Help! Rats in my suspended ceiling, knawed insulation

[oscarthecat91]

Hi there,

I live in a rented flat, and there is an office style suspended ceiling in both rooms, covering up the concrete flooring of the flat above. I today had a workman round from the lettings agency who took one of the ceiling tiles out in the bedroom to inspect a possible leak (there was a damp patch on one of the tiles), and when he took the tile down, loads of knawed up insulation and rat droppings fell down onto my bedroom floor. He put the tile back and just shrugged it off - apparently there was also rat poison up there!

Anyway, since then, me and my partner have been itching terribly and both have sore throats, noses and lungs from the fibres from the knawed up insulation. Since we moved into the property, we both have been waking up with a stuffy nose every day, which I think may be explained by the presence of knawed up insulation above the dropped ceiling that it not airtight.

Is this harmful to our health? I've pressured the agency to have a look again tomorrow, and hopefully they'll act and clean out the ceiling and put up new insulation. If not, would it be enforceable through my local council's environmental health?

Please help!

 

[Alarm]

Rather than post here, write/e-mail the local building control.

 

[oscarthecat91]

I will do that tomorrow if the lettings agency do not act on it! I don't want to go straight to the council as I don't want to damage my relationship with the landlord - aside from the above problem, the flat is perfect for us and it's a great location.

 

[Mickymoody]

I will do that tomorrow if the lettings agency do not act on it! I don't want to go straight to the council as I don't want to damage my relationship with the landlord - aside from the above problem, the flat is perfect for us and it's a great location.

Apart from the Rat infestation, and you not being able to breathe, due to dust/asbestos inhalation? B_ollock your landlord, and get it sorted immediately, the landlord, takes money, thats his priority, he doesn't really care for your health.

 

[cumbriahandyman]

I will do that tomorrow if the lettings agency do not act on it! I don't want to go straight to the council as I don't want to damage my relationship with the landlord - aside from the above problem, the flat is perfect for us and it's a great location.

Yes, do give the landlord/letting agency the opportunity to sort things out first.

Only move to the next stage if they do nothing.

The problem you have should not be that difficult to sort but will be quite messy.

Do any neighbours have rat problems?

 

[opps]

Some local authority environmental health agencies will inspect/deal with the rats for free.

Others will charge.

Ordinarily I would not have expected the chewing of the "rockwool" to be sufficient to cause irritation, other than when tiles are removed- thereby allowing the dust to fall down.

Of greater concern is the risk of the rats chewing through the electrical lighting cables in the cavity and creating a fire risk.

Personally I would want the perimeter tiles removed and then all small voids to be filled with wire wool and then sealed with expanding foam.