How to Get Rid of Rats in the House and Garden: UK Guide

How to get rid of rats comes down to four jobs, done in this order: find the source, take away food and cover, close the way in, and then trap or bait the rats that remain. People tend to start with the last job. They buy poison, see some dead rats or none at all, and find the problem back a few weeks later, because the broken drain or the bird table is still there.

Where you see the rats tells you where to start. A rat in the kitchen and a rat under the decking are different jobs, even if they are the same animal. Rats indoors usually call for a professional and a look at the drains. Rats in the garden can sometimes be cleared with a good tidy-up and a change of habits, but only if you catch it early.

Use the table below to find your starting point, then go to the section that matches. If you are not yet sure that you have rats at all, read our guide to mice vs rats first, because mice need a different approach.

Check before you spend anything. Rat droppings are far bigger than mouse droppings: the RHS says about 15 mm, Reading Borough Council says about 2 cm, and Lambeth Council compares them to a kidney bean. Hackney Council lists other signs, including scratching in walls and under decking, greasy marks along beams, a strong ammonia-like smell, gnawed wood and plastic, and nests of shredded material. Our mice vs rats guide covers all of this with drawings. If it turns out to be mice, go to how to get rid of mice instead.

Once you are sure, the next question is how quickly to act. Sources differ on the numbers. The BPCA says rats mature in about three months and have 3 to 12 litters a year of six to eight young. The RHS says up to five litters a year, averaging seven young. Oxford City Council gives maturity at 3 to 4 months and 6 to 11 young in a litter. Even the lowest of those figures adds up quickly.

Each rat also needs feeding. The BPCA puts it at about 50 g of food a day, mostly eaten at night, which is why a little spilled seed each evening can support a rat. Oxford says rats usually stay within 50 m of home but can range up to 300 m, and Warwick District Council says they will travel about a mile for food. Our advice is to act within days, not weeks, and to assume that a rat you see at the bottom of the garden may be living several properties away.

Rats live where they have food, shelter and a safe route between the two. In a house, the BPCA says they use roof spaces, wall cavities and the space under floors. Outdoors they burrow under sheds and banks, and they can get into buildings where sewers are in disrepair. Spend an evening on this search before buying anything. It decides what you do next.

Think of two separate routes. The first starts underground, in the sewer or a drain with a broken joint, and ends in your floor void. The second is above ground: a burrow somewhere near, and a nightly run to food. Baiting the second will not close the first. It is also why a rat problem can run along a whole terrace, with one neighbour's feeder supporting rats that live under someone else's decking.

A rat indoors is a building problem as much as a pest problem, because it got in somewhere. Start with what you can do today, and book help at the same time. Do not wait to see if it happens again. Portsmouth City Council recommends getting professional help as soon as you think you have rats, and we agree when the signs are inside the home.

First, stop feeding them. Move food, pet food and bird seed into glass, metal or hard plastic containers, wipe surfaces, and clean the back of any cupboard the rats have reached. Portsmouth advises washing food preparation surfaces with an antibacterial product before you use them. Then look for the way in. The BPCA says a rat needs a 15 mm gap, Thames Water says 1.5 cm, and Reading says rats can squeeze through gaps under 2.5 cm. Use the smallest of those figures when you check. If you can fit your thumb in the gap, a rat can use it.

Second, seal up properly. Do not close a hole if you think rats are living inside the wall or floor, because you may trap them there. Get them treated first, then seal the route. A rat shut in a void can die there, or gnaw a new way out. Portsmouth notes that a rat dying where you cannot reach it may leave a smell for a few days.

Rats in the garden stay for simple reasons: something feeds them and something hides them. Take both away and they have little reason to stay. Lambeth Council's list is a good start: fix holes, remove fallen apples and pears, bird food and standing water, clear old furnishings, wood and overgrowth, and keep compost in a bin. The RHS also says rats will feed on stored and growing crops, including sweetcorn, squash and root vegetables, so pick up windfalls and harvest promptly.

How to get rid of rats in the garden starts with food. Feed birds from a suspended feeder with a tray beneath it, put out only what will be eaten that day, and bring it in at night. Reading gives that advice, and Warwick goes further: a small amount in the morning, cleared by midday, so that birds finish it before rats come out. Warwick also says technicians find fats and peanuts make treatment harder. The BPCA's rule is simply not to overfeed birds. If you already have rats, stop altogether for a few weeks.

Compost comes next. Reading says to add only garden waste and uncooked vegetable waste, and to site heaps on a hard surface or over wire netting. Oxford is more exact: wire mesh with 1 cm by 1 cm openings under the bin, or a concrete base. The RHS says compost from a heap rats have lived in can still go on the garden, but avoid it on anything eaten raw where the edible part touches the soil, such as radish, celery, cucumber and strawberry.

