Cape home destroyed by rats, homeowners blame pest company

CAPE CORAL, Fla.- Rats have caused an estimated $30,000 in damage to a southwest Cape Coral home, and the homeowners say it could have been avoided if the pest control company they hired followed up on its promise.

Leaking water has ruined the walls, floors, and ceiling, thanks to the rodents that chewed through the plumbing.

The homeowners, Catherine and Besflores Nievera, hired Truly Nolen to get rid of the rats months ago. When they were assured that the rats were gone, they had the plumbing fixed.

Now there’s fresh chew marks in the pipes causing more problems.

The Nieveras, now living in a hotel, say Truly Nolen refuses to help.

“They said ‘no, there’s no more rats’, and I said ‘yes there are I hear them up there, we got water damage some more’ and they said ‘well sorry, they’re gone'” said Catherine Nievera. “Now we just don’t know what to do because nobody’s going to pay for it and we can’t afford it.”

Darrell Gadsden, a general contractor hired by the homeowners to fix the water damage, says his hands are tied until the plumbing is fixed and the rats are gone for good.

“Truly Nolen needs to step up to the plate and do what needs to be done, which is make sure that their customer is satisfied. Your job is to eradicate the rats. Do your job,” said Gadsden.

UPDATE: A representative from the Truly Nolen corporate office contacted WINK News Tuesday evening. Director of Marketing Michelle Nolen-Senner says they rat-proofed the house in April 2014, and that there were no issues for months. Nolen-Senner says sometime after that, the homeowners had a new air conditioner installed, which created a new hole in the house that the rats have been using to get inside.