Dear Rebecca
I have an older home that I plan to put on the market soon. I think that we have bats in our attic however I never been up there to check it out. Our neighbours said they have seen bats coming from our house in the evening. Is this really a concern for selling our home and do we have to disclose that we may have bats? What do you recommend?
Janice
Dear Janice
Bats in the attic are not, as Martha Stewart would say, “a good thing.” Although, bats are important contributors to keeping the insect population under control, sharing your home with a bat colony is not a healthy situation. Bats are carriers of two serious diseases rabies and histoplasmosis.
Rabies is a viral infection, which causes acute encephalitis (brain inflammation) and eventually death. Rabies is transmitted to humans through contact with the saliva of an infected mammal, most often by a bite or scratch, or by saliva contacting broken skin or mucous membranes such as the eyes, nose, and mouth. According to the Canada Food Inspection Agency statistics from 2007-2010, bats account for the second highest number, average of 34%, of cases of confirmed rabies across the country. Although there have only been two confirmed cases of rabies in New Brunswick in the past 3 years both of those were bats. So, if you do venture into your attic do not touch a bat.
The other disease spread by bats is histoplasmosis, a pulmonary (lung) disease caused by the reproductive spores of the microscopic fungus, Histoplasma capsulatum. This fungus is found in the soil and can be airborne. Both birds and bats can carry the fungus. The fungus is found on birds however, only bats can be infected due to their low body temperature and the fungus is found to be excreted in bat droppings. H. capsulatum grows on both the droppings (guano) of birds or bats. An accumulation of guano from both bats and birds is considered a biohazard, the removal of the droppings requires caution, and professional clean-up is recommended. The spores of H. capsulatum, which infect are extremely small and if you go into your attic to assess the bat situation, a HEPA mask is recommended as dust and particle masks are not effective. Do not disturb the droppings by trying to sweep it, as it is the dry droppings that pose the greatest risk of the spores becoming airborne. Here is a link from Concordia University in Montreal http://ehs.concordia.ca/hm/biohazard/birdbat.html on the recommended procedures for decontamination of bat or bird dropping. There are local pest control services such as EXCEL Pest Control, which will provide both the service of removal of the bat colony and proper elimination of the bat droppings. This may include the removal of attic insulation and may require removal of soffits and roofing.
You must disclose the bat infestation. Like any material fact or defect that may deter a buyer from purchasing a home a pest infestation must be disclosed on the Property Condition Disclosure Statement (PCDS). There is a specific section of PCDS, which asks,” Are you aware of any infestations by insects, bats, or rodents?” As well, there is an opportunity to indicate whether they have been treated?
When potential buyers have read a PCDS that reveals a past and remedied defect, prior to making offer and the buyers move forward with an offer, they are making an informed choice. Unexpected results in either the PCDS or the home inspection can crush their enthusiasm for their new home purchase and may make buyers walk from an offer especially if a seller is not upfront with a known defect.
As the fall is the recommended season to evict your unwelcome tenants, I suggest you seek the help of professional pest removal services now. Keep copies of all the receipts detailing the removal of the bats and the decontamination of your attic and present these along with the Property Condition Disclosure Statement.
Good Luck selling
Rebecca
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