I operate a professional rat removal business in Orlando Florida, where there's a lot of rats. I've seen hundreds of cases, and am an expert on getting rid of rats. The first and most important principle to know is that in order to completely and permanently solve the rat problem, you must stop any rats from getting inside the house in the first place. They're getting in somehow - they can use a lot of different entry points - vents, ducts, gaps in siding, architectural gaps in the eave and fascias, on the roof, under the house, etc. With our experience in rat control and knowledge of building architecture and how rats use it, we can do it completely, with guarantee. We perform a very detailed inspection of the house or building, and find every last spot that rats are using to get in. Once we've found everything, we seal it all up, with steel mesh and plating, that rats cannot chew back through. We make sure the place is entirely rat-proof. This is by far the most important step. Once this is done, then it's just a simple matter of trapping and removing the remaining rats, which is easy once they can't get outside for food and water, and the job is done. Well, it's also a good idea to have the attic cleaned and decontaminated and deodorized to kill off the parasites and the chance for Eosinophilic Meningitis, Leptospirosis or Salmonellosis, and to eliminate the phermone scent in rat grease and urine that will attract new rats to try to chew their way into the house.
It's also important to trap and remove the rats correctly. A lot of lazy companies will set a few traps by the attic hatch. That's not very effective. Rats are creatures of habit, and tend to travel the same pathways over and over. In order to catch them, it's best to set many traps, at least a dozen or more, on the exact trails in the attic that the rats are using. Poison is a horrible idea, as it leaves rat carcasses in the attic and walls, decomposing and giving off a terrible odor. Glue boards and other traps aren't very effective. Snap traps are best. For more information on rat trapping, read the how to kill rats page.
As for other ideas for how to get rid of rats, people may recommend cleaning up garbage, keeping the property free of trash and debris, keeping vegetation down, trimming back trees and other plants next to the house, and so on, but these things are not necessary. Sure, garbage and debris and flora will attract rats, but the truth is that there's always going to be a lot of rats outside, even if you live in a very clean area, and there's no way to stop that. So the only real way to take care of a rat problem for good is to seal shut all entry points into the house, and let the rats live outside or in your neighbor's house, where they belong.
