An Oakland family’s apartment has become overrun with rats and mice and they claim they’re struggling to get their landlord to help them.
Monday was the first day Karen Williams said she had been inside her family’s apartment since they cleared out days ago because of what happened with her 16-year-old daughter.
"Came to the refrigerator to get some water and there were three rats under her feet," she said.
The Williams said they've been pushing their landlord to do something about the rat infestation since June 19.
The landlord has filled several holes with some kind of foam sealant but it appears something chewed right through it.
So they've been slowly packing up their belongings, trying to keep out of reach of the rats that, they say, keep coming back.
Larry Williams moved into the rent controlled apartment 13 years ago. He says mice have always been a minor problem.
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"But then these rats came and I said ‘I gotta go. I can't stay.’ The city's not doing nothing. The relocation not doing nothing, nobody's helping maintain my unit,” he said. “I've had the unit for 13 years, I'm forced to move."
The tenants say the new landlord bought the building in 2017, and for the last four years, he's been documenting the text messages he's been exchanging with that new landlord, complaining about the issues there.
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The texts include complaints ranging from mold, to a broken toilet, and a broken water heater.
NBC Bay Area called the landlord Friday but he declined to talk on the record, saying he didn't have time. We called again Monday and haven’t heard back.
The Williams said they've tried to make it work, because the rent is very affordable – just $700 a month.
But say the situation with the rats now is untenable.
"So, where we are now, anything that moves slightly, we jump. Anything that we hear, we're like, oh my God,” Karen said. “I'm opening cabinets and jumping, we're not even here, it is so traumatizing."
The Williams say the city and county have issued health and safety orders, but their landlord has been slow to respond.
So they said they've given a 60 day notice and want their landlord to pay for a room for those next two months.
