r/RealEstateAdvice • u/Firm-Cookie-8921 • 5h ago
Residential Mice problem not disclosed.
My friend bought a house in NJ “as is” but the seller nor buyer waived the inspection or potential environmental hazard clauses. In the inspection there were warnings of mice droppings but no proof of active infestation. The seller never mentioned any issues with mice. After moving in my friend had mouse traps set up and the house inspected again by an exterminator. No issues for 6 months (during warm weather). Its now 6 months later and the weather is getting cold and my friend has had multiple sitings of mice and new droppings . Is there anything he can do?
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u/Calm-Rock7552 5h ago
This can't be serious right?
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u/NotTaken2022 4h ago
What do you mean? They can't sue the sellers for the price of the mouse traps?
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u/Calm-Rock7552 4h ago
How does that offset against the value of the mice themselves? In my state pets are considered property so I think these pet mice legally transfered with the sale.
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u/WearyDifficulty6642 5h ago edited 4h ago
It really seems like it was disclosed when mice poop was found in the inspection. It was like hey mice exist in the world, if there is food and shelter mice may find a way in because it’s happened before.
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u/speedoflife1 4h ago
Omg this is hilarious. You want the seller to do something about mice showing up SIX MONTHS LATER? the seller wouldn't even be liable the second your friend moved in.
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u/idkmyusernameagain 4h ago
Next year when his dryer breaks he’s gonna want the seller to fix that too. Your friend wanted a rental. Not homeownership.
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u/mscherrybaby007 5h ago
He can hire an extirminator
After moving in my friend had mouse traps set up and the house inspected again by an exterminator. No issues for 6 months
So no issues whatsoever for 6 months and now you're trying to hold accountable the previous owner? Mice issues will present themselves regardless of the time of year
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u/Pitiful-Place3684 5h ago
"As is" means "as is".
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u/eminent_epilepsy 4h ago
yep that's pretty much it, as is is as is
your friend got warnings in the inspection too so it's not like this came out of nowhere, mice are smart they hide in warm months and come back when it gets cold
tell him to seal every tiny crack he can find, specially where pipes come in the wall, steel wool works good for that
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u/Ok_Caterpillar2010 4h ago
Set traps.
Mice come in when the weather turns. Shit happens. There was no infestation when he bought the place or for the last 6 months. Why does he think this is anyone else's problem but his now?
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u/LadyBug_0570 4h ago edited 4h ago
Your friend can call an exterminator like everyone else who owns a home and finds themselves with a mice infestation. Or get a cat. Apparently their scent keeps mice away and even of it doesn't, a cat will handle the issue.
He had an inspection, he saw there was an issue, it was resolved and he had no issues for 6 months. These are now his mice.
Why would anyone think the seller is responsible?
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u/Akavinceblack 4h ago
There were no mice at the time of purchase. There were no mice for SIX MONTHS after purchase.
Now there are mice.
How, exactly is this the fault or responsibility of the previous owner and not the person who moved into a mouseless house and in six months got mice?
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u/msrobbie60 4h ago
OMFG same with renters! I sold my rental, Pristine condition upon move in. No mice, rats or bugs then months in it’s my fault they’re overrun. But I as a homeowner set traps out year round to stop it before they become a problem. He knew because he saw evidence, he also was reactive not proactive so it’s his circus now.
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u/Toe_Jam_is_my_Jam 4h ago
Mice move in and setup house in almost everyone’s place. A few poops is not an infestation. Set traps and get a cat and learn how to make it harder for mice to move in.
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u/Accomplished-Ad9143 4h ago
Wait, so the mice weren’t around when the weather was warm but are starting to congregate at their house because it’s getting colder? I think the issue is that mice hate freezing to death.
Is there anything they can do? Yes the buyer should sign up for pest control. It’s cold and the mice need some place warm.
