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I am renting a townhouse in SW Durham and there are mice within the unit.
I have lived here for 17 months and never been late on my rent. I noticed the first mouse last April.
Since then we have caught four more. I complained to my landlord and he sent a pest company who only placed baits. Now I see droppings near the baits. I am not a cat lover nor am I allowed to have them.
The landlord said he needs to check the HOA bylaws in regards to pest control
I just want to live without rodents. Am I obligated to continue paying the rent whilst vermin run freely?
I am renting a townhouse in SW Durham and there are mice within the unit.
I have lived here for 17 months and never been late on my rent. I noticed the first mouse last April.
Since then we have caught four more. I complained to my landlord and he sent a pest company who only placed baits. Now I see droppings near the baits. I am not a cat lover nor am I allowed to have them.
The landlord said he needs to check the HOA bylaws in regards to pest control
I just want to live without rodents. Am I obligated to continue paying the rent whilst vermin run freely?
Yes you must continue to pay the rent; you are not permitted to withhold rent. You should make sure you notify the landlord in writing, preferably with proof of delivery, of the problem, documenting what you have told him/her and what his/her responses have been.
You can contact the city of Durham and find out who is responsible for enforcing city housing codes relative to vermin. They will come out and inspect and serve as your advocate with the landlord to get the issue resolved.
@carolinadawg2-Thank you for your advice. I have contacted the landlord each time a mouse was spotted.
I do have a paper trail thankfully. The landlord seems sincere in handling the issue yet I don't think he understands the seriousness of the problem. I did send him a picture of the droppings yesterday.
@danielbmartin-Thank you for your kind words I don't mean them any harm I just don't want them in my home.
I always use peanut butter on the trap. They have to work at getting it off. Never had a mouse I couldn't catch. They are creatures of the edges so place trap accordingly and be careful not to get your finger!
Getting a cat to just catch mice is not a good idea. They need human companionship and most would not know what to do so not only will you have unwanted mice but a unwanted cat.
You are always obligated to pay your rent no matter what...bet they are just looking for food/shelter from the cold. Just talk to the LL they don't want their investment to be rodent town either!
I use the flat glue traps that you can fold up into a box. I was putting them under my stove, but I got smart and filled the crack under there with spray foam, then put the mouse traps in the crawlspace. Mouse goes in, gets stuck, throw trap away. No need to add bait. The trap smells good to them. I don't feel responsible for the lives of the mice.
We have a rescue cat (been with us for 4 years now, indoors) who is a great mouse catcher. We have only had them a couple of times, but boy she was right on it.
Our neighbor wanted to have her over... maybe we should rent her out.
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