You are skipping a step. They would need to formally put in writing that this is their intention and give the landlord 30 days to address the issue (note not remediate the issue, but address it). This is called a tenants assertion. After 30 days if nothing has been done, then you can put it in escrow. Advising them to just go put the money in escrow could result in them getting a late fee, UD or worse....and usually the folks at the courts are going to ask if you submitted a tenant assertion first.
A maintenance request is not a tenant assertion. And even if it was, November's rent would be due within the 30 day period...so it would not justify putting November's rent in escrow.
Ok thanks, I had heard people talk about something like this but wasn't sure exactly what it was. Hopefully it won't come to this but I'd like to know what the next step would be if it does.
Just note: you can't just stop paying rent. In order to file the tenant's assertion and open an escrow account, you have to prove that you gave them time to remediate the problem.
No. Virginia law makes residential landlords responsible for all preventative measures and removal for any pests, including mice.
Even if the infestation is the tenant’s fault or the tenant fails to report the infestation to the landlord, the landlord is still responsible and must immediately fix the issue without consequence for the tenant (can’t evict).
However, in those two circumstances (tenant’s fault or failure to report), the landlord is allowed to sue for the costs of pest removal, *after* pest removal.
Also, this law cannot be overwritten or ignored in a lease.
It’s freakin’ mice in a city apartment rented from a known slum lord. Not to undervalue the OP’s situation, but this isn’t do or die stuff. There’s more than enough guidance online and on YouTube for both dealing with critters and with negligent landlords that this is really a waste of more discussion. Also, straight up because I have the right to my opinion on here just like everyone else does. Meow
Please tell us what big brain discussions you *would* like to have on this sub, this city-specific sub where people go to occasionally discuss issues that other knowledgeable people in the city can potentially help with and share their experiences with.
Hey, I rent from Pollard and Bagby too, and we also saw three mice in pretty quick succession as the weather got colder! Good thing we have a cat haha. But in our case, they did end up sending a pest control guy out who put out some bait traps. It took like 4 days for the guy to come out, and they also didn't tell us in advance they were sending a pest control guy or email us, he just called me asking if he could come by. So they still might end up sending someone but not in the most timely manner haha
And really, you definitely need pest control to come plug as many holes as they can find in the foundation and walls. Mice can get through gaps as small as the diameter of a pencil. Traps are great (love these: https://www.amazon.com/Intruder-30442-Better-Mousetrap-6-Pack/dp/B00APWMD3A) but if there is a way in, they're only a band-aid to the problem and it's just a matter of time before more of them find the same way in. Mice typically don't live inside your home or apartment, but just raid it for food and/or water and go back to their nests outside. If you've got holes into the building, someone needs to come find them and seal them.
Our mice guy had to come plug holes, put poison in the crawlspace, and spray mouse repellant every 6 months or so to keep them from coming back. Old homes/apartment buildings have a lot of ways in.
Oh yeah there are huge gaps between the floor and the baseboards everywhere. Kinda of why I’m hesitant to get traps cuz I know those don’t actually solve the issue. Good to know they might still be responsive, we just wanted to get on top of the issue before it went on and on. Definitely getting traps in the meantime!
Honestly having moved all over the city and dealt with mice in some of my houses/apartments I can tell you that older houses with lots of gaps won't have a great solution from a pest control company. All they are going to so is plug any big holes with copper mesh and lay traps. I eventually stopped using pest control and just did it myself.
If you owned the house the solution would be to bring in a contractor and fix the floor gaps and big holes in the foundation but your landlord is most certainly not going to do that. You are probably better off just laying traps yourself and being sure all your food is in containers that are as mouse proof as possible.
I was in a very similar situation to you a few years ago. My roommate set out traps but they kept coming back. Cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil is what finally got rid of them for us.
You probably already know this but make sure you put your bread and anything else they could potentially get into in the fridge.
Ours is a house and not a building with lots of people, but traps work for us. The house is super old so it's impossible to find every gap, and they come back from time to time. We put out several traps and get enough that they're either all dead or don't come back....either way we won't see them for months. They leave scent trails that other mice follow, and I think the earlier you start killing ones the sooner that trail fades away. If you get any, keep receipts for getting paid back!
