Landlords in California have certain basic obligations to ensure that rental properties are habitable. In particular, California Civil Code § 1941.1 makes clear that a property must have some basic features, including things like running water and protection from the weather.
That same statute also specifies that rental units must be “kept in every part clean, sanitary, and free from all accumulations of debris, filth, rubbish, garbage, rodents, and vermin.”
Rats, of course, are considered to be a type of rodent and a very dangerous type. Living with rats can make you very sick, and it can also be traumatic. As a result, you have legal rights if you have these rodents in your home and your landlord doesn’t act.
Matthew de Lira can help in these difficult situations. If you notified your landlord about the rats, they failed to act, and you suffered harm, you may be entitled to compensation, and we can help you fight for it.
Call us today to schedule a free consultation with a rat infestation attorney in San Diego and learn how we can help.
How can rats in your home affect your health?
Rat infestations are considered a serious safety risk, so your landlord must act promptly to remove the infestation if they are notified of an issue. Time is of the essence because rats can cause health issues, including:
- Hantavirus
- Leptospirosis
- Salmonella
- Rat-Bite Fever
- Asthma
- Allergies
- Rashes
- Fleas
- Ticks
- Bite injuries
If you develop these conditions, or other health issues as a result of rats being present where you live, Matthew de Lira will help you to hold your landlord accountable if they failed to act within a reasonable timeframe to address the infestation using appropriate measures.
How does a rat infestation attorney in San Diego help you?
Matthew de Lira has decades of experience representing tenants facing landlord/tenant issues with uninhabitable and unsanitary properties. Our team will:
- Help you gather evidence of the rat infestation
- Gather documents proving you provided notification to your landlord and that your landlord failed to alleviate the problem
- Work with you to prove that the rat infestation caused you harm and that you should be compensated for damages
- Negotiate with the landlord’s insurer to try to resolve your claim outside of court or go to court to help you prove your claim and make the strongest case possible.
We’ll help you to prove how severe your injuries or illness are as well as the extent of your losses by obtaining medical records, connecting you with experts who can testify about the consequences of rat infestations, and working with you to keep a pain diary.
Having a rodent infestation in your home can also cause significant emotional distress. Our goal is to try to maximize your compensation both for actual financial losses like medical bills and missed work or reduced earning power but also, in appropriate cases, for non-economic damages including PTSD, anxiety, emotional distress, and other mental health effects of your exposure to the rats.
Contact Matthew de Lira today
You deserve a safe living space and should be compensated for the harm that you suffer if your landlord’s refusal to control a rat infestation makes you sick. Give our personal injury lawyers in San Diego a call at (858) 434-7749 today or contact us online to schedule your free consultation and learn more about how we can help.