Squirrels
The Loft Nobody Visits in a Hendon Let
An interwar semi or terrace has a loft big enough for a squirrel to nest in without anyone noticing. In a family home somebody goes up for the Christmas decorations; in a let house nobody does, because the tenants have no reason to and the landlord lives elsewhere. A loose tile, a gap at the eaves or a hole where a roof meets a rear extension can be used for months before the noise is reported. Houses with gardens backing onto the trees of Hendon Park and Sunny Hill Park have plenty of squirrels close by. How squirrels get into a roof shows where to look from the ground.
What a tenant hears
Squirrels are active by day, so the scratching and thumping tend to start around dawn and carry on through the morning, often overhead in a top-floor bedroom. Night-time noise is more likely to be something else, and what squirrels sound like helps you describe it.
Tenants: Report It, Do Not Investigate
- Tell the landlord or agent in writing, with the room and the times you hear it
- Do not open the loft hatch to look; a frightened squirrel can come down into the room
- Do not block holes you can see from the garden while a squirrel may still be inside
- Note any smell, staining on the ceiling or light fittings that flicker, and pass it on
If the scratching is at night and comes from inside a wall or under the floor, it may be mice or rats rather than squirrels.
How Squirrel Control Works for a Landlord
The £280 trapping service follows a set order. First the technician confirms that it is squirrels and finds how they are getting in. Trapping follows. When the loft is clear, the entry point can be closed, and branches that let squirrels jump onto the roof should be cut back. How long that takes depends on the house and how many squirrels are using it, as how long squirrel control takes explains.
Access through a tenant's room
Because the hatch is usually in a bedroom or on the landing, the landlord or agent needs to arrange access with the tenants for each part of the job, giving the notice the tenancy requires. It helps to clear the space under the hatch and to have a ladder that reaches. Tell us who will be there on the day.
Semis, roofers and timing
In a pair of semis the loft space may connect with the house next door, so the entry point can be on the neighbour's side; it is worth talking to them. Where the way in is a broken tile or rotten fascia, a roofer should repair it once the loft is clear. Spring and late summer, when young are born, need more care than the rest of the year, which is one reason not to leave a report unanswered.
Landlords with more than one house in NW4 sometimes find the same thing in each: lofts that were boarded and insulated years ago and never looked at since. A look at the roof line from the garden at each changeover, for slipped tiles or chewed fascia boards, can catch an entry point before anything moves in.
The Law on Releasing Grey Squirrels
Grey squirrels are an invasive species, and releasing one into the wild after trapping is an offence. That is why live-catch traps bought online are not the easy answer they seem. Whether you can release a grey squirrel sets out the position plainly. For squirrels in the Metroland lofts across the borough, see Squirrel Control Barnet, and neighbouring Mill Hill has more on houses at the woodland edge.
