Rats Infest Northeast Oklahoma City House

Vickye Houston rents a home in northeast Oklahoma City that’s infested with rodents.

Houston says she has to clean droppings every day. When News 9 entered the home, it was on the counters, the window sills, the stove, and all over the house.

She said her landlord brought some traps and sprayed the yard for ants, but will not exterminate.

“It’s just a wreck here and it’s terrible,” said Houston. “I don’t know where they’re coming from and I can’t control them.”

She lives in the house with her disabled husband and her 5-year-old granddaughter.

This week, she found rat feces in her granddaughter’s bed. The 5-year-old ended up sleeping in their bedroom and the three of them woke up the next morning with a rat in the bed. Houston says that was the last straw.

She says she’s finished her one-year lease with the landlord and has been paying $600 month to month. She doesn’t know what to do and is packing up to leave.

Furniture is chewed up. She has to put items like boxed macaroni and cheese in the refrigerator just to keep the critters away. Houston is tired of cleaning. She believes it is the landlord’s responsibility to take care of the rats and mice.

The Oklahoma City Housing Authority says pest control responsibility depends on the lease agreement between the landlord and the tenant. However, if it is Section 8 housing, the landlord is responsible.