Resident in south-west France ‘hiding out in bedroom’ from rat infestation

A mother and daughter in south-west France have been forced to seek refuge in the bedroom of their social housing property due to a rat infestation.  

The family must spend all their time in the bedroom, where they also store food, with the mother accusing the housing provider of making the situation worse after they effectively trapped the rodents inside the home after sealing off holes. 

Nadège, 35, and her seven-year-old daughter moved into an ‘HLM’, a social housing property, in Albi (Tarn) around two months ago.

Around five weeks after moving in, she noticed some bread in the kitchen had been gnawed on, she told media outlet La Dépêche du Midi. 

“I thought it was a mouse, but it ended up being a rat,” she said. 

Caretakers of the social housing units had noticed the presence of rodents in some locations, but no other tenant had complained about rats before then, said housing provider Tarn Habitat to the media outlet.

Trapped in bedroom

Following the first incident, Nadège continued to hear the rats squeaking in her property, including at night in the kitchen while she was trying to sleep. 

During one incident she even had to kill a rat with a shovel, she said.

The mother contacted caretakers, the social housing provider, and even the mairie about the issue, but despite several callouts and attempted interventions the problem persisted. 

“They sealed the holes without actually catching the rats... so now they’re trapped inside the home,” she said. 

The situation is now so bad that the mother and her daughter are trapped in the bedroom of the 80m² property, where they are also storing their food to prevent rats getting to it. 

They leave the home to go to school and work, but when inside spend almost all of their time in the bedroom. 

She has criticised the social housing provider for failing to deal with the situation and for not hiring a professional exterminator to clear out the rats.

The housing provider, however, said it laid a trapping cage and placed rat poison around the home, taking the same steps an exterminator would. 

What to do if you have rat problem at home 

Rat infestations can be an issue for urban and rural residents in France alike. 

If you are renting, it is the landlord’s obligation to deal with a pest infestation – including covering the costs for pest control – unless they can prove the tenant is the cause of the issue.

If rodents are spotted in common areas of shared buildings (a copropriété), you should inform the building manager (syndic) as soon as possible about a problem. How the cost of the treatment is covered will depend on whether the source can be traced to a single unit or is a wider issue across the building, in which case it will be shared among co-owners.

Otherwise, it will be up to you as the owner to deal with the issue. 

You should inform the mairie about the issue, as rat infestations can be classified as a public health concern if spread across a large area. 

The mairie will also be able to order other property owners to deal with unsanitary conditions leading to rats on their property, if the infestation can be traced to someone else. However, local authorities do not typically financially contribute to pest control costs.

Pest control is not typically covered in standard home insurance policies, often coming as an optional extra. In some cases, damage from pests may be covered but not pest control costs themselves, so carefully check your policy. 

If you do have rats in your property, calling an expert immediately is recommended, as rats can cause extensive damage (for example, by chewing through wires and potentially starting fires). 

The best thing to do is take preventative action to limit the risk of rats on your property.

This includes rearranging outdoor furniture, keeping all food supplies secure and closed, and regularly checking your home for any gaps. More tips are available in our article here.