ABOVE: Rat infested home a sore spot for neighbours. Mark McAllister reports.
TORONTO – An East York couple is being forced to clean up dead rats due to the vacant home next door.
The semi-detached home at 185 Riverdale Avenue sits between Carlaw Avenue and Logan Avenue. The white brick home is empty, according to neighbours, except for infrequent visits from the home’s owner to take out some garbage.
The home has been investigated by the city six times since January 13.
- January 13: The city found holes in the roof, structural damage and claimed it was attracting pests.
- August 19: The city found a “vacant home” and “exterior deficiencies.”
- September 9: The city found “waste throughout property.”
- September 9: The same day, the city cuts long grass and weed in the front and back yards.
- December 2: The city report describes the situation in one word, “vermin.”
- December 4: The city issues a notice about graffiti on the garage door that reads, “the house has rats.”
Alice Broughton lives next door and said the problem started three to four years ago but worsened last week when she saw a rat in her bedroom.
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“We started hearing noises,” she said. “We are sure we saw a rat in the bedroom and we don’t bring food into the bedroom.”
Broughton thinks the rats live in the abandoned home but gnawed their way through the shared wall and into her home in search of food.
“We want those repairs done and we want all the access points closed off,” she said, adding they found a dead rat in their kitchen.
After several notices with no response, the city was forced to clean up the property, removing garbage and waste from the exterior – but it’s not yet been able to do anything about the rats, according to Mike Sraga, director of investigation services for the municipal licensing and standards division of Toronto.
The city is however in the process of getting quotes from pest control teams who will soon be placing traps outside the building. The next step is getting a court order to go into the home and capture vermin. The city is hoping to gain access to the home this week.
How do I get rid of rats in or around my home?
Brad Gates, owner of Gates Wildlife Control, said shared walls can be a problem if one half of the home is attracting rats.
A large mouse-trap, or “snap trap,” he said is one of the best ways to catch a rat.
“It kills them instantly and you’re not using poisons that could allow the rat to go outside and eventually a dog or a cat could pick it up and eventually poison itself,” he said.
Rats find their way inside while scouting for food and shelter. But even outside, garbage or loose boards can provide enough shelter for rats to breed.
“Commonly rats would like to get under boards or things that are sitting on the ground itself. They’ll tunnel underneath it, they’ll have their babies under there,” he said. “So getting everything off the ground is important.”
And he thinks greenbins contribute to a growing rat problem in the city.
“The green bin is becoming a real problem, providing food for raccoons, skunks, squirrels, you name it. A raccoon tips over a green bin and there you go; rats have access to it as well.”
– With files from Mark McAllister
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