Then remove cover. Cut long grass, trim shrubs, and move wood piles and rubbish away from fences. Seal gaps under sheds, as Warwick advises. Reading says to close old burrows, and it treats leaves, cobwebs or debris at the entrance as signs that a hole is no longer in use. Fill those with a cement-based product such as Postcrete. Sources differ on active holes: West Northamptonshire says to seal them permanently once a newspaper test has shown which are in use. We recommend having active burrows treated first if rats are living there, then closing them, so they cannot simply dig out elsewhere nearby.

This is what catches people out. The BPCA says most rats are wary of new objects, and Gravesham Borough Council says it may take a few days before they go near a trap or bait. So a trap that catches nothing on the first night has not failed. It simply has not been accepted yet. Moving it every morning makes things worse, because you keep turning it back into a new object.

The practical answer is patience, and good placing. Put traps along the routes rats already use, where you see smear marks, droppings or a run in the grass, and not in the middle of open ground. Gravesham suggests peanut butter, and if that fails, whatever the rats are already eating. Leave the trap in place for at least a week, and only change your approach if nothing has touched it by then. If rats have plenty of food elsewhere, they have no need to risk anything new. This is another reason why clearing their food comes before traps, not after.

The same habit works in your favour in a small way. Because rats dislike change, clearing cover and shifting clutter along a route can unsettle them for a while. Do not rely on this alone. Moving garden furniture about may slow rats down, but it will not remove a colony.

Anyone asking what kills rats usually has two options in mind: a break-back trap or bait. Traps are the better choice at home. You can see what they have done, you can remove the body, and they leave no poison in the food chain. HSE says users should consider other methods first, such as good hygiene, physical barriers and traps, and use anticoagulants only where needed.

Use a proper rat-sized trap, not a mouse trap. The Barn Owl Trust rates instant-kill traps such as DOC and Perdix models, set in wooden tunnels, among the most humane, and says to check instant-kill traps every day. Put any trap inside a box or tunnel that a child, cat or dog cannot reach into. Pre-baited traps can catch other small animals, so the Trust advises against them. The table below sets out each option.

Ignore home remedies. Nothing in the advice we reviewed from councils, HSE or the RHS supports peppermint oil, ammonia or similar smells as a way of clearing rats, so do not spend time on them while the rats breed. If you would rather not handle traps at all, our rat control service can do it for you.

Shop-bought rat poison is legal, but it is the weaker option and it comes with limits. HSE says products for the general public may be restricted by how much active substance they contain, by where they can be placed, such as only inside a bait box, and by maximum pack size. The limits are set for each product, so the label is the rule you must follow. We have not given a pack size here, because HSE publishes none in its guidance and it varies by product. HSE points to the UK list of authorised biocidal products for the details.

Professional products are a different category. The BPCA says professional rodenticides are not available to the public. Anticoagulants used by professionals fall under a UK stewardship regime, run by the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use, which covers training, certification and checks at the point of sale. The Think Wildlife website says the regime covers professional products used outside buildings and does not cover amateur products. HSENI, the Northern Ireland regulator, says that from 1 January 2026 professional users must show proof of competence at the point of sale, such as recent training on an approved course. So do not buy professional bait online or borrow it from a friend with a farm: its label does not allow you to use it.

The rules are also getting tighter. Think Wildlife reported that sales of second-generation anticoagulants for use in open areas and waste dumps ended on 4 July 2024, and that using any of them on an infestation not linked to a building would be illegal after 31 December 2024. Those changes mainly affected professional users, but the direction is clear.

Reading Borough Council says over-the-counter bait is less effective than professional bait and may just feed the rats. Gravesham says professional contractors are more effective than DIY treatment. If you do use bait, follow these rules:

Most rat poison in the UK is an anticoagulant, which stops blood clotting. PDSA says signs in a dog may take 3 to 5 days to appear, and that bleeding may be internal, so a dog can seem well while it is seriously ill. Signs include weakness, pale or bleeding gums, nosebleeds, coughing or vomiting blood, blood in urine or stools, bruising and trouble breathing.

A pet does not have to eat the bait to be poisoned. PDSA says dogs can be affected by eating a poisoned rat or mouse, which means they remain at risk even when the bait is out of reach. That is secondary poisoning, and it is why you should pick up dead rats promptly. HSE also says that children, pets and other non-target animals may be more likely to be harmed by rodenticides.

