Rats in roofs, attics and lofts are probably the most commonly reported occurrence of rat infestation due to the warmth and seclusion offered by the roof void.
Given most people sleep in bedrooms directly below the loft, rats in the ceiling above can cause very unwelcome disturbance at night as well as risking damage to the pipes and cables in the loft.
It is usually easy for rats in roofs, attics and lofts to move between houses and effective rat proofing is usually the only relief from rat infestation if your neighbours aren’t interested in solving things themselves.
Successfully proofing for rats in the roof is much harder than you might think and is very much a rat specialist activity – you have to ensure front and rear façade caps are completely sealed along with all gaps/defects to the fire breaks to prevent the rats getting in to the loft.
You then need to make sure any internal penetrations of the roof void (i.e. internal stacks, CWS tank feeds etc.) are also fully sealed otherwise the rats will sneak in this way too – leave a 10mm gap anywhere in the defences and the system will fail and the rats get in.
Rat proofing needs to be done with stainless steel mesh – forget foam, wire wool and other such rubbish; not only will these readily fail to stop rats but you also risk blocking or interfering with the air flow through the void which is so critical for damp control.
