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RATS: Vacant house leads to rat infestation for neighbors

By: Cathy Tatom

Posted at 5:58 PM, Jun 21, 2024

TULSA, Okla — Rats from a vacant house with an overgrown yard are chewing their way into Michael Colbert's rental property.

"There's rats traveling from the north side of the home over into my side," Colbert said.

"I heard it playin' with the wall," said Loyal Brown, Colbert's tenant. "Then my sister found a hole right there."

She pointed to a place where rats chewed right through the wall.

Brown said that when she first saw something in the living room, she wasn't sure what it was.

"I thought it was a cat runnin', but the whole time, it was a big ol' rat!"

Colbert called The Problem Solvers to find out what to do about the house next door.

He said some of the neighbors told him rats and the overgrown yards are not the only issues with the property. They sometimes see squatters break into it as well.

He said most of the people on this street are elderly and don't want to get involved, so he isn't sure if anyone has called 311 to report issues with the house. He has made a complaint.

Anyone in Tulsa who knows of a property with similar problems can call 311 to report it to Code Enforcement.