Wildlife is the larger concern. The RSPCA says poisoning causes rodents to suffer, and that predators eating poisoned animals can be poisoned as well. The Barn Owl Trust says small mammals such as wood mice and voles can carry poison and pass it to barn owls and kestrels. Think Wildlife, the site of the industry's own stewardship campaign, calls the barn owl the sentinel species for non-target wildlife, and a stewardship report it covered found no reductions in any of the key environmental measures. In London, foxes, cats, and birds of prey hunting over gardens all sit in the same food chain.

Gravesham Borough Council also warns that poisoning animals you did not intend to, even by accident, is an offence. If you keep pets, have young children, or see hedgehogs or foxes in the garden, we recommend that you use boxed traps or book a professional and leave bait out of it.

If rats keep returning to the kitchen, bathroom or floor void, and you cannot find a gap, think about the drains. The BPCA says rats can get in where sewers are in disrepair, and tells householders to keep drain covers in repair. Reading says rats can enter homes through broken pipework, and Thames Water tells customers to keep inspection covers in place and in good repair. Signs that point underground include rats behind a bath panel or under a kitchen unit, activity that returns after treatment, and rats near a drain cover.

A drain survey is the next step. A small camera is passed along the pipe, and the recording shows cracks, displaced joints and old pipes left open. Costs and availability vary. Wandsworth Council offers drainage surveys to check whether rats are getting in that way, while Reading says it only surveys private drains at the owner's request and as a paid service. Ask for the recording and a written report, and keep them, as you may need them later. See our page on drain and sewer camera surveys for what is involved.

A rat blocker, also called a rat flap or non-return valve, is a one-way flap fitted in a drain that lets waste out but is meant to stop rats coming back up the pipe. Thames Water's rat advice does not mention them, and we could not find a public body that sets out how well they work, so treat sales claims with care. Our advice is simple. Find the fault first, because a blocker does not repair a broken pipe. Fit one only on a pipe that is yours, and ask a drainage contractor how it will be cleaned and checked, because a blocked flap can back up the drain.

One myth to drop: Thames Water says interceptor caps in manholes only control odours, and that a missing cap will not cause rodent activity. If someone quotes to replace one as a rat cure, ask why. For rats in the sewer itself, see our rat sewer control page.

Rats do not respect fences, so a garden problem often belongs to several homes. Start by talking to your neighbours. Ask whether they have seen rats, whether they feed birds, and whether they have had any drain work done. Thames Water offers a useful test for drains: if your neighbours have the same problem, the fault may be on a shared section. If they do not, it is more likely to be on your own.

Pipe ownership matters, because it decides who pays. Ealing Council says homeowners and landlords are responsible for their drains up to the point where they connect with another property's drainage, even if that point is under a road or a neighbour's land. Thames Water took on private sewers and drains from 1 October 2011, and says you remain responsible for the pipe between your building and the transferred section. Thames Water maintains the public sewers under roads and pavements. Former council homes can be more complicated, as Ealing notes.

If rats are coming from public drains, the route matters. Thames Water says that if a council or pest controller suspects a sewer defect, and rats are confirmed to be coming from the public sewer, it can investigate and repair where needed. It asks for your report reference number, and says it may not be able to help without it. So get the problem recorded before you call.

If a neighbour will not act, keep dated photos and report it to the council. Redbridge Council says Environmental Health should respond within five working days to reports of rats from neighbouring land. Reading asks residents to complete some steps first, such as using an accredited pest controller, proofing, securing waste and speaking to neighbours, and to send a contractor's report. Have that paperwork ready wherever you live, because it shows you have done your part. If several homes are affected, our pest control team can price each property separately.

The main law is the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949, and it is worth knowing what it says. Section 2 requires every local authority to take the steps needed to keep its district, so far as practicable, free from rats and mice. That includes inspecting from time to time, clearing land it occupies, and enforcing duties on owners and occupiers.

Section 3 applies to you. If you occupy land and learn that rats or mice are living on it or visiting it in substantial numbers, you must tell the council in writing straight away. The Act says forthwith. Failure can lead to a fine of up to level 1 on the standard scale. This does not apply to agricultural land. One rat by the bins is unlikely to count as substantial numbers, but several rats or an established burrow system is a good reason to write to the council, even if you are arranging treatment yourself.

Section 4 lets the council serve notice on an owner or occupier, requiring reasonable steps within a reasonable time, such as treatment or structural repairs. Under section 5, if you do not comply, the council can do the work and recover its reasonable costs, and failing to comply is an offence. Section 6 is useful for terraces: where rats are found in substantial numbers across premises with different occupiers, the council can treat the land as one area, give at least seven days' notice, and share the cost fairly.

