer, so we both win

Pkiernan

You saw mice and weren't concerned about them until you saw their droppings???

Sounds to me like your lodgings might not have been as clean as they should be which attracted mice, and your inaction has allowed them to flourish.

Certainly not the LL's fault nor his responsibility.

Advice to you is to set traps , clean up and not leave any scraps, crumbs etc.

talking muffin

Pkiernan wrote: »

You saw mice and weren't concerned about them until you saw their droppings???

Sounds to me like your lodgings might not have been as clean as they should be which attracted mice, and your inaction has allowed them to flourish.

Certainly not the LL's fault nor his responsibility.

Advice to you is to set traps , clean up and not leave any scraps, crumbs etc.

Wow your reply was unnecessarily insulting and mean-spirited! You’ve taken a few logical leaps in your reply to me there.

Firstly, I said that I wasn’t too concerned when I first saw a mouse until I found mouse droppings only in so far as contacting my landlord. When I saw the volume of mouse droppings after only a short period of time and where those droppings were, I worried the problem was too big for me to deal with alone as opposed to getting in a pest control company. I already packaged food into Tupperware, bought catch-and-release traps and scrubbed every square inch of the downstairs with Dettol the moment I saw a mouse. I wouldn’t be online looking for advice if I wasn’t somewhat motivated to remedy all this!

I could be wrong but the sudden appearance of a relatively large group of mice might have something to do with the weather changes recently and the fact that this rural cottage has A LOT of gaps and structural issues that I’m only now coming across (I’ve only moved in a short time ago).

I think in future you should ask “what measures did you take after you saw that first mouse” and wait to see what they say before you immediately declare them responsible because of their supposed dirty negligence.

sturdywear

Unless the mouse is an escaped pet, it should be the LL's responsibility, not yours.However, since a mice infestation is an unforeseen event, any damage to tenants' possessions isn't LL's responsibility.

Have you inspected the property on your own? Are there any open holes or gaps in the walls? If you can't determine the way mice got into your kitchen, it's best to get a professional exterminator to check over the property to find how they got in and get the situation sorted.

dee_mc

I'd recommend buying a bait box and setting it up in a sheltered spot outside. Did this last year, have rebaited twice and have not seen one mouse since (we always had one or two around this time of year, change of weather etc). The humane traps are a great idea if you're dealing with the occasional rodent but in this situation you need to get rid of them quickly, so invest in a few traps (or get the landlord to get them, whatever) and/or poison. I don't know about the legal standing re responsibility of landlord etc but I would certainly have a go at locating the access points and asking him to have them sealed up, otherwise you'll be dealing with this problem longterm.

foggy_lad

Op the reason there was so many dropings so sudsenly is the recent cold spell and the mice all deciding to go indoors at the same time. It does not necessarily mean there is suddenly a mouse problem. It is the same at other times of the year with ants for many people. Traps are the best way to stop them moving in permanently.

pgkilro

Hi all,

We moved into our new house in the countryside two months ago. Saw our first mouse last night run out of our ensuite and in behind our bed. It was late so we slept in the other room. I bought 8 traps today and have set them already. You hear all sorts of stories about mice. We have a 6 month old boy and are now afraid to put him in his cot as we think the mouse will 'approach' him. Also terrified to sleep in the bed now in case he's in there.

So my questions are: Will a mouse stay or sleep in your bed / pillow? Can they come into the house via water pipes / washing machine pipes? Will they leave a room once you are in it?

Any advice would put my mind at ease!!

thegreatiam

pgkilro wrote: »

So my questions are: Will a mouse stay or sleep in your bed / pillow? Can they come into the house via water pipes / washing machine pipes? Will they leave a room once you are in it?

They are very timid, and afraid of people, so unless you dont go into your bed for a long while they wont make a nest there.

they can get in through pipes, but not if the pipe is used, water pipes tend to have water in them.

They will most likely get in through small holes and gaps, mice can squeeze though holes smaller than a euro coin quite happily.

They will keep away from you, so if you are moving around in the room they will be trying to get out.
If you are in a room not moving then they will run around in it. we saw one in our old house in our room when we were watching TV, scurrying between our potted plants and dvd shelves.
They will run from hiding place to hiding place, so if you have a lot of clutter in the room they will prefer it.
They wont like large rooms with lots of space cos they cant hide.


The best suggestion is to give them a reason to leave, hide all food in plastic/metal containers and be really fastidious about crumbs, keep the kids room free of food.

if they cant get to food they will move out.

Traps and or a cat to keep them at bay short term. Use spring traps as poison traps often mean dead mice in the floors and walls.

Its likely they are moving in temporary due to warmth and food shortage elsewhere. Make sure they have no reason to stay.

Their range is very small, they need to live close to a food source. no food, no mice.

Teyla Emmagan

Totally normal in the best of houses in the country to have mice at this time of the year. It gets cold, and they come in. It doesn't mean that the house is particularly dirty, though you will have to be vigilant to seal any food sources they can dig into. Go to Homestore and more and buy one of their massive plastic containers. Keep everything that isn't in a can in that until you solve your problem.

My Mam has a cat, and a housekeeper who comes once a week, and a family of mice. Happens to everyone.

mistress_gi

talking muffin wrote: »

All good advice here, thank you!

I bought a humane mouse trap and I hope it will work so I don't have to kill them. I will take them far from the house and release them... hopefully unharmed.

Are they dangerous? If their droppings are in say riice or on potatoes, is it safe to clean and cook the food or is it a case of throw everything potentially contaminated out?

Throw everything away even if you see no dropping but see the packet has been bitten open. Mice carry many diseases that could severely affect humans:

http://www.victorpest.com/advice/rodents-101/rodent-dangers/rodent-transmitted-diseases

pgkilro

Thanks all. we had no problems last night, but in fairness I had our bedroom surrounded by 8 traps and also bought one of those plug in sound deterrent things. Seems to have done the trick. Haven't seen any mouse droppings so hopefully they have moved out!!

Oral Surgeon

pgkilro wrote: »

Thanks all. we had no problems last night, but in fairness I had our bedroom surrounded by 8 traps and also bought one of those plug in sound deterrent things. Seems to have done the trick. Haven't seen any mouse droppings so hopefully they have moved out!!

look for any gaps around pipes inside and outside the house. especially under sinks and washing machines.

plug these gaps with wirewool, they hate the stuff. expanding foam is also good but they may be able to eat through it. A combination of both would be the business...