Reporting a rat sighting

City environment sector's Evironmental protection unit will give advice on who is in charge of extermination of the rats. When necessary, the Evironmental protection unit can assess whether the detached house, terraced house or apartment building area has so many rats that they may cause a health hazard.

If there is found to be a health hazard, the Evironmental protection unit can obligate the owner of the real estate to exterminate the rats from the area.

Isolated rat sightings are not usually considered a health hazard which would require action from the Evironmental protection unit. If there are so many rats that they may cause a health hazard, a municipal health protection authority may order the necessary measures for exterminating a pest.

In such situations, a representative from the Evironmental protection unit will, for example, visit the reported location and inspect it in order to assess the health hazard.

The Evironmental protection unit will not carry out the extermination or give advice on how to perform it. Extermination of rats and other pests is the responsibility of the building owner. If you observe rats, you should first contact the owner of the plot or the building manager.

If you see rats in the parks and on the streets of Helsinki, you can report your sightings directly to the customer service department of the City environment sector's customer service.