My son is away at college leasing a house with 5 other boys, they have alot of bats in their house?

Question

They told the landlord who caulked some spots, but the bats keep flying around. Now they all have respiratory infections. Do you think they can get out the lease due to unsafe living conditions? I am a worried mom who would like to know if they have any options. The landlord cleaned the carpets again, resealed some outside spots, but isn't he sealing the bats in? How dirty are bats, can they get sick from them? The previous tenants told them as they were moving in that they killed 8 bats that day, so far the boys have killed 7 this week. HELP. I told them all about Rabies, and not to touch them, but can the bats cause disease and illness other than Rabies? I really want them to move from that house, these aren't stray bats, this is a really old huge house, they could be living anywhere in that house.

Answer 1

Though it sounds as if the landlord's trying to cure the problem, it's not working. He needs to bring in a professional. It's very likely the bats are flying in through openings in the attic--probably the air vents (which should be kept open, not caulked, closed, or sealed). They probably have a nest inside the attic. The professional would clear the bats out, sanitize the area (likely there's a lot of bat guano--droppings--up there), and then seal it appropriately. For instance, you can put screens on the inside of the air vents. That'd allow air to get through, but block the bats.

High concentrations of guano can be injurious to health. It's most likely a sensitivity--similar to an allergic reaction--that the guys are experiencing. And it could be from the bats, or from something else.

Sounds like a neat house to me. And probably a great place to live if it can be made bat-free. And that can be done. It just requires a professional to do it.

Good luck.

Answer 2

READ their leases, Carefully

Bats can get rabies, and their droppings can transmit diseases and allergies. . . .plus it will be expensive to heat if there are all these openings

Has anyone tried contacting animal control or county health?

It can be considered a health hazard and if they have notified LL (in writing) and LL has not resolved the problem, they should give LL another notice and state that they will consider  house uninhabitable and the LL has breached the lease IF the problem is not resolved within two weeks from date of letter.

Answer 3

Ok, I don't believe they all have respiratory infections..more likely it's the start of school, and they are around someone that is sick and all of them got it.

Bats don't "pass" respiratory infections...the entire floor would have to be covered with f***s for that to happen.

Bats are rodents, so they carry no more disease than a mouse or a rat.  You can only get rabies if they bite you, and the fleas is probably your biggest problem b/c they are usually heavily infested with fleas.

Call animal control...they will take care of the problem for free as bats are considered more of a wild animal than a household pest.

Answer 4

If the boys want to move (the boys, not you), they should write the landlord and give him 30 days to solve the bat problem or they will be forced to move and terminate their lease.

Answer 5

Bats are not rodents, they are chiropterans.  The bats are going to be high in the house, the attic or an opening in the fascia would be the most likely  They might also be behind some loose siding.  Are there unused chimneys that they might be coming down.

Bats could possibly cause other diseases, but the guano would have to be pretty thick.  I think it is time for the landlord to call in an expert pest control company.  On the positive side bats eat a lot of bugs like mosquitos.

Answer 6

If their landlord, or animal control won't help them, call the health department in the town.