Two weeks ago, one of the tenants complained about the noise in the attic. Perhaps, an unpaid “critter” had taken a residency above them. My heart sank just imagining the work needed to chase out those critters. I had some “bad” experience in the past with a family of possums living in the attic in my previous home. I ended up battling that family for over a year . (I should’ve hired a professional though). I quickly checked and found the attic vent had an opening, thanks to the modern architecture of merging two roof lines, where it forms a natural shelter for animals. See below:

Close up here:

I suspected the unwelcome guests were either rats or squirrels. I assumed it’s probably a rat(s) due to the small hole. Decided to bait the rat with a rat poison like this one for maximum safety consideration:

After a couple of days, I went back to check and found the bait wasn’t even touched. Decided to toss one whole block of bait into the vent to maximumize efficiency. Sure enough. Two days later. The tenant reported a dead rat on the backyard and had since tossed it into the garbage can.

I will check back a couple of weeks to ensure all the rats were killed before sealing the vent back. Another disaster has been diverted.