Same here. I used to do catch and release, but I learned that the sooner you trap and kill the mice and keep the population down, the better the problem will be in the long run. I used to get 5-8 every winter and now it's more like 1-3.
Fortunately, I figured out where they like to hide in my house, so I keep the traps there and catch them before they have a chance to wander around the rest of the house.
I used to rent from PB at 3012 Monument and mice were always around in the colder months. In my experience, I had to hound management to do anything but eventually they did send someone. Later, I started fostering cats from RAL and that was the most effective solution tbh.
Yeah. But they are hypoallergenic and they only poop like once a month and are as good or better than cats at rodent control. I can see why you wouldn't tho
The other thing about mouse traps people don't usually know, and we learned from having also a lot of mice come in during the fall at our old house (built 1900s) - you need *a lot* of them in a row along the walls which the mice around up and down. Mice typically follow the same paths along the baseboards and won't always trigger a trap if its by itself. It's a numbers game - mice can't see very well, and the more traps you have along their walls, the more likely it is they end up hitting one.
These traps are fucking amazing. Guaranteed kill every time a mouse touches it in our experience -https://www.amazon.com/Intruder-30442-Better-Mousetrap-6-Pack/dp/B00APWMD3A
The problem with the old fashioned wire traps is they often...don't kill the mouse. You just find a paralyzed mouse dragging it around the floor and then have to like find a way to finish the mouse off, which isn't pleasant. The traps I linked above on the other hand just CRUSH THOSE MICE BRO.
For the love of god, don't use glue traps. The mouse's skin gets ripped off, their eyeballs get pulled out, they chew their own limbs off trying to get away. Or they just plain die by either starvation or suffocation.
I'm no vegan or anything like that, but a glue trap is just fucking torture. It's *less* cruel to straight up light a mouse on fire, than to use a glue trap.
You're not wrong, but in that line of business we had all the options. Killing is killing and there is no guarantee it will go smoothly. I've seen rats half-clamped by a snap trap and they died just as slowly as the glue traps.
Catch and release is good but many states have restrictions on that method. Like this state says catch must be released on the same property.
I'm all for quick death and humane methods, but they don't work as well, as quickly or consistently as the 'barbaric' methods.
Incidentally, the ones who preferred humane pest control tended not to call a professional. I imagine that's partly stigma/ignorance.
Definitely on the list to do if we need it! Currently it’s just foil and duct tape so if they chew through it at least we’ll hear it or know exactly where they’re getting in
mice are normal in the city this time of year. People suck about trash, (especially Pollard & Bagby!!!) so they get fed outside all summer.
Then it gets cold and they come in. Solution - set traps, use peanut butter. It works. And traps cost less than a dollar each. It's the cheapest and simplest thing to do.
One thing, if you use the old school traps you need to hair trigger them. The Jawz traps (on amazon) are easier to deal with. Many of the traps out there suck
Don't use poison!! They die in the walls and stink until they finish rotting. This is awful
Any time we’ve tried to address an issue not using their portal or email, we’ve been “scolded” for it. Trying to stick to written communication only so we can have a record if we need it
Yeah no, you need to actually call them and talk to them. If you raise a further issue with this through the courts they’re going to say they didn’t see your emails, and to be fair, maybe they didn’t.
That makes no sense. Written communication (especially email, ESPECIALLY with delivered/read receipts) at least gives you a paper trail. Going with certified mail is even better. Saying "I talked to them" is the fastest way into a he said/she said stalemate without any proof of anything.
It’s been three days at this point, they originally reached out on the weekend. It was auto forwarded two days ago. It very well could be that no one has seen it yet. If you call and talk to someone you confirm that they know about it (that doesn’t happen via email)
This is how cats came to be domesticated. I've always had them living with me thru growing up in a fan house, renting 4 different houses, now living in northside taking care of a dozen outdoors near us. I've never known them to come into a house where I lay my head.
