Submitted by angryslushee t3_10k2bkt in boston

Came back from out of town yesterday and woke up this morning to the sounds of a half dozen critters scratching and gnawing at the drywall in my ceiling. Noticing some grease stains, too.

In the past, our landlord has refused to address this issue as we haven’t yet seen anything in the unit. Can they keep refusing?

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hour_of_the_rat t1_j5o7kun wrote

You didn't see the rat that just went by?

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fuzzypickles34 t1_j5ocwtg wrote

I saw it! It was huge, landlord better fix it right away!

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GM_Pax t1_j5ogofj wrote

Call the Board of Health, they can issue an order for the landlord to address the infestation - and there's big enough fines attached to noncompliance, that the landlord might just be prompted to take action.

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ddepalma57 t1_j5ofao5 wrote

might be squirrels. none the less any rodent can chew wires and cause tons of damage. Your landlord is and idiot for ignoring this issue.

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powdernuts t1_j5okjdk wrote

Is it in the attic? Good chance they are squirrels not rats. Squirrels are on a similar schedule as humans so you’ll hear them early in the morning and evening. Go outside and look for holes in the soffit. It’s a common place for them to get in. You can have one way doors installed so they can get out but not back in.

Our apartment we moved into last August was infested with them for years. Last tenant just didn’t care I guess. Did a ton of damage. Pissed and shit all over the insulation which had to be replaced chewed wires and 2x4s. Their teeth constantly grow so they have to chew on things to keep them the right length.

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Complex_Ad775 t1_j5onuyl wrote

In that case… just the let it be since the owner does not care. Quiet rotting. Lol

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powdernuts t1_j5paafu wrote

Not only is it a fire hazard but the whole house will start to sink on a hot august day with all that piss and shit soaked insulation.

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bostonguy2004 t1_j5ojnm8 wrote

Yeah, no need to go to Board of Health yet.

Just remind your Landlord that these rodents are chewing through wiring which starts fires and your apartment has a good chance of burning down.

If you watch local Boston news, you'll see these types of electrical fires a few times a month in Roxbury, Mattapan, etc.

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Complex_Ad775 t1_j5oo84l wrote

Just buy renter insurance… you will be fine. I think coverage max out at 25k.

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irishgypsy1960 t1_j5p0wed wrote

If you have urine stains I’m surprised you don’t smell it. I had mice in the attic and slumlord wouldn’t do anything. Eventually the smell was so bad I started to cry every time I came home. I stuffed cotton saturated w essential oil in my nose. I got worse ptsd. After almost a year he replaced the insulation. Wat a fucken bastard.

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Illustrious-Nose3100 t1_j5on3po wrote

Can you just tell him you’ve seen them in your unit.. you’re going to sooner or later. Make sure all your food is sealed so they don’t have a reason to come into your living space. Mice suck. I’d get some traps and place them around the apartment.

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ThisOneForMee t1_j5phqip wrote

Call ISD everyday until you get an inspector out there. And tell your landlord that you're doing this

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