Pest Problem - Rats!

emzippy

Mods feel free to move if there's a more appropriate forum.

Hi All,

I live in Galway city in an apartment and we've had a continuous problem with rats in our attic. It's been going on for over a year and our landlord sent out 'pest control' but all he has done is put down poison and traps. The pest control guy said that there are too many places that the rats can enter from so there's nothing else he can do.

Does anyone know of any really good pest control service in Galway (or Ireland) that could provide us with a better service?

Thanks!

snubbleste

An apartment with an attic?
Are you on the ground floor?

Solution:

joeKel73

I think your answer might be on daft.ie! Have had rats in a rented apartment before and it's not worth the hassle. At the lease insist on a reduction of rent as it gets sorted.

Gambas

Killing rats won't solve the problem. What the pest control guy is saying is true, there is an unlimited supply of rats, so even if you kill some, and not address the reason there are rats there in the first place, you are going to get more. I'm guessing there is no food up there, but there is nice cosy shelter for them. As the man says, if the landlord isn't prepared/able to seal up all access for them to get in, there is nothing a pest control can do.

bodhrandude

This might at least keep them away from your apartment, I have used these before, electronic pest repellers that you plug into your socket. It takes a few weeks for it to kick in proper, but it does work.
http://www.msglobaldirect.com/html/electronic_pest_control.html

joeKel73

^ We tried one of those before in that apartment - did nothing. They were in a cavity in the ceiling, tried putting one of those on the end of an extension lead directly under where they were and switched on... nothing.

Fey!

We got Rentakil in recently, and they sorted us out. It was €302. He told us that the problem was the roadworks on Seamus Quirke Road had displaced the rats, and they were inundated with calls from the area. They came 3 times over a 2 month period, and at the third visit the poisin they laid hadn't been touched.

The Rentakil guy told us that the poisin they use is supposed to drive the rats away before they die so that there are no corpses left in the treated area. This appears to be true (we had to get the insulation re-laid, and the only thing there was droppings). In all it looks like we had about a dozen big rats living in the wall and attic; thankfully they're all gone now.

The poisin he used was also dog friendly; I was a bit paranoid about this as we have a dog and a young baby, which is why I didn't take the job on myself.

In our case the rats came up through the walls of the house, which was driving our dog nuts. We had had the walls pumped with insulation which was supposed to be a rodent repellent, but the rats just ate through it. The same company had also insulated our attic, and that insulation was also supposed to repel rodents, but the rats just made themselves a cosy home in it!!

ScumLord

You could train the rats to preform tricks and open a rat circus.

tenacious-me

Had the same problem, walls, attic under the floors etc.

Rentakill came today, guy was dead on. He found where they're getting in and is returning soon to seal it up and lay poison etc.

Then they'll come and check on it in a few days, sorted hopefully

ScumLord

The problem with rats is nothing can really stop them. They can even chew through steel.

emzippy

Thanks for all the replies.

I was wondering about rentokil, I've heard mixed reviews about them before but they sound good from what you're all saying. Might give them a call. Would I have to pay the bill or would the landlord have to authorise it if I wanted them to pay for it?

I wish I could get a cat but no, we live on the top floor of an apartment block.

Would it be worth asking for a rent reduction if they can't solve it? I do love my apartment, it's an amazing place and the rent is already quite cheap.

It's just so frustrating!

Mrs OBumble

Your landlord should be solving this, not you.

What did s/he say when you spoke about the problem before?

Iwannahurl

Are you sure they're rats?

Unfortunately, it looks as if the responsibility for pest control lies with the occupier, which seems unfair to me, especially in an apartment block.

See Pests & Vermin section on this Threshold webpage: http://www.threshold.ie/advice/tenancy-issues/repairs-minimum-standards-and-building-energy-rati/

Mrs OBumble

Ahh, from that link:

Your landlord has an obligation to provide storage facilities for waste and to ensure that your property is in good structural condition, ensuring that all external walls do not contain holes or cracks that would allow vermin to enter the property

If there are so many holes that they cannot be sealed .. then as someone said, daft.ie is the only solution.

ilovesleep

Have you considered getting some pet mice from a pet shop and letting them loose in your attic because the two - rats and mice can't live together and the mice might scare the rats away.

How about getting a cat or a kitten perhaps? The scent of cat scares rodents away.

How about getting a pet snake from a pet shop. A nice big snake. A nice big hungry snake. And let him loose in your attic to look for his own food ie the rats.

tenacious-me

We contacted our letting agency about it and they are the ones who arranged for Rentakill to come, they're coming to the house later to do the first treatment.

When Rentakill have finished their part of things the letting agency is arranging to have the area they're getting in sealed up which seems in line with the threshold part mentioned above.

Our letting agency is footing the bill for this one but not sure if they are obliged to from what is said above, surely it's worth a try though; it's as much in their interest as yours if vermin are getting into the walls and chewing wires or insulation etc.

joeKel73

It was rentakill that sorted it for us. Placed poised and cemented up a small gap around the sink outflow pipe. A few days later we heard scratching in the ceiling again... checked around the sink outflow again and the rats had eaten through the cement! Reapplied with a mix of cement and broken glass.

Choke Dee

Try "<snip>" I had same problem they put down some kind of tracking dust and blocked the entry point as well as catching numerous rats Then he put bait points outside No problem since and he came back two more times as promised to check attic and bait points