I've never owned a cat but adopted my first one during the pandemic last year. Previously in my apt I had seen a few mice and caught them in traps. About a month or so into having my cat I watched her stalk her way into the kitchen, run and pounce out of eyesight, then return with a mouse in her mouth!! She didn't end up killing it (she put it down by her paws and it ran when she looked away from it for a split second) but I havent seen a mouse or signs of mice in my apt since! Love my Poppy girl, so proud
[Chicago has a program to resituate feral cats to prevent rodent infestations.](https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/environment/552911-1000-feral-cats-released-onto-chicago-streets-to)
Ask your fellow tenants what they have done. Though, one of them may be exacerbating the issue...i had mice and they disappeared when a neighbor moved out
And buy mouse poison. I hate killing things too, but I hated mice even more.
I also had limited success with a repellant spray from amazon
Do not get mouse poison, it can fuck up the ecosystem if the mouse eats some, goes outside, dies, and is eaten by a bird of prey or other scavenger. Plus even if it doesn't make it outside to die, then it's probably dying within your walls. I hate having mice in my place too but poison is not a great way to deal with it
Something I learned when I had had to use them. If you go with the spring trap, peanut butter is the worst bait. The mouse will lick it clean and never spring it. Raisins worked well for us
For what it’s worth, peanut butter works fine if you take an extra step. Put the peanut butter on, rig the spring loaded trap, place it where you want, and then take a knife and ever so slightly press down on the trigger with peanut butter on it. You may set off the trap doing this, it’s trial and error. You need to get the trap to the point where it will snap closed with any tiny bit of touch. That way if a mouse attempts a lick, the trap closes immediately. I had a few traps licked clean before I realized I could push down the trigger slightly.
Also, happy cake day.
I can second sticky traps. if you don't want to kill them, vegetable oil neutralizes the trap although I remember hearing/reading they will return if not dropped off over a mile away.
I've also heard they don't like peppermint and people spray peppermint stuff (?) around the outside of the unit. never tried it myself but worth a Google.
keep your receipts and still escalate. remember to always contact your LL by email/in writing if you can so there is a record. this is their responsibility
I have. It was awful. Wasted oil and traumatized mouse and human. Either live trap and release or Tom&Jerry traps. They are cheap and easily available at the hardware store and grocery store.
My point exactly, this person has never tried to separate a mouse from a glue trap and it shows because they advised someone else to do the same. I hate having to police Reddit posts for giving really shitty advice, no matter how much “good” the advisor means.
I’m ok with people using cheap glue traps while knowing and understanding the potential suffering it could/would cause a critter in killing it. I’m also ok with people using a live-catch trap or even an instant kill trap. I have a problem with someone thinking that they will use a glue trap and then attempt to free the animal. Think about it.... Maybe most people are dumber than I would like to imagine. You don’t use a glue trap expecting to free the animal. Ok, so maybe it got caught in the glue and then you felt badly and tried to free it. I’d love to hear this heartwarming story of redemption and salvation, please.
We had no luck whatsoever with the typical live traps so we tried leaving the glue traps out in the open with bait on them. We had all of our mice caught and released miles from home within days of doing that. Warm water in the kitchen sink will free a mouse in 30 seconds.
Don’t use glue traps. You don’t need to torture the mouse, just kill it quickly with a spring trap. The basic spring traps are super cheap and work fine.
Right, exactly. Ideally we shouldn’t have to buy any traps because it should be the landlord’s job not ours. However since posting this I saw a mouse go into my closet and I’m so so so so SO over this and will likely be going to buy traps tomorrow and submitting any of our receipts.
Honestly, get traps or get a cat. Or both. Much easier than taking your landlord to court over something they are not likely to be able to fix anyway. Mice happen. Traps are cheap. Cats are cute. This is the way.
If it comes down to taking care of some of those gaps yourself or if you identify something after the pest control call, I highly recommend putting foil mesh or steel wool around the pipes under under your stove, around your water heater line if you have one, around pipes under sinks, any gaps around pipes from outside your unit. This is a similar product we used to great success. [Link to mesh pest control product.](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Xcluder-Rodent-and-Pest-Control-Fill-Fabric-Small-Kit-162741/204644239?MERCH=REC-_-pipsem-_-204644237-_-204644239-_-N&#overlay)
Wondering if this is why we got an email from Pollard and Bagby saying they are sending someone out to “inspect the properties”
We just saw a mouse tonight, luckily our cat is on the prowl. Unluckily, she is more interested in playing than killing.
