Residents of the Prinzenhof apartment complex in Helmond are suffering from a rat plague. According to them, the cause lies in the container location at the complex, which catering entrepreneurs also use.
At least seven rats have been caught on the first floor since September. There are several clamps on the balcony of Pieter and Will from Ettro. A rat box has also been placed on the flat roof. Pieter hung a flyer in the elevator to warn fellow residents about the rat nuisance.
According to Pieter, the problem lies with the container area near the parking lot. There are containers for paper and organic waste. Not only the seventy residents use this, but also catering entrepreneurs.
A pest controller was hired through the housing association. Pieter hopes that the municipality will empty the containers more often and that the container cage will be separated.
Response from the municipality:
The municipality reports that it has received a report about rat nuisance, initially in the container cage. “The pest controller was immediately called in.” He placed rat boxes, but no rats were caught in them.
Later there were reports of rats in the apartment complex itself. “We found that food was not cleared away properly or thrown down on a roof. That attracts rats.” Both the municipality and the housing association then placed rat boxes, after which several rats were captured.
The Prinzenhof receives extra attention, just like other so-called problem locations. “This is under the motto: if it is clean, it stays clean.” According to the municipality, municipal employees and supervisors have checked the containers regularly. “In almost all cases the facility was clean and tidy. With the exception of a few occasions, the containers were emptied on time in 2025 and did not overflow.”
