Pittsburgh woman says condemned house next to hers is causing rodent problems

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A Pittsburgh woman says she’s dealing with raccoons, a mice infestation and countless holes chewed in the walls because of a neighboring house that’s condemned. 

She called KDKA Investigates after she said her complaints to the City of Pittsburgh and the Allegheny County Health Department didn’t deliver a solution.

There are countless holes in Debbie Joyce’s drywall thanks to hungry mice looking to stay warm.

“Here’s my biggest problem is I found out if they start eating my wires it can cause a fire,” said Joyce.

That’s why Joyce hired a local exterminator and paid nearly a thousand dollars for bait traps. She said the cause of her recent rodent issues sits directly behind her Glasgow Street home.

“I’ve lived in this house for over 30-plus years and never had an issue till this house became dilapidated,” she said.  

Blue condemned signs are posted on several other homes in her Sheraden neighborhood, but the vacant Sacramento Avenue home sits empty, with a big hole in the side of it. Joyce thinks the rapid deterioration of that home is attracting rodents to her backyard so she started complaining to the Allegheny County Health Department.

“I’m not getting anybody to respond other than this letter that I got from the health department, but when I tried to call them to tell them they’re deceased, they didn’t even respond back to me,” Joyce said. 

The health department tells KDKA Investigates the inspector didn’t see any rodents near the vacant home but did issue a letter to the homeowner, asking them to cut the grass.

Joyce says that didn’t result in anything because the owners are deceased.

County spokesperson Abigail Gardner recommended Joyce tries engaging with city leadership or the URA to see if they’d consider adding the property to the blight removal list.

“I thought I would take priority since I’m now dealing with the rodents and I’m not going to be reimbursed all the money I’ve put out for this problem. I was shocked when you told me that they didn’t find anything wrong with that house. I’m like, seriously?” she said. 

KDKA-TV also called City Councilwoman Theresa Kail-Smith and she said it’s “inhumane” to live next to these blighted properties and she’s sympathetic to Joyce’s issues.

Kail-Smith said she is going to get the property added to the land bank and treasury sale lists and hopes someone can buy it and demo it or renovate the property much quicker than the time it would take the city to do it.