Five ways to deter rats from making your house their home

Rats are a growing problem in the UK, with estimates suggesting that there’s now more than 80 million living across the country. To put that in perspective, that’s more than one of the vermin for every human resident of Britain.

With regular messages about keeping Britain tidy failing to hit home and councils reducing their bin collections across the country, your home may never have been more at risk from contamination from vermin.

There’s plenty you can do to protect yourself against the worst happening, however, from preventing entry and cutting off rats’ food supply to getting pest control insurance. Here’s five things to think about:

1. Cover holes in the wall

Rats only need a few inches of room to squeeze their way in – so check whether a crack in the wall or gap around a pipe could be used as an entry point. Fine mesh chicken wire and cement can prove useful for this purpose.

2. Secure your drain pipes

Drain pipes can prove to be a ladder to heaven for rats, so secure them at the top and bottom. Wire balloons are your bet at the top, and cost no more than a few pounds from a builder’s merchants. At the bottom, fit cone guards, while can also be picked up cheaply.

3. Don’t forget your garden

Gardens can be havens for rats if they’re not looked after – and it’s not much of a jump to imagine the vermin moving indoors. Bushes should never be less than three feet from your property and vegetation should be kept short and tidy. Also be careful with compost heaps and avoid throwing animal products such as fish, meat or cheese on here.

4. Keep your bins tidy

If you live in an area where collections have been reduced, there’s not a lot you can do to make the bin men turn up more often. But you can make sure your bins are secure, including keeping their lids shut at all times. Keep the area around your bins clean and clear too – and remember that food you leave out for birds and hedgehogs could easily attract rats.

5. Get pest cover

While you can control what happens on your own property, there’s not a lot you can do about your neighbours, whether residential or commercial. However, pest cover can offer the peace of mind that you’ll be able to claim some or all of the cost of extermination – which could certainly help you sleep a little easier at night as the rat population continues to grow.