Rat in apartment.

keith89

I just moved into an apartment in town, been in here going on two weeks now, signed a lease for a year.

Since I have moved in I can hear loud scratching in the attic and fllorboards and small footsteps at night when it quiet.
After listening for a couple of days I have determined it must be a rat.

I would like to know if anyone knows if this is reason enough serve a notice to the lanlord and terminate my contract and get my deposit back?

Thanks

76544567

keith89 wrote: »

I just moved into an apartment in town, been in here going on two weeks now, signed a lease for a year.

Since I have moved in I can hear loud scratching in the attic and fllorboards and small footsteps at night when it quiet.
After listening for a couple of days I have determined it must be a rat.

I would like to know if anyone knows if this is reason enough serve a notice to the lanlord and terminate my contract and get my deposit back?

Thanks

No its not.
But why dont you just call a pest control company and get it sorted.
Thats what anyone else does if they have pests in their house.
I just get traps in woodies when there are mice in my house. Simple solution for a simple problem.
It happens every year. And most homes in the country will have mice at some stage. Some, like mine, every year.

jimbev

I would imagine he would say that it was a unforseen problem because he does not live there and would be aloud to rectify the problem first.
You will probably find that they are mice

con___manx1

keith89 wrote: »

I just moved into an apartment in town, been in here going on two weeks now, signed a lease for a year.

Since I have moved in I can hear loud scratching in the attic and fllorboards and small footsteps at night when it quiet.
After listening for a couple of days I have determined it must be a rat.

I would like to know if anyone knows if this is reason enough serve a notice to the lanlord and terminate my contract and get my deposit back?

Thanks

Ring your landlord and get them to deal with the problem or else go to your local hardware store and buy a rat trap. Bait it with some bacon.
A trap wouldn't cost you more than ten euro.
If more rats appear after I would look to move out as they must have an easy access to the property from the outside.

AnneFrank

i'd say it's mice i had a couple recently, put down a few traps and bought one of those plugs you get in a hardware shop,
problem solved

76544567

AnneFrank wrote: »

i'd say it's mice i had a couple recently, put down a few traps and bought one of those plugs you get in a hardware shop,
problem solved

Ive got calls the odd time about rats in rental properties.
I go out and the tenants are all upset there is a rat and want the avengers or at least rentokil called to get rid of them.
I tell them, fine go to rentokil and pay them yourself, or ill go down to woodies and buy a few mouse traps and set them and catch them all for you.
So I put down traps and next day i get a call, theres a rat in the trap. I call up and its a tiny mouse and i throw it out and set the traps again. Where there is one there is more.
Next day another call and i say put it in the bin yourself and reset the trap until they are all gone. Or you can just sit there in fear of a 2 inch long creature for as long as you want.
Amazing how some people cant deal with a couple of mice.

keith89

thanks for the replies so quickly.
this rat (mouse) I assume was in the apartment before me since I heard it during the first couple of days. surely the fact it was here before me is reason enough to demand a deposit back?

oppenheimer1

Just be aware if you have one mouse or rat you actually have at least 10.

keith89

very reassuring. thanks.

Paulw

keith89 wrote: »

this rat (mouse) I assume was in the apartment before me since I heard it during the first couple of days. surely the fact it was here before me is reason enough to demand a deposit back?

Your assumption doesn't make it a fact. The mouse may have moved in the same day as you. Or, maybe, the previous tenants didn't notice, so then the landlord had no knowledge.

It is not grounds to terminate your lease nor get your deposit back.

Any apartment can get mice. You just need to deal with it - traps, etc, and then get on with life.

Inform the landlord, have a discussion and see what the best plan of action is.

Cordell

Or ask the mice to split the rent and get on with your life.
I've had a mouse in the house myself, but it never crossed my mind to bother the landlord. Get mouse traps, bait them with chocolate or peanut butter and happy hunting.

76544567

keith89 wrote: »

thanks for the replies so quickly.
this rat (mouse) I assume was in the apartment before me since I heard it during the first couple of days. surely the fact it was here before me is reason enough to demand a deposit back?

Dont worry. Its probably only a mouse and 10 is an exaggeration. The most Ive ever had is 5 at once. Its usually only 2 or 3.
And if it was a rat you would know. It would be on your bed checking you out while you are trying to sleep. Mice stay in the corners and ubder beds etc and you hardly ever see them.
Mice can walk in the door with you, get in in your bag and get out when in the house, creep in through a letter box, under a door, in a slightly open window. A mouse needs only a second and a gap you could push your pencil through.
If you ever opened the door or a window thats when they could have got in.

If they get in when they are about to give birth there will be little mice growing up over the next few months and breeding too.
So go to Woodies, buy some traps and put them down. What could be easier.

