Rats, are very common in crawl spaces. Home inspectors like to refer to them as “rodents” because it sounds more “euphemistic.” (It is also possible that it might be “bushy-tail rats”—also known as squirrels.)
People buying homes HATE rats (usually).
Rats are as likely to kill a deal on a house as quick as asbestos or mold.
One of the most common ways rats and other rodents find there way into homes is through damaged crawl space vents. Sometimes they even make their own way through these vents. Attics are the second most common place to find evidence of rats. It is a good idea to routinely check these vents for signs of infestation.
This picture is a very good example of a hole in the screen either made by the critters or made by other means. The dark staining on the wood under the hole is where the grease from their body hair is accumulating on the wood—a sign that they have been coming and going for quite some time.
It is common to see wiring run through the screening of these vents. Rats will chew the wire off, and then be able to get through the hole where the wire was. They will widen the hole as necessary.
So do you know what condition your vent screens are in?
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