Thinking about moving to Back Bay or Beacon Hill but terrified of rats (Boston: apartments, rent)

[Kimmy61]

I know there will be the occasional rat sighting at night in the streets of Boston, but is it true that a lot of the apartments have rodent problems inside? I have been told it is to be expected living in the city but I can't imagine people would pay such high rents to live in an apartment with rodents or roaches? Anybody have any experiences to share?

[Dm84]

I think mice inside are more likely than rats. If you have a competent landlord they will have your building exterminated on a regular basis to prevent this from being an issue.

[flowbe202]

Sigh and big ol' eyeroll....

Don't move to the city, OP. Just don't. Unless you're in the 1% and living at Millennium Towers, you will be back here ******!n and moaning about the rats. I, personally, do not want to hear it.

Rats are EVERYWHERE in "Boston" - in the Common, in the streets, in the trash. Yes, they are even in buildings eating the concrete underpinnings.

No, we don't have roaches. That's NY. Yes, we do have bed bugs.

[brother_rebus]

mice for days.
rats if you rent from a slumlord or have terrible home hygiene.
These are old buildings.
Just be an adult and purchase a few packs of d-con. You'll be fine.

[gf2020]

What makes you think there aren't mice or other rodents where you live now?

[pennyone]

Originally Posted by Kimmy61

I know there will be the occasional rat sighting at night in the streets of Boston, but is it true that a lot of the apartments have rodent problems inside? I have been told it is to be expected living in the city but I can't imagine people would pay such high rents to live in an apartment with rodents or roaches? Anybody have any experiences to share?

Then don't pay such high rent....no one is forcing you to live in Boston.

[such sweet thunder]

**** Mickey Mouse.

[Kimmy61]

Penny one, I WANT to live in Boston and have full intentions of moving back to Boston. I lived the majority of my life there but I don't want to move back to my old neighborhood. I want to move downtown. Not sure why I'm even explaining this to you. I guess it's just because I am amazed that people have such nasty attitudes, that I felt need to explain. Gf2020 a question shouldn't be answered with a question. I asked a simple question. Flowbe202, yes we do have roaches in Boston unfortunately. I stayed with a friend in back bay many years ago. She had roaches. Thank you DM84 for answering my question. For those of you who somehow took offense to this question, I apologize. It was not my intent to insult. Boston is the most beautiful city in the world. I can't wait to move back! I am a true Bostonian. I still have a wicked pissa accent��

[flowbe202]

Dont think anyone took offense, just asking why people would pay high rents and have pest issues (along with old rickety buildings, crumbling infrastructure, absurdly small apartments, etc.) is bizarrely naive.

If you're from Boston as you say, then you know we have rats and mice. Rats are everywhere. They're in the Arboretum in JP, they're in Dorchester, they're in the south end and in South Boston, they're in Back Bay. They nestle and run amongst themselves in the Fens. Cities have pest problems. We have a big one due to the surrounding water (walk along the Esplanade at night) and food sources (hello, Newbury St restaurants!) It's a fact.

They're going into the trash bins of the cCommon, they go into the sewer system. There's literally hundreds of holes on each and every garden bed or alleyway throughout Back Bay and Beacon Hill. Rats chew through concrete and burrow new homes right next to you.

You can hope not to have a bad infestation, but i can guarantee you will have mice and rats somewhere in or under or abutting the building. Pest control is a constant struggle and not all LL and tenants and homeowners practice good pest management. New construction disrupts nests and burrows causing more migration issues annually.

So, it's only occassional if you don't know what you're looking at. For those of us who do, we see signs of them daily.

[MrsRosencranz]

Boston = rats.

All old cities have them in droves.

I used to work down at Fort Point Channel years ago and there are some serious wharf rats down there.

My favorite Boston rat story is from the Big Dig. When they started digging up down by the waterfront they found what was left of the Giant Molasses Flood of 1919. A huge, very huge storage vat of molasses broke open and killed a bunch of people and horses and ended up seeping into the streets and manholes and cracks before they could clean it all up. They found it during the Big Dig, all solidified with hundreds of holes and tunnels running through it where the rats has a smorgasbord of sweetness for the past 90 years.