CINCINNATI — It’s something nightmares are made of: mice, everywhere inside your home. It’s the reality of one Westwood resident who has been documenting mice inside his apartment.
“I have killed over 50 to 60 mice,” Ryan Parker said. “Probably seen more than that.”
Parker said issues with mice have ramped up inside his building at the Lafeuille Apartments over the past few months. A WCPO 9 crew observed apparent mouse droppings in drawers and across the floor inside his home.
“At night, we can hear them,” Parker said.
Parker said he and his family have had to box up belongings and move furniture to the center of two of the apartment’s rooms. The goal was to move items away from mice.
“The old couch is gone because they ate through the old couch,” he said.
Because of this, Parker said he and his wife have kept their new couch in the box it came in. They’ve started to see holes in the cardboard box holding it too.
Parker said the mice chewed a hole into equipment that operates the washing machine, rendering it unusable.
Two of his children have Autism and are nonverbal. On one occasion, Parker said his child picked up a mouse inside his unit.
Three other individuals told WCPO 9 that they had observed mice in the building, but said their concerns had been addressed by management.
Health code documents show three complaints of mice at the complex since the start of the year, including two from Parker’s building. During inspections, city employees noted “mice are in the building.” Inspectors also observed mice droppings in the kitchen and both bedrooms.
Property officials told health inspectors that the Parkers were “not maintaining a clean and sanitary house.” Inspectors noted that housekeeping was poor during the initial inspection, but had improved by the second inspection. Another is scheduled.
A representative for PLK Communities, which runs the property, told WCPO 9 they were first made aware of the pest issue in November 2023.
“At that time, we did apartment inspections so that we could try to pinpoint where the problem started,” wrote Maria Lashells, vice president of marketing and brand, in an email. “We had one home that was served notice of housekeeping issues.”
Lashells said the complex continued follow-up work and treatment to the building, while working with the health department. In February, she said the resident and pest control company gave the “all clear.”
“We’ve done extensive outside building sealing and set outdoor traps,” she wrote. “Recently, the pest issue returned to the same building and upon home inspections, the problem resident was again in severely unclean living conditions. We are again treating any apartments affected by the issue. All homes will be cleared within the week; however, per the pest control company, the apartment at the root of this pest problem can no longer be treated due to the condition of the home.”
Lashells said the complex has filed to have the resident vacate the apartment to “permanently fix the problem.”
Parker said he received the notice, and he and his family want to move out. However, he wants money from the complex, including back rent and compensation for traps.
“We have spent hundreds of dollars in traps,” he said.
Parker said he’s observed the mice in his home even when it’s “squeaky clean.”
“We live by the grace of God,” Parker said. “Hopefully a change will come one day.”
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