Chuchote

76544567 wrote: »

Ive got calls the odd time about rats in rental properties.
I go out and the tenants are all upset there is a rat and want the avengers or at least rentokil called to get rid of them.
I tell them, fine go to rentokil and pay them yourself, or ill go down to woodies and buy a few mouse traps and set them and catch them all for you.
So I put down traps and next day i get a call, theres a rat in the trap. I call up and its a tiny mouse and i throw it out and set the traps again. Where there is one there is more.
Next day another call and i say put it in the bin yourself and reset the trap until they are all gone. Or you can just sit there in fear of a 2 inch long creature for as long as you want.
Amazing how some people cant deal with a couple of mice.

We must have smarter mice here. I always catch one mouse and then the traps aren't touched but there'll still be mice around!

76544567

Chuchote wrote: »

We must have smarter mice here. I always catch one mouse and then the traps aren't touched but there'll still be mice around!

They can be smart fcukers alright.
I bought an electric trap. Its great.
Dont even have to reset it. Its just a button.
Empty it out and put it back down.

Graces7

76544567 wrote: »

Dont worry. Its probably only a mouse and 10 is an exaggeration. The most Ive ever had is 5 at once. Its usually only 2 or 3.
And if it was a rat you would know. It would be on your bed checking you out while you are trying to sleep. Mice stay in the corners and ubder beds etc and you hardly ever see them.
Mice can walk in the door with you, get in in your bag and get out when in the house, creep in through a letter box, under a door, in a slightly open window. A mouse needs only a second and a gap you could push your pencil through.
If you ever opened the door or a window thats when they could have got in.

If they get in when they are about to give birth there will be little mice growing up over the next few months and breeding too.
So go to Woodies, buy some traps and put them down. What could be easier.

I had a mouse run across my pillow.... The dog got it. But yes traps. And keep all food covered and safe. Any food around will attract mice.

Pawwed Rig

Chocolate works a treat for the buggers. I cleared out 10 from the last rental house I was in and another 9 from a house I recently bought. Never crossed my mind to contact a landlord about it. It is a simple job to get rid of them.

They will appear periodically ime and is one of the domestic duties you have as an adult imo.

Would you call the landlord for a spider in the bath??

AnneFrank

mice always run around the edges aswell so that's where to leave the trap,
another good tip is to find where the little buggers are getting in, then block it off.
The plugs are great too. There's no way you're getting out of a lease unless there's millions of them

Bandana boy

keith89 wrote: »

thanks for the replies so quickly.
this rat (mouse) I assume was in the apartment before me since I heard it during the first couple of days. surely the fact it was here before me is reason enough to demand a deposit back?

Is the only reason you want to back out of the lease "the mouse" or have you other reasons and you are hoping to leverage "the mouse" .

Lux23

Mice make a lot of noise. I was convinced there was something much bigger than a rat running around my kitchen last September but turned out just to be a large mouse. My place is plagued by them unfortunately, we were laying traps and catching the odd one but the only thing that worked in the long run was blocking up the holes they made in the walls.

Sleeper12

76544567 wrote:

No its not. But why dont you just call a pest control company and get it sorted. Thats what anyone else does if they have pests in their house. I just get traps in woodies when there are mice in my house. Simple solution for a simple problem. It happens every year. And most homes in the country will have mice at some stage. Some, like mine, every year.

If op has just moved in then maybe the landlord should foot the bill for the pest control company.
On the other hand the landlord might try changing rent for the extra guest.

Teyla Emmagan

I was bitten a while ago at home by a mouse OP.

But don't worry, I'm sure that won't happen to you.

Col_30

If the apartment is in a managed complex, the management company/agent may be responsible for the pest control. Especially if the noise is coming from common areas (ie. the ceiling/walls). I would just report the issue to the landlord and see if they can help. No harm in asking anyway. It may seem trivial to people, but if it is a rat, they can cause untold structural damage and can also cause health issues.

dball

76544567 wrote: »

an electric trap.

tell me more please, when where and any chance of a linky?

El Weirdo

Sleeper12 wrote: »

If op has just moved in then maybe the landlord should foot the bill for the pest control company.
On the other hand the landlord might try changing rent for the extra guest.

There's almost certainly no need for a pest control company. A couple of euro for a few traps and some chocolate biscuits as bait.

dashoonage

If the mouse is there longer than 6 months they have Part 4 and there is nothing you can do...

Michael D Not Higgins

dashoonage wrote: »

If the mouse is there longer than 6 months they have Part 4 and there is nothing you can do...

I admit that's funny, but helpful posts please.

Sleeper12

El Weirdo wrote:

There's almost certainly no need for a pest control company. A couple of euro for a few traps and some chocolate biscuits as bait.