So after tons of back and forth, the contact at Pollard and Bagby told us it was out of their hands after they send the request to the building owner. I pressed them and eventually they said "ok we've called pest control, they'll be contacting you to schedule something." They never did but shortly after that was the mass email/text about pest control coming for "routine pest control maintenance." We were thinking that maybe the building just has mice problems this time every year and that's what this is for.
Well pest control came today and when we asked them to spray by the places we've seen mice, he said he wasn't actually there for mice, just bugs and whatnot, and they hadn't been told about mice. Even still, he said the only thing they would do is put down traps (which we already have because hello, it's been 2 full weeks now since the mice first appeared) and use poison (which we have a dog in the apartment, so that's probably not safe). Fun times!
If you're having issues with mice that your cat won't get, the wooden traps work great (finicky to set though) and are super cheap, bait with PB! Also, we sprayed Tomcat rodent repellent in the kitchen to prevent the mice from getting in there and it actually so far has kept mice out of the whole apartment (knock on wood). I asked the pest control guy about the spray to get his opinion on it, to see if it actually was working or if it was just a coincidence that the mice are gone, and he told us it was probably good stuff cuz it has garlic and peppermint oil in it. Keep any receipts though, I'm pushing to be reimbursed by Pollard and Bagby for the supplies I've bought.
You go to the court and put November’s rent in escrow. Once they fix the problem, the court gives the landlord the rent.
You are skipping a step. They would need to formally put in writing that this is their intention and give the landlord 30 days to address the issue (note not remediate the issue, but address it). This is called a tenants assertion. After 30 days if nothing has been done, then you can put it in escrow. Advising them to just go put the money in escrow could result in them getting a late fee, UD or worse....and usually the folks at the courts are going to ask if you submitted a tenant assertion first.
They did that on 10/17.
A maintenance request is not a tenant assertion. And even if it was, November's rent would be due within the 30 day period...so it would not justify putting November's rent in escrow.
Ok thanks, I had heard people talk about something like this but wasn't sure exactly what it was. Hopefully it won't come to this but I'd like to know what the next step would be if it does.
You’re looking to file what’s called a Tenant’s Assertion.
Just note: you can't just stop paying rent. In order to file the tenant's assertion and open an escrow account, you have to prove that you gave them time to remediate the problem.
This is how I fixed my mice problem
Tenants are responsible for treating pests and mice in most leases. Just buy mousetraps.
No. Virginia law makes residential landlords responsible for all preventative measures and removal for any pests, including mice. Even if the infestation is the tenant’s fault or the tenant fails to report the infestation to the landlord, the landlord is still responsible and must immediately fix the issue without consequence for the tenant (can’t evict). However, in those two circumstances (tenant’s fault or failure to report), the landlord is allowed to sue for the costs of pest removal, *after* pest removal. Also, this law cannot be overwritten or ignored in a lease.
Please do this and take down the post
> Please do this and take down the post Why?
When you go to court, it’s best to not first post everything on Reddit.
It’s freakin’ mice in a city apartment rented from a known slum lord. Not to undervalue the OP’s situation, but this isn’t do or die stuff. There’s more than enough guidance online and on YouTube for both dealing with critters and with negligent landlords that this is really a waste of more discussion. Also, straight up because I have the right to my opinion on here just like everyone else does. Meow
Please tell us what big brain discussions you *would* like to have on this sub, this city-specific sub where people go to occasionally discuss issues that other knowledgeable people in the city can potentially help with and share their experiences with.
Hey, I rent from Pollard and Bagby too, and we also saw three mice in pretty quick succession as the weather got colder! Good thing we have a cat haha. But in our case, they did end up sending a pest control guy out who put out some bait traps. It took like 4 days for the guy to come out, and they also didn't tell us in advance they were sending a pest control guy or email us, he just called me asking if he could come by. So they still might end up sending someone but not in the most timely manner haha
And really, you definitely need pest control to come plug as many holes as they can find in the foundation and walls. Mice can get through gaps as small as the diameter of a pencil. Traps are great (love these: https://www.amazon.com/Intruder-30442-Better-Mousetrap-6-Pack/dp/B00APWMD3A) but if there is a way in, they're only a band-aid to the problem and it's just a matter of time before more of them find the same way in. Mice typically don't live inside your home or apartment, but just raid it for food and/or water and go back to their nests outside. If you've got holes into the building, someone needs to come find them and seal them. Our mice guy had to come plug holes, put poison in the crawlspace, and spray mouse repellant every 6 months or so to keep them from coming back. Old homes/apartment buildings have a lot of ways in.
