If mice keep coming back after pest treatment, your landlord has not fixed the cause. Here is what they must do, and how we can help.
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Direct answer
If pest control keeps coming out but the mice come back, the treatment is not the problem, the entry holes are. Mice need a gap the size of a pencil to get in. Until the holes are sealed (this is called proofing), they will keep returning. Sealing the holes is your landlord's job. If they have only sent the pest team and not done the proofing, that is half a repair, and you may have a claim.
Why poison alone never fixes it
Pest control bait stations kill the mice that are already inside. They do nothing to stop new ones coming in. The mice you see next week have walked in through the same holes the last lot used. Common entry points are:
- Under kitchen sinks where pipes go through the wall.
- Behind washing machines and fridges where the back is up against a hole.
- Floorboard gaps near the front door.
- Vents and airbricks that have lost their mesh covers.
- Holes around the boiler flue or extractor fan.
A proper job seals every one of these with wire wool, metal plates, or expanding foam mixed with steel mesh.
Your landlord's duty
Mice and rats are listed as a hazard under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS), the legal framework councils use to inspect housing. Under Section 11 of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, your landlord must keep the structure of your home, including walls and floors, in repair. If holes in those walls are letting mice in, your landlord must seal them. The Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 also gives councils power to step in.
See is my landlord responsible for pests and infestations for the full picture.
What to do
- Report it in writing every time mice come back. Each report is its own event.
- Take photos: droppings, gnawed packaging, dead mice if you find them.
- Keep all pest-control visit notes and dates.
- Ask in writing for proofing, not just bait. Use that word.
- If your landlord refuses, call your council's environmental health team.
- Keep receipts for anything you have thrown away because of mice.
When it becomes serious disrepair
A one-off mouse problem is not a claim. But these patterns usually are:
- The same flat has had pest control over and over with no proofing.
- Children, older people, or anyone unwell live in the home.
- Mouse droppings are in food cupboards and on surfaces.
- Mice have chewed through electrical wires, which is a fire risk.
- The infestation is part of a wider block-wide problem.
See cockroaches and bedbugs, your landlord's responsibility for related pest law.
What it does to your health
Mouse droppings carry bacteria. They can trigger asthma. Some people develop allergic reactions to dried droppings in the air. If anyone in the home has been to the doctor about it, that record matters. See health evidence in a disrepair claim for what to keep.
How we can help
If your landlord keeps sending pest control but never seals the holes, and you have been living with mice for months, you may have a strong disrepair claim. Call us free on 0800 030 4669.
Free call: 0800 030 4669 | Start your claim
Sources
- Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, Section 11 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Environmental Protection Act 1990, Section 82 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Act 2018 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Housing Health and Safety Rating System Regulations 2005 (legislation.gov.uk)
We review every guide at least twice a year and update it when the law changes. If you spot something out of date or wrong, email help@supportfortenants.co.uk.
Reviewed against current housing law for England and Wales as at 28 May 2026. Checked by our SRA-regulated panel solicitors. This is general information, not legal advice for your specific case. Any compensation figures or ranges shown are illustrative only and not guaranteed; every case is different.
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Still stuck?
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