My neighbour is trying to force me to allow her pest control company to inspect my garden

Sharina
This is harassment.
Citizens Advice have a free service, they will advise you.

Do you want Pest Control Services.?* Your* choice how you intend dealing with it.

First, I'm very sorry that this harassment has been going on for ten years. That can be very stressful. If I were in your situation, I agree with some of these others that state you need an attorney. I personally would begin with a legal letter stating that the harassment has been going on for this extensive time span and that repeatedly being pressured to allow access and accommodate your neighbor has caused you great distress, etc. Cease and desist immediately. The problem is on their side and if they had a decent pest control company trap and block access, they could get control over it "at their home" They do not need to hassle you. Stop allowing access. You are only enabling their imagination. Maybe they need to clean house.

Perhaps suggest you will get a restraining order if she keeps harassing you in this way.

You can just withhold access to your property full-stop.
When you inform her of this, please add that if they ever choose to move, they will have to declare it and if they withhold that information they will have a whopping fine levied on top of any legal action. It used not to be so but many people 'conveniently' forgot to mention key facts about the property they were selling.
Best of luck to you .

Our neighbours used to "grow on " turkeys for several weeks before Christmas and they also had chickens and ducks. We also back on to fields , but it was only when they had the turkeys that the rats seemed to arrive!
We have also been accused of having rats in our garden after a neighbour's cat took a baby one home (thankfully dead)
Pest control came out and we were told that we weren't the problem!
Let the pest control people into your garden and work together with your neighbour instead of against her. As you say, you live near stables so that may well be the source in the first place.
Having rats in your house/garden doesn't mean you are dirty, just the little blighters will go wherever they think they can find warmth and food by whatever means. We all need to work together as a team to lower the chances of the rat population getting even bigger !

I too had a rat problem a few years ago because my very elderly neighbour put out all her leftovers supposedly for the foxes. Both her other neighbour and I ended up with burrows in our gardens. Her other neighbour eventually persuaded her to call in a pest control company who said that her (very overgrown) garden was rat city and that the compost bin next to my house was 'full of rats'. The pest chaps put down bait in all out gardens and I thought that was the end of it until a few months later I heard footsteps in the loft. Sure enough they had found their way in but despite the best efforts of my builder, pest control company and plumber we couldn't find how they were getting in. I put bait down for several years and I think that they have now gone. Please research rats - there is loads of info on the internet. They are everywhere even though we might not see them. Also they are often able to climb walls and squeeze through a gap as big as your thumb.

With regard to access, my new neighbour has built an extension on the boundary and has moved the fence right next to my wall - long story. My solicitor told me that if I wanted access to my wall I had to put the date and time I needed it in writing and that my neighbour had the right to turf out anyone who exceeded the agreed time!

Neighbour has no right to access her wall without asking in writing. You can withhold permission unless she has a good reason eg cleaning gutters once a year, repainting every 5 years or emergency repairs. See The Party Wall Act. Practice saying no to her unreasonable requests and don’t engage with her nonsense.
Amazon sell plug in rodent repellers. A friend of mine has them in his shop and basement store. Never had a rodent problem since. Rats are no respecter of boundaries. If they’re next door, keep them there and not in your house. If they’re coming up through the drains, the drains need mending. Also suggest neighbour speaks to Stables as they should be doing something from they’re end. Good luck. I feel for you

One bit of advice I would mention that might help in the future. As head of communications for a large company I was used to dealing with people by phone , written and in person. So I have an answerphone , which is quite useful as it will record whatever is said to you. Any calls I did not like I quietly said all my calls are recorded and the call was quickly ended if there was any problems. So if you have any sort of security things, you could have recordings of any calls she makes to you, if you have a security camera near your door, again you will have recordings and letters and notes can be copied or photographed. Keep a small notepad just to put dates of interactions down. So if things improve there is no need to use it but if they get worse you will have evidence of harrassment and what and how something is said as what can read as a reasonable sentence in a letter can be much more threatening being spoken. I will be fair and say that she may have a phobia about rats which she cannot help. I am a country person and am used to dealing with whatever but when my son was 2 years old we went to live in Damascus and were in a very nice ground floor flat. Then there was something wrong in the street outside and there were road works and then got a rat in the kitchen. For me that was it!! My husband said oh it will be ok and they will sort it etc. But OH NO! I was not risking my sons health or the thought of getting up in the middle of the night and seeing one, so I promptly packed up enough stuff, told my husband he could stay or come as he pleased and moved to a hotel and stayed there for three days until I was certain that the work outside was finished and that the pest control people had sorted it all. Even then I got a company in to clean the carpets and furniture and disinfected all the floors before I went back. Whilst I am usually prepared to listen to reason and hear other peoples ideas on that occasion I was not taking any prisoners and went straight out , so everyone has some sort of limits. anyway hope that you dont need to use these ideas but it will give you a good overall view of things and if needed will provide evidence for your solicitor.

