Home Inspection: Missing a Pest Problem BEFORE Buying a Home

home inspection of a crawl space

Isn’t if funny that everyone always roots for Jerry the mouse in the Tom and Jerry cartoon? In real life, however, mice aren’t exactly held in high esteem. And you certainly don’t want Jerry around when you book a home inspection!

CBC News

Let’s take this Winnipeg woman’s mouse problem. In 2012, CBC News reported that the million dollar home she’d bought was also home to a massive colony of mice. Getting rid of the mice was costly. Every drywall and all insulation in the house had to be taken apart for a major cleanup.

Typical remedies to an infestation may cost more than $750 in pest control fees, but it was reported that the woman would have to pay tens of thousands for a mass extermination procedure.

As it turned out, the colony of mice didn’t swell in just a few days or weeks. The exterminator who dealt with the problem said it was “years in the making.”

The pest control team found mouse feces and urine inside almost every drywall and insulation. It was so much that the crew had to strip the interior walls bare to address the problem. It was estimated that the rodents had infested the house for at least five years. With the colony growing so large that it would have been difficult to miss.

However, before the house was sold, initial home inspections made by engineers and contractors did not find a single thing wrong with it. In fact, the previous owner and his family reportedly lived in peace without any hint of mouse problems!

The Outcome

The new owner planned to sue the previous owner for selling her a mouse infested home. But the owner claimed he was unaware of the problem. While the inspections failed to notice the festering problem, home inspectors continue to stress the importance of a proper home inspection before buying.

The Writing on the Wall

Mice droppings are dangerous, if not deadly. Remember that rodents were a deadly scourge in Europe during the Middle Ages. They claimed the lives of millions by tainting towns’ water and sewage systems.

Among the most common diseases related to rodent droppings are salmonellosis and leptospirosis. The animals’ fecal matter and urine can find their way to food and water supplies, transmitting the deadly bacteria with them.

This report highlights the importance of measures for mice removal from every home. When looking over a house prior to a sale, it’s important to include a pest control service such as Pestcheck Pest Control in the inspection team for an in-depth look at every nook and cranny.

You might root for the cartoon version, but in real life Jerry and his kin are bad for your home.

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