Yes, you can sell a house with rat infestation. Rats and mice are commonly found when food isn’t disposed of properly or it could be that your neighbour has a bird feeder that’s attracting them.
Rats and mice are very commonly found in older properties. They can set up a rat’s nest under the floorboards and reproduce many times throughout the year. Once their population grows, they can eat through wood, pipes, and wires. Their droppings can be fatal, with exposure resulting in Weil’s disease.
With domesticated mice fattening up, this can leave you wondering whether you can sell a house with rodents.
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Do you have to declare rats when selling a house?
Pests are something that a seller must disclose, especially if there is an ongoing rat problem, for example. If the seller hasn’t been honest and has not disclosed a serious pest issue, there could be legal consequences. The buyer could sue the seller. So, whether you’ve bought or are selling – honesty is key.
Is it safe to live in a house with rats?
No. It is unsafe to live in a house with rodents. They carry diseases that can be harmful to residents. In addition, mice can damage floor boards making it unsafe to walk and if they eat through electric cables, it can result in shock or death.
What do you do if your house is infested with rats?
Call a pest control company, however, if you are hearing horrible scratching noise from under the floorboards or from cavity walls then you have a severe rat infestation.
If poison is used, they die but you are left with a stink that you won’t be able to get rid of. If the previous owner did nothing about rats or you have a neighbour who doesn’t dispose of waste food properly, it may be very difficult to get rid of rodents as effectively you will have to catch them.
What do you do with a rat infested house?
Professional fees for getting rid of a severe rat infestation can run into tens of thousands of pounds. The smell of rat nests and their dead bodies can cling to walls and floorboards which usually require floorboards to be lifted, dead bodies removed safely and replaced with new floorboards.
The walls may need scrubbing, a skim of fresh plaster to mask the smell and painted over again.
After rodents have been eliminated, a structural survey is recommended to check if joists have been affected, and this can be a very expensive repair. Electric cables may be gnawed, exposed and therefore a total rewire becomes necessary.
If a surveyor discovers evidence of rat or mice infestation, the buyer can typically demand a 20% reduction in the asking price. For an average property in the UK, this reduction amounts to £20,000 or more.
A valuer who identifies evidence of rat and mice infestation may recommend that a lender require a specialist report as a mortgage condition. The loan can be subject to a retention until eradication work is completed and verified.
What do you do if your house is infested with rats?
Here at Property Saviour, we love a challenge. We will buy your rodent-infested house for cash.
Sell with certainty & speed
Property Saviour Price Promise
- The price we’ll offer is the price that you will receive with no hidden deductions.
- Be careful with ‘cash buyers’ who require a valuation needed for a mortgage or bridging loan.
- These valuations or surveys result in delays and price reductions later on.
- We are cash buyers. There are no surveys.
- We always provide proof of funds with every formal offer issued.
We'll Pay £1,500 Towards Your Legal Fees
- No long exclusivity agreement to sign because we are the buyers.
- You are welcome to use your own solicitor.
- If you don’t have one, we can ask our solicitors for recommendations.
- We share our solicitor’s details and issue a Memorandum of Sale.
Sell With Certainty & Speed
- Our approach is transparent and ethical, which is why sellers trust us.
- 100% Discretion guaranteed.
- If you have another buyer, you can put us in a contracts race to see who completes first.
- Complete in 10 days or at a timescale that works for you. You are in control.