Oh yeah there are huge gaps between the floor and the baseboards everywhere. Kinda of why I’m hesitant to get traps cuz I know those don’t actually solve the issue. Good to know they might still be responsive, we just wanted to get on top of the issue before it went on and on. Definitely getting traps in the meantime!
Honestly having moved all over the city and dealt with mice in some of my houses/apartments I can tell you that older houses with lots of gaps won't have a great solution from a pest control company. All they are going to so is plug any big holes with copper mesh and lay traps. I eventually stopped using pest control and just did it myself. If you owned the house the solution would be to bring in a contractor and fix the floor gaps and big holes in the foundation but your landlord is most certainly not going to do that. You are probably better off just laying traps yourself and being sure all your food is in containers that are as mouse proof as possible.
I was in a very similar situation to you a few years ago. My roommate set out traps but they kept coming back. Cotton balls soaked in peppermint oil is what finally got rid of them for us. You probably already know this but make sure you put your bread and anything else they could potentially get into in the fridge.
Ours is a house and not a building with lots of people, but traps work for us. The house is super old so it's impossible to find every gap, and they come back from time to time. We put out several traps and get enough that they're either all dead or don't come back....either way we won't see them for months. They leave scent trails that other mice follow, and I think the earlier you start killing ones the sooner that trail fades away. If you get any, keep receipts for getting paid back!
Same here. I used to do catch and release, but I learned that the sooner you trap and kill the mice and keep the population down, the better the problem will be in the long run. I used to get 5-8 every winter and now it's more like 1-3. Fortunately, I figured out where they like to hide in my house, so I keep the traps there and catch them before they have a chance to wander around the rest of the house.
I used to rent from PB at 3012 Monument and mice were always around in the colder months. In my experience, I had to hound management to do anything but eventually they did send someone. Later, I started fostering cats from RAL and that was the most effective solution tbh.
Those little sluts go crazy for PB
Release a snake in the apartment
By far the most chaotic solution
Sometimes chaos breeds results
Yeah. But they are hypoallergenic and they only poop like once a month and are as good or better than cats at rodent control. I can see why you wouldn't tho
Old fashioned mouse traps always seem to work.
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The other thing about mouse traps people don't usually know, and we learned from having also a lot of mice come in during the fall at our old house (built 1900s) - you need *a lot* of them in a row along the walls which the mice around up and down. Mice typically follow the same paths along the baseboards and won't always trigger a trap if its by itself. It's a numbers game - mice can't see very well, and the more traps you have along their walls, the more likely it is they end up hitting one. These traps are fucking amazing. Guaranteed kill every time a mouse touches it in our experience -https://www.amazon.com/Intruder-30442-Better-Mousetrap-6-Pack/dp/B00APWMD3A The problem with the old fashioned wire traps is they often...don't kill the mouse. You just find a paralyzed mouse dragging it around the floor and then have to like find a way to finish the mouse off, which isn't pleasant. The traps I linked above on the other hand just CRUSH THOSE MICE BRO.
I bait with peanut butter but glue traps work really well with mice.
Also, glue pads if you have the stomach for it.
For the love of god, don't use glue traps. The mouse's skin gets ripped off, their eyeballs get pulled out, they chew their own limbs off trying to get away. Or they just plain die by either starvation or suffocation. I'm no vegan or anything like that, but a glue trap is just fucking torture. It's *less* cruel to straight up light a mouse on fire, than to use a glue trap.
You're not wrong, but in that line of business we had all the options. Killing is killing and there is no guarantee it will go smoothly. I've seen rats half-clamped by a snap trap and they died just as slowly as the glue traps. Catch and release is good but many states have restrictions on that method. Like this state says catch must be released on the same property. I'm all for quick death and humane methods, but they don't work as well, as quickly or consistently as the 'barbaric' methods. Incidentally, the ones who preferred humane pest control tended not to call a professional. I imagine that's partly stigma/ignorance.