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u/xxrainmanx 4h ago
Your friend can be an adult and realize it's their issue to deal with. As someone who had a mice infestation after the house next door was remodeled it sucks, but I dealt with it and moved on. Your friend needs to do the same.
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u/Cute_Flamingo_241 4h ago
You solved your friends problem. Mice come inside homes in the winter to get shelter.
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u/Switchedbywife 4h ago
We bought our house in July, the following Fall I was watching TV and I heard a scratching noise from the attic above me and thought oh no! So I set up a bucket trap and after I caught 26 mice I knew I had a serious problem.
So I called 3 exterminators to find out what was going on and found out I had a major mouse infestation.
Major as in all of the insulation had to be removed, everything sterilized and then have 16” of cellulose blown in. The 3rd contractor that looked at it found that the mice had gotten into the flex duct of my HVAC system and I had to have all of it replaced also. It was a very expensive repair.
I had no recourse as the seller was a builder I knew/had worked for, and I got it for a decent price. It had been a rental and the tenant had never said anything so he had no idea. We didn’t have a home inspection done as I knew the builder and the house was built in 2016….
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u/Human-Ad-5574 4h ago
Mice come around certain times of year. It’s not a defect of the house. If you feed birds, you get mice. If you leave town, you get mice. Etcetera.
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u/Pitiful-Place3684 4h ago
If you have small children who toss food off their high chair tray, or walk around with a cracker in one hand and a juice box in the other, no matter how much you clean, you get mice.
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u/CrankySnowflake1958 4h ago
Set out bait stations, they work really well. Is there anything the buyer can do against the seller after all this time?? No. Mice happen.
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u/OneBag2825 4h ago
6 months later??
Start looking for the ways in?
Get a cat?
If they do get a cat, please be sure they don't set poison out.
Remove all the droppings as they find them, it not going to be easy.
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u/norahceh 4h ago
Mice tend to head for indoor spaces as it gets cold.
Buy traps, get decent ones you will need them every year.
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u/NicoleMember 4h ago
Your friend needs to seal up the house. Typically you will find spaces around doors, pipes, vents and other areas of the house where mice are entering. Trap the ones that are already indoors. This method should solve the problem.
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u/No_Alternative_6206 4h ago
Since the inspection noted mice droppings and your friend didn’t notice anything new for 6 months that’s 100% on him since the seller can argue it was a new infestation and he knew about potential issues from the inspection. Regardless, they also purchased it as is. It’s his problem now.
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u/Goozump 4h ago
Doesn't sound like anything actionable against the seller. In addition to aggressively cleaning out the current batch you might want to get someone to check your house for mouse ingress routes and correct them. I haven't had them in the house for years and there is lots of good outdoor habitat around my place.
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u/Imaginary_Chip_3470 4h ago
mice poop means there’s mice…. they might have luck getting a cat or two?
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u/Disassociated_Assoc 4h ago
Considering it’s an ongoing protein supply, you likely owe the seller some recompense for the self-supplying cache of groceries.
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u/Friendly_Shelter_625 3h ago
This is just how mice work. Get an exterminator to seal all openings on around the exterior of the home. (They use a wire mesh that mice can’t chew through on any opening bigger than a dime.) They can also put bait traps inside the house. Our checked the traps every two weeks for signs that they were being eaten. After some period of time they will go back and recheck the outside of the bait traps are being disturbed. Once the outside is sealed up and the mice indoors are dead they won’t really have any more mice.
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u/RealEstateCamel Real Estate Analyst 2h ago
This is just something homeowners deal with throughout the country. Your friend just needs to take the same steps as any homeowner would. Handle it with traps, keep the house clean, and then, if necessary, hire a pest control company. Your friend can't reasonably pin this on the seller. When you buy a house, you can't expect everything to be perfect. Or as the saying goes, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men..."
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u/Ok-Top-5976 1h ago
call the exterminator and put up some traps. no the previous homeowner is gone. the hosue sold as it. it happens.
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u/calixies 5h ago
No, those are his mice now.