Tenant Rights Rat Infestation
Are you dealing with mice or rats in your rental unit?
Rats In Your Apartment? We Can Help
No one ever wants pests, such as mice or rats, in their home! These vermin bring dirt and disease, cause allergies, and damage your property. Unfortunately, many California tenants in the Los Angeles area suffer from rodent infestations in their rental units.
If you’re dealing with disturbing noises, droppings left on floors and furniture, and even the sight of a critter skittering along the walls, you aren’t alone. In fact, pest control company Orkin rated Los Angeles the second most rat infested city in the US!
However, if you’re a tenant in Los Angeles facing a rodent infestation, you have options. A lawyer can help make sure your landlord restores your rental home to a safe, comfortable, pest-free environment, and that you get fair compensation for any damages.
Do you have rats or mice in your Los Angeles rental? Speak with us today!
Tell Us About Your Problems
What Are The Signs Of A Rodent Infestation?
Mice and rats, like most wild animals, try to avoid contact with humans – so even if they’re living in your rental home, you may not see them immediately. Rodents like to hide in hard to see places, and prefer to come out at night when it’s harder to see them in the dark. Even if you haven’t personally witnessed a mouse or a rat, you might have an infestation if you notice any of these signs:
Droppings – Mice and rats won’t be kind enough to use the toilet or flush after themselves – they’ll leave their feces all over your rental home. If you suspect that mice or rats may have made themselves at home, look for dark, oblong shaped droppings. These will usually around the edges or corners of a room, where the animals prefer to move and hide. Have you seen mouse or rat droppings in your rental home? Get help today.
Scratching sounds – Though they’d prefer to remain silent and undetected, mice and rats do make telltale noises when they move through walls or across floors. If you hear noises that sound like scratching, squeaking, skittering, or other rodent-like rustlings, you may be hearing pests within your home. But you don’t have to live with the situation – you can make some noise about it yourself, and get help from professionals. Speak with an attorney today.
Visible rodent infestation – Once you’ve seen, or trapped, multiple mice or rats inside your home, enough is enough. Your landlord has a responsibility under California law to eliminate all infestations of vermin inside residential rental property.
Your landlord has a legal requirement to make sure that all rental units are properly maintained. If your apartment is infested with vermin such as mice, rats, or other rodents, contact a tenant attorney at the Brinton Firm today and let us help.
Dealing With Mice or Rats In Your Rental
If you’re suffering from a pest problem in your rental apartment or house, there are steps you can take to protect yourself. Here are the things you can do if mice or rats show up in your home:
Document The Problem – Keep track of what you see, smell, hear, and otherwise notice when it comes to mice and rats in your home. Note down the date that you make these observations, and any measures you take to address the problem. Take photographs or videos if possible. You should also document any communication you have with neighbors, your landlord, and pest control professionals.
Call For a Free Consultation
Alert Your Landlord – In Los Angeles, California, landlords have the legal responsibility to ensure that all their rental units are safe and habitable. This includes keeping them free of pests like mice or rats. Your landlord may need to take action or spend money to address the problem, such as making repairs to the home, replacing damaged appliances, hiring pest control professionals, and cleaning up after the pests.
Call the Health Department. Rodents are a very serious health hazard. They carry a wide variety of diseases that can severely harm human beings, including leptospirosis, salmonella, hantavirus, typhus, and rabies. The Los Angeles Department of Environmental Health will investigate significant rodent infestations in all residential properties, and can order a landlord to perform pest control and repair the property. Once rodents appear in your home, you should call the Health Department immediately.
Speak With A Tenant’s Rights Attorney – If you’re still dealing with mice or rats in your rental home after telling your landlord about it, an experienced landlord-tenant lawyer can help you out. We’ll help you protect your rights as a renter, including your rights to a habitable, pest-free home. Call us today for a FREE consultation about your case.
Call For a Free Consultation
WHAT CALIFORNIA TENANTS SAY ABOUT US
CONTACT US NOW