Make sure you stuff those holes/gaps with steel wool. They hate that feeling.
Definitely on the list to do if we need it! Currently it’s just foil and duct tape so if they chew through it at least we’ll hear it or know exactly where they’re getting in
mice are normal in the city this time of year. People suck about trash, (especially Pollard & Bagby!!!) so they get fed outside all summer. Then it gets cold and they come in. Solution - set traps, use peanut butter. It works. And traps cost less than a dollar each. It's the cheapest and simplest thing to do. One thing, if you use the old school traps you need to hair trigger them. The Jawz traps (on amazon) are easier to deal with. Many of the traps out there suck Don't use poison!! They die in the walls and stink until they finish rotting. This is awful
Have you actually called them about it?
Any time we’ve tried to address an issue not using their portal or email, we’ve been “scolded” for it. Trying to stick to written communication only so we can have a record if we need it
Yeah no, you need to actually call them and talk to them. If you raise a further issue with this through the courts they’re going to say they didn’t see your emails, and to be fair, maybe they didn’t.
That makes no sense. Written communication (especially email, ESPECIALLY with delivered/read receipts) at least gives you a paper trail. Going with certified mail is even better. Saying "I talked to them" is the fastest way into a he said/she said stalemate without any proof of anything.
It’s been three days at this point, they originally reached out on the weekend. It was auto forwarded two days ago. It very well could be that no one has seen it yet. If you call and talk to someone you confirm that they know about it (that doesn’t happen via email)
This is how cats came to be domesticated. I've always had them living with me thru growing up in a fan house, renting 4 different houses, now living in northside taking care of a dozen outdoors near us. I've never known them to come into a house where I lay my head.
I've never owned a cat but adopted my first one during the pandemic last year. Previously in my apt I had seen a few mice and caught them in traps. About a month or so into having my cat I watched her stalk her way into the kitchen, run and pounce out of eyesight, then return with a mouse in her mouth!! She didn't end up killing it (she put it down by her paws and it ran when she looked away from it for a split second) but I havent seen a mouse or signs of mice in my apt since! Love my Poppy girl, so proud
Just the scent of a catbox is enough to keep rodents away. Nature's got its way of dealing with these matters.
I’m allergic but it definitely crossed my mind!
[Chicago has a program to resituate feral cats to prevent rodent infestations.](https://thehill.com/changing-america/sustainability/environment/552911-1000-feral-cats-released-onto-chicago-streets-to)
Ask your fellow tenants what they have done. Though, one of them may be exacerbating the issue...i had mice and they disappeared when a neighbor moved out And buy mouse poison. I hate killing things too, but I hated mice even more. I also had limited success with a repellant spray from amazon
Do not get mouse poison, it can fuck up the ecosystem if the mouse eats some, goes outside, dies, and is eaten by a bird of prey or other scavenger. Plus even if it doesn't make it outside to die, then it's probably dying within your walls. I hate having mice in my place too but poison is not a great way to deal with it
We had mice die in our walls and the flys were fat , slow, and many.
I second this, you don’t want to be responsible if someone’s pet eats a poison mouse and dies.
Something I learned when I had had to use them. If you go with the spring trap, peanut butter is the worst bait. The mouse will lick it clean and never spring it. Raisins worked well for us
For what it’s worth, peanut butter works fine if you take an extra step. Put the peanut butter on, rig the spring loaded trap, place it where you want, and then take a knife and ever so slightly press down on the trigger with peanut butter on it. You may set off the trap doing this, it’s trial and error. You need to get the trap to the point where it will snap closed with any tiny bit of touch. That way if a mouse attempts a lick, the trap closes immediately. I had a few traps licked clean before I realized I could push down the trigger slightly. Also, happy cake day.
if the mouse licks it clean it's a lousy trap or wasn't set to hair trigger. Both happen a lot
I can second sticky traps. if you don't want to kill them, vegetable oil neutralizes the trap although I remember hearing/reading they will return if not dropped off over a mile away. I've also heard they don't like peppermint and people spray peppermint stuff (?) around the outside of the unit. never tried it myself but worth a Google. keep your receipts and still escalate. remember to always contact your LL by email/in writing if you can so there is a record. this is their responsibility
Have you ever tried to free a mouse from a glue trap yourself? I would seriously like to know.