If it's mice then I agree & it most likely mice but if it's a rat personality I'd want to get rid of them ASAP. That's just me though. One of the few things I'm afraid of in life.

76544567

dball wrote: »

tell me more please, when where and any chance of a linky?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=electric+mouse+traps

76544567

Sleeper12 wrote: »

If it's mice then I agree & it most likely mice but if it's a rat personality I'd want to get rid of them ASAP. That's just me though. One of the few things I'm afraid of in life.

Traps catch rats too.
If you are unsure buy the big traps and you can get both with them.

pilly

keith89 wrote: »

thanks for the replies so quickly.
this rat (mouse) I assume was in the apartment before me since I heard it during the first couple of days. surely the fact it was here before me is reason enough to demand a deposit back?

You're not actually serious are you?

SteelyDanJalapeno

Pawwed Rig wrote: »

Chocolate works a treat for the buggers. I cleared out 10 from the last rental house I was in and another 9 from a house I recently bought. Never crossed my mind to contact a landlord about it. It is a simple job to get rid of them.

They will appear periodically ime and is one of the domestic duties you have as an adult imo.

Would you call the landlord for a spider in the bath??

What type of chocolates do they like? will I get wine aswel?

DEFTLEFTHAND

I'd say it's mice OP not a rat. We had them recently, it was just like you described, noisy scratching, and rustling at night.

Between traps and cats, the situation got resolved.

Neon_Lights

I remember my jack russell found a rat once, and chased it out the front garden, my dad happened to be out the front with a shovel gardening came out where the shovel became a Hurley and the rat was a sliotar, it was one of the most amazing but gruesome things I've seen, the rat hurtling towards its death

76544567

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

I'd say it's mice OP not a rat. We had them recently, it was just like you described, noisy scratching, and rustling at night.

Between traps and cats, the situation got resolved.

Id say a trap. Cats are great but not in apartments.

Sometimes you need a priest though.
Ever see The Excorcist?
That all started with what they thought was rats in the attic.

mravaya

I got a friendly stray tom cat hanging around my house if you want it

JamboMac

Nutella is best on traps unlike solid stuff they can't manage to get the stuff without setting the trap off.

Fighting Tao

Is this what the world has come to? Get some traps, set them and deal with the problem. I'd never consider contacting a landlord over something so trivial.

If you haven't actually seen an evidence of them then they may not have access to your apartment and you and your landlord may not have access to the attic space. The landlord may not be responsible for an attic area and it may be the management company (if there is one).

Calhoun

For people not used to it you never know what it could be as they can be quite loud when in the wall especially late at night when your lying in bed.

I got some rentokil resumable traps and some Nutella killed about 3 in an hour in the autmn.

I am curious about the electric trap though will have to look into that.

gallifreya

https://www.kildarenow.com/news/owner-of-naas-apartment-ordered-to-pay-e1628-to-tenants-over-alleged-rat-problem/115682

Well if it does turn out to actually be a rat and he's brought his buddies - you may find the RTB are with you all the way. Jackie Lavin was fined and had to pay compo to tenants in a case last year.

Samuel T. Cogley

You're never more than about 8ft from a rat. I hope that helps. :pac:

FWIW I wouldn't expect my tenants to have to go rat/mouse catching but neither would it be grounds for terminating the lease.

Where you place the traps is very important.. Look in the dust where you think they might be, and if you notice a track, especially around the edges, thats where to put the trap.

slavetothegrind

If it is a rat place the trap on a suspected run but put it in the middle of a length of drain pipe or similar, i found that worked.

Not sure if it's because the rodent feels safer in the tube or because it forces him over the trap thus setting it off regardless

I'd lend you my jack russell but he's not friendly to others although an excellent ratter.....

Elemonator

I know its not the time of year but seeing as we've had a warm winter, have you considered wasps? We have an attic that built as part of the house as a bedroom but we've got storage spaces in the walls. Wasps built a nest in the layering between the slate and the insulation. Heard scratching at night and assumed it was a mouse.

Elemonator

Elemonator wrote: »

I know its not the time of year but seeing as we've had a warm winter, have you considered wasps? We have an attic that built as part of the house as a bedroom but we've got storage spaces in the walls. Wasps built a nest in the layering between the slate and the insulation. Heard scratching at night and assumed it was a mouse.

It could have been a mouse trying to raid the wasps nest. They certainly do this with bees during the winter....

evolving_doors

Fine white pepper: when they sniff it they sneeze and bash their heads off the ground. Dead.

Paulw

Mod Post: I think the OP has enough advice and it's clear that they just can't end the lease and get their deposit back for this.

Thread closed.