RatOrNoRat
New Member
- Jurisdiction
- California
Tenant has been in the unit 7+ years, and moved in with their (SOLE) lovebird.
The unit began to have rat / mice infestation issues in 2018/2019. Two of the three neighbors in the building have 2 cats each, and are purportedly telling the LL that they have no pest control issues.
A few days ago, tenant noticed carpets in the unit ripped up to the sub-floor. This happened near the walk-in closet where her lovebird resides at ground level. She immediately advised property manager who sent the maintenance man out to "have a look". Tenant also set out traps that caught 4 rats the same night, 3 in the kitchen, and one in the walk-in closet. She took photos of the carpet damage and emailed them to the LL's property manager onsite.
The maintenance guy then came out to "take a look". Two hours after he left, she got an email from the manager stating the maintenance man found the unit "full of bird poop and bird seed all over" which is allegedly attracting rats and causing the infestation. They are now requiring the tenant to clean up the unit of the alleged "ubiquitous bird poop and bird seed" so that the "infestation" can be eliminated. Tenant's home is clean (she has an autistic child who has PICA and gets into things, so it's a hazard to leave anything lying around), so she is contesting these allegations which she suspects is because they may want her to pay for the carpets.
What are her options? Can a single lovebird's existence and feeding in a walk-in closet cause this level of infestation after 7 years of residence in the same unit? She does not use a bird feeder, the bird stays in the walk-in closet and is fed there exclusively. The bird is let out at night in the living room for an hour after the child is asleep. So these allegations that the entire unit is filthy and "full of bird poop and bird seed" are untrue.
How can she further protect herself and get the LL to get rid of these pests?
She has photos of the carpet damage done so far, and
Thanks for any advice you may have for me.
0 Comments
The unit began to have rat / mice infestation issues in 2018/2019. Two of the three neighbors in the building have 2 cats each, and are purportedly telling the LL that they have no pest control issues.
A few days ago, tenant noticed carpets in the unit ripped up to the sub-floor. This happened near the walk-in closet where her lovebird resides at ground level. She immediately advised property manager who sent the maintenance man out to "have a look". Tenant also set out traps that caught 4 rats the same night, 3 in the kitchen, and one in the walk-in closet. She took photos of the carpet damage and emailed them to the LL's property manager onsite.
The maintenance guy then came out to "take a look". Two hours after he left, she got an email from the manager stating the maintenance man found the unit "full of bird poop and bird seed all over" which is allegedly attracting rats and causing the infestation. They are now requiring the tenant to clean up the unit of the alleged "ubiquitous bird poop and bird seed" so that the "infestation" can be eliminated. Tenant's home is clean (she has an autistic child who has PICA and gets into things, so it's a hazard to leave anything lying around), so she is contesting these allegations which she suspects is because they may want her to pay for the carpets.
What are her options? Can a single lovebird's existence and feeding in a walk-in closet cause this level of infestation after 7 years of residence in the same unit? She does not use a bird feeder, the bird stays in the walk-in closet and is fed there exclusively. The bird is let out at night in the living room for an hour after the child is asleep. So these allegations that the entire unit is filthy and "full of bird poop and bird seed" are untrue.
How can she further protect herself and get the LL to get rid of these pests?
She has photos of the carpet damage done so far, and
Thanks for any advice you may have for me.
0 Comments