LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Residents of a Las Vegas apartment complex say they are upset about an invasion of rats.
People living at the Westland Villas at Desert Pointe say the problem has gotten so bad, they’re concerned about possible health issues.
Susan Lewis moved into the complex last July. She tells Channel 13 she encountered rats the first night she stayed in her unit.
"I went to sleep and my family woke me up to say there was something in the kitchen. I thought they had just cooked something,” Lewis said.
The next morning, she woke up to find an unwelcome guest behind her stove.
"It was a big one. It was half the size of my dog. That was the first one and they got rapid after that,” Lewis said.
Lewis invited us inside of her apartment to see what she considers a rat infestation. Her apartment was clean and tidy but there was evidence that rodents had been there.
“I can hear them scrawling in my ceiling and behind my walls at night,” Lewis said. “My house is clean but just because it's clean does not mean that there's not a problem.”
Lewis contacted Channel 13 this week after she said rats started to nest behind her refrigerator, stove, and closet.
"This has been emotional, mental, and downright physical,” Lewis said.
Channel 13 reached out several times to property management and received the following statement on Thursday afternoon.
“Westland Villas at Desert Pointe takes all appropriate actions to provide a safe community and environment for our residents, maintenance technicians, staff, and vendors, including by offering unlimited free pest control abatement. Our overall abatement strategy includes a proactive approach with a licensed pest control treatment provider that is onsite weekly for periodic pest control treatment in the common areas, vacant units, and the inspection and treatment of additional units regardless of whether complaints are made by the residents. When problems arise, we offer free unlimited abatements, including for insects, rodents, and other vertebrae pests, through licensed pest control vendors in response to resident requests. We have implemented an innovative request system by which requests can quickly and easily be made through a variety of methods including texts, our online resident portal, email, or telephone. All rodent complaints that have been reported have been scheduled for treatment, and presently our pest control vendors have responded to all open requests for treatment. In the event standard treatment is not effective in removing pests, we have adopted a methodical approach by treating affected and non-affected units alike. Through the above approach, Westland strives to provide clean, safe and stable communities that our residents can call home.”
The Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada shared information on what tenants could do in these situations.
Aside from documenting the issues and making sure everything is time stamped, tenants can also send a letter to their landlord via certified mail and request a return receipt so they have evidence of when the landlord received it.
“Frequently, the property managers won’t address the situation. That’s why, after providing the proper notice and waiting that 14-day period, the law gives the tenant the right to break the lease and move out,” Aaron MacDonald, staff attorney for the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada, said.
An example of the letter can be foundhere.
