Tenants in Saint-Leonard building complain of rats, cockroach, mice infestation

Residents in an apartment building in Montreal's Saint-Laurent borough say they've been battling rats and cockroaches.

For months, Mylissa Koeppe says she’s been busy patching holes in her walls and trapping rats in her apartment.

She and her neighbours in the 11-unit building on Jean-Talon Street East in Saint-Leonard say a severe rat infestation is making their homes unliveable.

In addition to rats, they say other vermin including cockroaches and mice, are problems they deal with every day.

Koeppe has been keeping her clothing in plastic bins, to protect them from rat droppings.

“You don’t sleep. You’re constantly like, I’m living in containers and I feel like bubble kid,” she said.

Koeppe and other tenants CTV spoke to say it’s hard to reach the property owner, and while they say the janitor provides traps, they feel little is being done to address the problem.

Elias Lopez lives in the building and says he’s been finding rats in his apartment for more than a year.

“As you can see, if you go outside the whole building, the foundation is very bad,” said Lopez. “It has cracks everywhere.”

The property owner declined a CTV News request for an interview, but in an email said tenants have made multiple reports of rats, in November, March and April.

In each case they say pest control treatments were applied, and entry points were sealed.

The email also notes, “Proper housekeeping by tenants is an important factor in the success of pest managament efforts.”

Mohsine Attal’s parents live in the building and he feels the methods being used to tackle the rat problem aren’t enough.

“When you see six months later, the problem is getting worse and worse, something has to be done,” he said.

The property owner says she received a formal letter from tenants on April 22, adding, “Following receipt of this notice, we immediately retained a professional pest control service, which is scheduled to attend the property on Tuesday, April 29, 2025.”

Attal is hoping that will help, and give peace of mind to his parents, and their neighbours.

“I can tell they are stressed out, they feel insecure.”