Are rodents basically unavoidable in period homes?
First time buyers (Scotland) here and we completely fell in love with a house built in 1910. It’s full of charm and original features, and a lot of work has been done to it recently. The home report was basically perfect apart from one tiny issue, so we were feeling really positive.
We went for our second viewing today and my husband climbed into the attic… only to find chewed-up insulation, fabric and what looked like mice and/or rat droppings scattered around. There was also evidence of them having been in the kitchen cupboards. The home report was written 8 days ago and the surveyor stated there was no infestation or issues in the attic, no mention of rodents throughout the report.
We questioned the owners and they claimed they had no idea, which honestly surprised us given how obvious it seemed.
Now I’m spiralling a bit because I have a genuine phobia of rodents. Is this just something that comes with owning an older house? We really want a home with character, but I’m wondering if we should start looking at newer builds instead.
For anyone who’s dealt with this before, how difficult is it actually to get rid of mice/rats from a house and attic? Is it usually manageable or does it become an ongoing nightmare?