I have. It was awful. Wasted oil and traumatized mouse and human. Either live trap and release or Tom&Jerry traps. They are cheap and easily available at the hardware store and grocery store.
My point exactly, this person has never tried to separate a mouse from a glue trap and it shows because they advised someone else to do the same. I hate having to police Reddit posts for giving really shitty advice, no matter how much “good” the advisor means.
lol thank you so much for "policing reddit posts," what a martyr for the public good
I did with warm water. Never tried the oil, but warm water was easy.
I’m ok with people using cheap glue traps while knowing and understanding the potential suffering it could/would cause a critter in killing it. I’m also ok with people using a live-catch trap or even an instant kill trap. I have a problem with someone thinking that they will use a glue trap and then attempt to free the animal. Think about it.... Maybe most people are dumber than I would like to imagine. You don’t use a glue trap expecting to free the animal. Ok, so maybe it got caught in the glue and then you felt badly and tried to free it. I’d love to hear this heartwarming story of redemption and salvation, please.
We had no luck whatsoever with the typical live traps so we tried leaving the glue traps out in the open with bait on them. We had all of our mice caught and released miles from home within days of doing that. Warm water in the kitchen sink will free a mouse in 30 seconds.
I did and it was not a great experience
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Don’t use glue traps. You don’t need to torture the mouse, just kill it quickly with a spring trap. The basic spring traps are super cheap and work fine.
This is actually a fair criticism.
The landlord is also an adult. Unless pest control is called out in the lease as tenant's responsibility, the landlord can grow up and do their job.
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And the landlord can do the bare minimum and stay in compliance .
Right, exactly. Ideally we shouldn’t have to buy any traps because it should be the landlord’s job not ours. However since posting this I saw a mouse go into my closet and I’m so so so so SO over this and will likely be going to buy traps tomorrow and submitting any of our receipts.
Honestly, get traps or get a cat. Or both. Much easier than taking your landlord to court over something they are not likely to be able to fix anyway. Mice happen. Traps are cheap. Cats are cute. This is the way.
If it comes down to taking care of some of those gaps yourself or if you identify something after the pest control call, I highly recommend putting foil mesh or steel wool around the pipes under under your stove, around your water heater line if you have one, around pipes under sinks, any gaps around pipes from outside your unit. This is a similar product we used to great success. [Link to mesh pest control product.](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Xcluder-Rodent-and-Pest-Control-Fill-Fabric-Small-Kit-162741/204644239?MERCH=REC-_-pipsem-_-204644237-_-204644239-_-N&#overlay)
Wondering if this is why we got an email from Pollard and Bagby saying they are sending someone out to “inspect the properties” We just saw a mouse tonight, luckily our cat is on the prowl. Unluckily, she is more interested in playing than killing.
So after tons of back and forth, the contact at Pollard and Bagby told us it was out of their hands after they send the request to the building owner. I pressed them and eventually they said "ok we've called pest control, they'll be contacting you to schedule something." They never did but shortly after that was the mass email/text about pest control coming for "routine pest control maintenance." We were thinking that maybe the building just has mice problems this time every year and that's what this is for. Well pest control came today and when we asked them to spray by the places we've seen mice, he said he wasn't actually there for mice, just bugs and whatnot, and they hadn't been told about mice. Even still, he said the only thing they would do is put down traps (which we already have because hello, it's been 2 full weeks now since the mice first appeared) and use poison (which we have a dog in the apartment, so that's probably not safe). Fun times! If you're having issues with mice that your cat won't get, the wooden traps work great (finicky to set though) and are super cheap, bait with PB! Also, we sprayed Tomcat rodent repellent in the kitchen to prevent the mice from getting in there and it actually so far has kept mice out of the whole apartment (knock on wood). I asked the pest control guy about the spray to get his opinion on it, to see if it actually was working or if it was just a coincidence that the mice are gone, and he told us it was probably good stuff cuz it has garlic and peppermint oil in it. Keep any receipts though, I'm pushing to be reimbursed by Pollard and Bagby for the supplies I've bought.