Rats in rental property!

[adore.clothing]

Hi everyone

I have a question I'd like to ask, to get an opinion on whether I'm just overeacting or if I have a valid reason to break my lease.

I've been in my current rental property for 2 years.  Since I moved in there have been problems with rodents in the roof.  The property manager has sent pest controllers around regularly who have been putting bait boxes around the property but no one has ever looked for entry points or done anything to help stop the rats from getting into the roof.

Today I woke up to find the kitchen literally crawling with maggots.  Seriously, hundreds of the things on the floor and the kitchen bench.  I managed to clean it up whilst running to the bathroom to vomit several times.  Then I called the property manager and she arranged for the pest man to come and remove the dead rodent from the roof space and spray the maggots up in the roof.  The bugs are still falling from the gaps around the edges of the ceiling but not nearly as many as I found this morning.

The kitchen is now empty, I've pulled everything out and once I'm sure no more maggots will fall out of the ceiling then I can finish disinfecting every surface.  Every time I go in there I want to vomit as I find another maggot fallen out of the ceiling.

The problem with the rats will just keep happening, so I'm pondering breaking my lease early to just get out of this house.  My lease expires in 3 months time.  I have a break fee clause in my lease and I would be more than happy to pay it, but I just don't know if I'm overeacting and should just get over it.   I'm also concerned that the rats may have chewed the wiring in the ceiling, I asked about this but no one seems too bothered by it.  I'm very anxious and am considering paying an electrician myself to come and check.  I've read that many unexplained house fires were likely caused by animals chewing wiring in the roof.  This scares me.

Do you think this is a valid reason to break the lease early?  (Yes you can tell me to get over it if you think I should!!)  What would you do in my situation?

[adore.clothing]

It was an experience I wouldn't wish on anyone that's for sure.    The worst seems to be over, kitchen has been disinfected to within and inch of it's life but I couldn't bring myself to cook in it tonight so went and got take out!

Hope my next home is rodent free

[serendipityricho]

When searching for a new property to rent-you may need a reference

from the owners of the place you are renting now-just saying........Richo.

Must have been a nightmare for you.

[*mrgrizz*]

how do you no the next house won't have rodents?

they are pretty common

it is not a sign of dirtiness

[**meep**]

oops! sorry, hadn't realised you had already spoken to Fair Trading.

removed all the info you no longer needed.

[i-need-a-martini]

I agree with MrGrizz that rats in your roof could be something you come across in any house.

We often had rats in the roof when we lived on the beach. And these days we will occasionally get a family of them in our current house because we have a couple of neighbours with chickens. I just thought it was something you learned to live with in Sydney. A bit like cockroaches.

And it sounds like your landlord has done everything possible (hence the dead rat up there). There is no way of 'sealing' the roof against them - they can get through the tightest squeezes.

I suggest that if there is a dead one then whatever your landlord is doing is working. But they will most likely be back. Just throw some rat sacks packs up there next time you hear some scurrying.