Who is responsible for mice damage? (apartment complex, renters, insurance)

[inocabvi]

Renters insurance does not cover rodent infestation. I found mice in my (brand new) apartment, maintenace came down, set traps, found a hole behind the stove, repaired it and after 4 days 2 mice were caught and they said I shouldn't see any more (I've never experienced this problem before). Two months later I came upon "mickey" roaming around in my clothes hamper. Maintenace came down, laid down traps, caught Mickey, found more holes in the walls (I was told the mice made that hole also) but before patching them up I asked for pest control to treat the area around the holes first. When I got home, I investigated the holes and the only way a rodent could have made that hole is if he could use an electric sawsall. I took pictures and went on a search for more holes, which I found and pointed out to them after I took more pictures. There is also damage done to my couch (which was very expensive and I bought less than 3 years ago). I brought this up to property management and they told me that my renters insurance takes care of things like this. This past weekend I found evidence of mice again and now I'm concerned that my couch is infested with mice. I called my insurance company and they told me that no insurance company covers rodent damage. Do I have any recourse with the management company since it was their fault (building construction was the reason for the holes, they were not made by the mice).

[Babytarheelz]

This is a tricky one. Read your lease. Somewhere in there it may state that the landlord isn't responsible for damages to personal property. It's like if there's a fire or leak, they'll pay for the repair of the building, but not your belongings. That is what renter's insurance is for. If they were being negligent and not repairing the holes or responding when you ask, then you could go after them, but unfortunately, there's probably not much you can do now. You can certainly try though. Write them a letter requesting they pay for the damages because of the construction error. Send a copy to the corporate office. Follow up every week or so. Be nice, but be persistent. If they want to keep a good tenant, out of goodwill, they may offer you something. Just keep in mind they don't *have* to. Good luck!

[senalj]

You should consult with an attorney. I had a mouse get into one of the apartments I was renting (no fault of the landlord, a builder cut down a lot of trees behind the unit and the mouse fled for shelter) and the landlord didn't respond after I contacted him. I wound up having to lay the traps myself and dispose of the mouse myself (yuk!), but the mouse had already eaten into my couch (fortunately it was only one mouse). The landlord said he wasn't responsible, so I consulted an attorney who drafted a letter telling the landlord that since he didn't catch or dispose of the mouse in a timely manner, he was totally responsible for replacing my couch. I was able to get enough money to buy a new couch, so I was happy. Figure out what you want, then see if you can get that under the laws. You may have a stronger case than me, since the construction is what caused the holes and you have pictures. It can't hurt!

[saturnfan]

Obviously rotten construction. Typical in new homes and apartments.

If you don't want to stay there (and why would you), try the lawyer letter technique mentioned above. Maintenance needed to do a full inspection after sealing the first hole to see if other pipes and ducts showed similar bad workmanship.

Get a value determined for the damage and ask for reimbursement.

One note. If they pay, be sure to do a move out inspection with a landlord rep to be sure they don't try to recover what they paid you with phony damage.

Might consider adopting a kitty. Ours even kill crickets who come in our flat.

[Big M]

The mice are.

[rnc2mbfl]

Originally Posted by Big M

The mice are.

You beat me to it!!! Reps for you and your humor!!!!!

[GucciLittlePiggie]

I was hoping someone would mention that...

[Starglow]

Small claims court is always an option. If it were me, I'd use the continued mice infestation as valid grounds to break the lease based on potential personal health concerns and just forget about the couch and move to a better apartment complex.

[fairyswearboots2]

I would get a new Pet ! There are so many cats that need a new home and they don't eat much
but they are hunters and will fix the problem really fast before the infestation gets worse.
I have 2 cats that used to be indoor cats but when they got a taste of outside they never wanted to come back in so they stay on my porch - I do on occasion find whats left of a bird or mouse on my front porch (yuck !) - they bring me presents. Like I said they are Natural Hunters and when the word spreads about a new addition your mice will scatter and hopefully dissapear for good.

[timandrew614]

Everybody thinks this is funny and refers to them as "Mickey". It's not funny when you move an infested mattress outside and lay some cardboard on a box spring and sleep on that in pain.It's even less funny when THAT is no longer a solution as they start tormenting you THERE.Your only choice is to sleep on the bathroom floor in a fetal position.You people have a warped sense of humor, laughing at others misery.You probably all think of the movie "The Elephant Man" as a Comedy.