From the Forum: Rats in Neighbor's Unkempt Backyard

Last week we talked about backyard raccoons; now we’re dealing with smaller, more populous Brooklyn rodents: rats. Brownstoner reader miss718 lives next door to a backyard that’s been neglected for too long, which she believes has led to rats on her own property. She writes:

Our neighbor has let her back yard go, completely, over the last few years. It is full of overflowing, unused compost bins, old tubs, plant containers, and is now so overgrown that it resembles a forest. A few years ago I saw a rat. She put down poison, apparently and that was the end of it. We continued to ask her if she would please have her yard cleaned up. My husband even offered to do it for her at one point before we finally gave up and built a better fence. But now I’m seeing rats in my backyard on a daily basis. I have a kid and a dog and I don’t want either of them out there. I called 311 but they did nothing other than issue an incorrect report about a “mouse sighting.” Someone suggested I call our council member’s office, which I have just done. Has anyone dealt with a situation like this? The irony is that our neighbor is apparently very active in a local community garden. What recourse do we have? Will the city force her to clean up the mess?

In the comments there was talk of the poster hiring workers to clear out the yard or reporting her own property to the health department. Have further advice? Click through to the original post in the Forum.

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