Northridge neighborhoods and landmarks we cover
- Sherwood Forest
- Cal State Northridge (CSUN)
- Northridge Fashion Center
- Oakridge Estate Park
- Devonshire Street
- Reseda Boulevard
- Dearborn Park
- Porter Ranch (ZIP 91326)
Where Northridge homes let rodents in
Big lots and orchard trees
Sherwood Forest and other older Northridge streets still have mature walnut, citrus and avocado trees, some left from the orchards. Roof rats live in dense canopies like these and travel along the branches, so a limb resting on the roof or a vine on the chimney can lead them straight to an attic vent.
Sheds and detached garages
Wide Northridge lots leave room for detached garages, sheds and workshops behind the house. Stored pet food, firewood and boxes give mice and rats shelter a few steps from the main house, and the gaps under the doors of those buildings are easy to miss.
Rentals near the campus
Around Cal State Northridge, many houses are shared rentals and many buildings are apartments, where shared walls, carports and trash areas link the units. Rodents move between units through pipe chases and attics, so a problem in one apartment can start somewhere else in the building.
Additions and remodels
Many post-war Northridge houses have been added onto over the decades. Where a newer room, patio cover or garage conversion meets the original roof and walls, the joint can leave a gap at the roofline or the foundation that a mouse or rat can use.
In apartment buildings, rodents move between units through shared walls, pipe runs and garages, so a problem can start next door.