We had a rat or rats coming from under our shed to the bird feeders, we paid to get rid of the rats and took down the feeders. I felt so sad as my DH loves watching the birds so we have put them back up but on the patio where I can brush up the 'waste' - of which there always seems so much - and so far we've not seen any more. We too have a cat but I think she'd run a mile from a big rat!

There was a rat problem where my friend lives. They'd got under houses and chewed through electricity cables - so her neighbours were up in arms about it. It turned out that someone's new extension had been built with - drains 'the wrong way around' (whatever that means)!

#RATMAN GRRRRR EDIT PLEASE????

Oh I feel your pain I went through something similar few years ago and I used to have a pond at time and I used to get rats trying to eat my first and I was scared to go into the garden because of them so I got rid of my pond only for rats to keep coming so I had ppl checking and it turned out my neighbors who had a dog had opened the drain part open and where dropping its business down and obviously rats were coming up. But they denied it so pest control told me to record it. Even with proof they still denied it. But I ended up moving in end. I couldn’t let my grandkids play in garden. I put up with it for 7yr.

I also would let them look. I had rats chomping in my compost bin few years ago, Rayman came, left bait dangling in bin, rats took yummy bait back to family.....no more rats. Now stand bin on steel close mesh and not a problem. I would NOT have dug up roses! Daft! But finding a ratrun can be a real expedition they travel miles for a worthy cause! Otherwise smile sweetly and kill her with kindness......

Visgir1, I have Quill metal squirrel baffles above my hanging bird feeders - and I've never seen a rat here.

Years ago, in a previous home, I spotted a large rat at the end of my garden and called the council. On investigation, the rats' nest was found to be in our neighbours' compost heap. Rats are no respecters of boundaries.

I agree - no more nice guy, and no more letting all and sundry into your house/garden. Go to Citizen's Advice Bureau and the council and get definitive advice on your rights plus complain that you are being harrassed.

The neighbour sounds like a bully - fight fire with fire. I would tell her calmly that there are laws to deal with behaviour like hers, and she needs to calm down and stop harassing you or you will be taking legal advice.

Gosh I so feel for you,,, don`t really know what to say, but I do think this is harrassment, and needs to be stopped.

I was so proud that I was strong enough to take on this monstrous man, all on my own, having not long been divorced ….

Well done crazyH. What a horrible situation for you.

you do not have to give access to your property without notice unless its an emergency, and request she give you written notice in future put rat bait along your side of property which helps to control any that are using your as a run. if this continues then maybe a solicitors letter saying she must stop harassing you

What part of "no" does your neighbour not understand? No one told them to build right up to the boundaries - so, check the laws; they cannot just jump into your property because they didn't leave access to the outside of their wall on their plot, just to gain as much "building" as they could. Tell her that you will bring your own exterminators, if you need to; after all, she will not be paying for they services on your plot. Report her to the Council for harrassment; she has no right to 'threaten' you, she is trying to break you by bullying you into agreeing to whatever she says, so call her bluff and tell her that you have already contacted the Council yourself. And do it - yesterday.

Wouldn't it be sensible to allow the pest control firm to put rat bait down in your garden too.

My daughter was having a rat problem, as we're other neighbours in the cul de sac of approx. 24 houses. They all but one removed bird feeders and all but one, got in pest control. It was discovered by the local council that the 'but one' house had trays full of food permanently out in their back garden. The Council stepped in. Problem solved.
The rats returned to the New Forest and stopped terrifying the rest of the residents. A few months later the 'but one' neighbours moved out.
Peace for all.

If there is a pest control problem surely it would be better to let her pest control people have a look?

Our elderly neighbours have rats and the rats burrow on our side of the boundary and the other neighbours side. We put rat baits down 5m apart along the boundary which controls it to a certain extent but they do climb up their roses and ivy on our neighbours side, so I can see your neighbours logic even though it must be upsetting to hear

And here’s my advice…..is this something you need legal advice with ? Just asking ….