toronto rent

Horrifying rat-filled apartment shows why Toronto remains worst for rodents in Canada

One Toronto resident's sickening experience living in a rat-infested apartment has gone viral this week just as the city has once again been named the "rattiest" in Canada by pest control experts.

The 32-year-old, who lives in a Toronto Community Housing (TCHC) complex at Eglinton Ave. E and Markham Road, began posting about the mice, rats, cockroaches and other pests in her unit on social media earlier this month, sharing everything from photos of overfilled glue traps and piles of dead rodents to videos of them scratching while she tries to sleep.

toronto rent

The tenant has documented all of the issues with her Toronto Public Housing unit on social media.

"After three years of asking for help, I am still dealing with the same things as I was back in 2020," she wrote in one of her posts detailing how she has tried to fix the problem herself with foam sealant.

Photos in a public drive she has shared on Facebook show the grim conditions she's faced while living in the apartment, which include garbage left in the hallways and stacked in the disposal room — factors she believes are contributing to her pest issues.

toronto rent

Garbage from other residents is often stacked high in her complex's garbage chute room and in the halls.

She has also shared photos of mould, exposed electrical work and otherwise uninhabitable conditions in her home, which she has lived in since Fall 2020 with her young son.

Her total rent is $242 per month, while the market rent TCHC estimates for the unit is $1,492, though the tenant has woken up to mice in her bed and cockroaches behind her stove's digital clock display.

Thus far, the pest control solutions provided to her have been what she calls "band-aids," such as glue traps and bait traps. Her apartment has also been sprayed no less than six times.

Since sharing her story with local news outlets though, she noted in a Facebook post on Monday that "at least [TCHC] is taking it seriously right now."

toronto rent

Cockroaches are a daily sight in the TCHC building despite multiple rounds of spraying and traps.

The social housing provider told CP24 and others this week that it is aware of pest problems in the building at 3171 Eglinton Avenue East, which it has been managing since 2022.

It also noted a "backlog of maintenance-related concerns" that it is "actively responding" to.

Meanwhile, Orkin Canada issued a release on Tuesday deeming Toronto the worst city in the country for rat and mice issues, based on the volume of commercial and residential rodent treatments the company has been called in for over the last year.

Photos by

Eileen Boudreau


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Passenger films terrifying Ontario car crash but people aren't feeling any sympathy

Someone is trying to officially name Toronto's famous Graffiti Alley

Canadian parents can expect money from the government this week

Ontario wants to make it a lot harder for Toronto and other cities to install bike lanes

Ontario dealing with weather whiplash and some areas are even seeing snow

Swarms of red and black bugs are trying to infiltrate Ontario homes this time of year

Canadians can get part of a $12.5M WestJet baggage fee class action settlement

Someone left $250K of jewellery in Ontario Airbnb and of course it was stolen