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General => General discussion => Topic started by: Shady Pioneer on 02 December 2011, 17:26
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So I recently moved into a new flatshare and at no point was I told there had been mice here, and low and behold mice have been found in my room. In the cupboard, and above in the ceiling. (I'm in a loft converted room).
Basically, told the landlord yesterday and he had pretty much all day to sort it out but said he wouldn't do anything until tomorrow (today), which seeing as we told him the nice were in the bloody cupboard he should of jumped to help.
Is this unfair and where do I stand with this whole situation? I wouldn't of mind if I'd been told nice had been here before but I wasn't told, only when more mice had been found by me was I told.
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Did he tell you there WASN'T mice though? :tongue:
Cant you put your own traps down you pussy?
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To be fair it's only been a day....I've got damp in my flat! I complained to my landlord 4 weeks ago and nothing has been done! :angry:
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I don't want to deal with it. Dirty lil buggers they are.
I guess it's something I'll have to deal with, but now I don't want to be putting things in the cupboards.
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I would say 24hrs is more than reasonable for him to get to you and try to resolve the problem, as a landlord myself, it would be nearly impossible to get to every problem I get called with, within the day. I would have possibly disclosed the mice situation before hand, but if the problem wasn't there when you moved in, then he didn't have to say anything at all. As long as the problem is resolved quickly and efficiently, then there's no grounds for you to take things further, sorry :angry:
Dom on the other hand!!! 4 weeks :shocked: :shocked: Tell him you will be seeking legal advice if the problem isn't, at least, starting to get sorted, like yesterday!!!
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I know its annoying n that, but the landlord probably has a job and a life which means he cant just drop everything at once. If its not looked at by the end of weekend I'd be annoyed!
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Thanks for the input Ben. I see the point and understand, although it would of been nice to know, especially seeing as when I moved in there were traps placed in the far corners of the cupboards.
So if these traps he's set doesn't sort it out, what do I do next?
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Have you tried naming the Mice, the problem will then seem not quite so serious :nerd:
Thom
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I think a fortnight is more than ample for the problem to be fully resolved, one or two mice in the traps, no more mice turning up :cool:
Any longer than that, and mice still turning up mutilated in the traps, then its more than just a mouse or 2 finding their way into your flat, and it would be time to tell your landlord to get pest control in.
Make sure you check the traps daily too :wink:
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Ohh I like questions like this. :lipsrsealed:
As above, give the Landlord a bit of time to respond. If has done nothing/informed you of planned action, within a week, tell him you are going to contact the council Environmental Health department.
That should put the fear of God into him/her.
They have powers to make the landlord comply with the law. They also might be able to get out of your contract, should you want to.
Or, buy a cat. :kiss:
To save my fingers, here is a transcript of an appropriate answer.
As a tenant you have the right to have your accommodation kept in a reasonable state of repair. You also have an obligation to look after the accommodation. The tenancy agreement may give details of both your landlord’s and your responsibilities in carrying out repairs and you should check this.
I would initially suggest that you speak to your Landlord and alert him to the difficulties if you have not already done this.
Local authorities (District Councils and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in Northern Ireland) have a duty to take action against private landlords, housing association landlords, or, in England and Wales, registered social landlords (including housing associations) if:-
the condition of the property affects the health of the occupier, for example, if it is damp, infested with insects or has a leaking roof; or
the property causes a ‘nuisance’ to people living nearby, for example, if damp is coming into a person’s property from next door, or if rotten windows may fall into the street and injure others.
This duty covers disrepair in common parts of blocks of flats, such as unhygienic rubbish chutes and noisy central heating.
If you think that the condition of the property is either affecting health or causing a nuisance, you should complain to the Environmental Health Department of the local authority (District Council in Northern Ireland). They must investigate and, if appropriate, give your landlord a notice instructing them to carry out the necessary repairs.
If your landlord does not comply with the notice, they could be prosecuted and the local authority (District Council in Northern Ireland) can carry out the repair work itself.
These authorities also have a duty to take action against a private landlord, housing association landlord or, in England and Wales, a registered social landlord (including a housing association) if they consider that housing conditions are not acceptable for people to live in.
The environmental health department of the local authority should order your landlord to sort the problem with the mice infestation. If they are not helping then you should consider making a complaint to one of your local councillors who can put pressure on the council for you.
It is also advisable to put a repair request down in writing. You should keep copies of letters to your landlord.
The other option is to go to the CAB and get them to write (for free) a letter to both the council and your landlord.
Jonathan.
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really you should just call the councils environmental services, cos thats who he'll prob ring anyway.
be thinking about why the mice are there, you live near fields?
had it myself with rats, turns out previous owner had bodged the drains and just used soil to fill gaps, obviously a rat from the sewer took 2 secs to burrow through and voila, under my floorboards!!!
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Have you tried naming the Mice, the problem will then seem not quite so serious :nerd:
Thom
I told my gf that exact same thing last weekend when one scuttled along the living room floor from the kitchen then back again a min later. He is now a Geoff.
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And your now single? Or you got b!tch slapped :lipsrsealed:
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And your now single? Or you got b!tch slapped :lipsrsealed:
No, she isn't bothered by them. Her cousin on the other hand was sh!tting herself.
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The landlord probably didn't know about the mice, he doesn't live there, so wouldn't have been around to see them. Only if he'd seen evidence (droppings and bits they've chewed) will he know, unless the previous tenant knew and told him.
We've had mice twice now.
2yrs ago we had a whole mouse family, put traps down (caught at least 10 mice), tried the sonic deterrent (they don't work, don't waste your money), filled in all the gaps where they could get in. Nothing worked.
Called our landlord, they called in a pest control company, who came within a couple of days, put down proper industrial poison and that killed them all humanely.
The other thing about this poison was that once the mouse picks it up, they carry it back to the nest and pass it on to the other mice, it also mumifies the mouse corpse so that it doesn't decompose and smell bad.
After that had no more mice until a month or two ago, when the weather started getting colder. Only seen one and heard scratching. Thanks to our previous filling of gaps, they're not getting to our food (they will chew food packets) but they're still in the house which is annoying.
Told the landlord again and this time we're having the council's pest control people come round, but because it's council we're having to wait for someone to come round.
My advice is make sure you don't leave any food or even bits of food about or on the floor (clean up after cooking and eating). This is what they come in for really, if there is no food, then their main reason for being there will go.
Put down traps, either the traditional snap shut trap (although this means you have a body to deal with) or the humane traps that will trap a live mouse (you then have to take them far away to set them free). Bait with peanut butter or chocolate spread. Don't bother with cheese it just smells bad.
Give your landlord a chance to sort it out, if they won't spring for a pest control company, either contact the council or offer to go halves on an exterminator.
Remind them it's in their interest because if they breed it will cause bigger problems; mice chew anything, cables, wood, plastic pipes, causing havoc to a house.
Good luck.
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I don't want to deal with it. Dirty lil buggers they are.
I guess it's something I'll have to deal with, but now I don't want to be putting things in the cupboards.
Alright pal,
I used to live in a house near a farm and we got a bloody mice infestation. Went to open the dish washer and a little fcker was in my cup looking at me! Also, in the cupboards so I know how horrid it is.
Personally, we tried the humane approach by setting traps that caught but not killed the mice. They basically entered the trap, took the food and exited the trap.
Minging as it is, I'd be straight onto the landlord - it's health and safety at the end of the day and surely he has a responsibility seeing as it's his property.