Sources describe your side of this differently. Thames Water calls it an owner's legal responsibility to keep a property rodent-free, and Reading says responsibility falls to the landowner. The Act itself works mainly through the notice duty and the council's powers. In practice the outcome is similar: if rats are on your land, expect to deal with them. This is general information and not legal advice, so ask your council or a solicitor about a specific dispute.

Councils differ on what they will do. Thames Water says some offer pest control, but most only give advice. Reading lists what it cannot do, including proofing private homes and carrying out public baiting programmes. Our table shows who usually handles what.

Tell your landlord or agent as soon as you know, in writing, with dates and photos. Citizens Advice says landlords are usually only responsible once they know about the problem. It says they will probably be responsible if the tenancy agreement says so, if a failure to repair caused it, such as holes in walls, or if the infestation makes your home unsafe. You may be responsible if you caused it, for example by not disposing of rubbish properly. It does not matter whether the rats were there when you moved in.

Citizens Advice also says to tell your council about rats or mice, even if you do not live in council housing. If you rent from a council or housing association, it explains that under Awaab's Law an emergency hazard must be made safe within 24 hours, or you must be offered somewhere else to live until the work is done. Wandsworth Council says private tenants who have lived in a home for some time generally arrange treatment for a recent infestation, but landlords are expected to arrange treatment and proofing where structural defects caused it.

Landlords should treat a rat report as a repair report. Book the inspection, fix the route, and keep the paperwork. When a tenancy ends, keep the treatment record with the check-out file and see our end of tenancy cleaning checklist.

Weil's disease is a severe form of leptospirosis, and the NHS says leptospirosis is rare in the UK. UKHSA counted 154 confirmed and probable cases in England in 2024, of which 102 were confirmed, 16 of those in London. Six confirmed cases reported contact with a rodent or rodent droppings or urine as a possible exposure, although exposure details were only available for 27 of the 102. So the risk from rats in your garden is low, but it is worth simple care.

The NHS says it spreads through the urine of infected animals, most often rats, mice, cows, pigs and dogs, and that you can catch it if contaminated soil or fresh water gets into your mouth, eyes or a cut. Most people who catch it have no symptoms or mild flu-like symptoms, but some become seriously ill. The NHS says to see a GP if you may have been exposed and have a fever or chills, headache, sickness, diarrhoea, aches, red eyes or loss of appetite. It says to get an urgent GP appointment or contact NHS 111 if you have yellowing skin or eyes, a rash, cannot pass urine, have swelling in your ankles, feet or hands, chest pain or shortness of breath. Tell the doctor about the rats.

The RHS adds that rat urine can contaminate water and wet vegetation, and that rats carry salmonella too. For clean-up, the rule is to keep it off your skin.

Call a professional when rats are indoors, when burrows stay active, when the problem returns, or when you have children or pets near the area. The decision path below sets out how we would approach it. A single sighting outdoors, with no other signs, is the only situation where we would suggest waiting. Clear the food, set boxed traps, and look again in two weeks.

Good rat exterminators do more than lay bait. Hackney Council surveys a property to find the entry points, normally uses a mix of traps and poison, and then advises on stopping rats returning. Lambeth typically makes up to three visits, two weeks apart, laying bait along rat runs and in drains where needed. Reading's list of what a good firm provides is a useful test for anyone offering rat control services: a written inspection report and action plan, tamper-resistant bait containers, advice on repairs, visits as needed, and prevention advice.

Before you book anyone, ask how many visits are included, whether proofing is in the price, what happens if rats return, what bait they use and how it is secured around pets, whether they will collect bait boxes and dead rats, and what training and trade memberships they hold. Avoid anyone who quotes without asking where you have seen the rats, or who promises results without any inspection. If you cannot tell what you are dealing with, start with a pest inspection, or contact us with your photos.

If you are searching for a rat exterminator price, here is ours. Rat control starts from £109. The final figure depends on how far the activity has spread, the rooms and outdoor areas affected, access, entry points and how many visits are needed. We confirm the price, the visits and what is included in writing before you book.

Rat treatment can need more than one visit, so a package can be better value. For a 1-bed property, a two-visit package is £160 to £190, with a follow-up in 14 days and a 1-month written guarantee. A three-visit package is £210 to £230, with proofing recommendations and a 3-month written guarantee. Larger homes are on our prices page, and packages include a safety report plus follow-up and proofing advice. The table sets those beside some published council fees, so you can compare like with like. For repair work, see rodent proofing.

We are based on Clements Road in Ilford, cover London and carry public liability insurance. Phone lines are open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 8pm. Send us a photo of the droppings or the burrow, tell us where you have seen the rats and give us your postcode. If you are nearby, our Ilford pest control page sets our prices beside Redbridge Council's, and our guide to pest control costs explains what moves a quote up or down.