Unwanted Wildlife in the Condo Attic!

E.B. from Tolland county writes:

Dear Mister Condo,

I live in a free-standing 55 and over condo unit and think we may have birds, mice or bats in our attic. For the past 5 or 6 weeks, my cats have been constantly looking at the ceiling, both from the floor and from the tops of furniture. I’ve visually checked the attic by standing on a ladder placed through the access panel on 3 occasions but have not seen anything. I also threw moth balls around but that hasn’t seemed to help. I haven’t crawled around to check more closely such as around the perimeter and under the insulation but at 73 years old, I don’t think it would be very safe to do so. I would like to have a professional check it out and would like to know if it’s my responsibility or the association’s responsibility to do so.

Mister Condo replies:

E.B., I am sorry you have unwanted visitors in your attic. My primary question to you is: who owns the attic? If it is your attic and not connected to your neighbors’ attics as well, it might be you. However, it is not uncommon for the association to own the roof and the attic, which would make the wildlife removal their responsibility. You really need to look at your condo’s governance documents to see who owns the attic. The attic owner is the responsible party and should take immediate steps to remove the creatures. In addition to the noise annoyance, there is a very real danger from animal droppings creating toxic mold. Best to get these critters removed as soon as possible, Good luck!