It was a busy Saturday afternoon around 2pm. When I pulled up to the address, I was amazed to see that I was at the exact same house where an old friend of mines used to live. The condos now named East Coast Town Homes in Charlotte used to be called Westchester Apartments over 20 years ago.
When I walked up to the door, my customer, Rick came outside with a dreadful look and told me he was also waiting for the police to arrive. His rear passenger car window (where his infant's child car seat sits) had just been shot out early that morning while the car was sitting in the parking lot. There was still glass in the car seat when I looked inside. The police came out, wrote a short report and told him to contact his insurance company before leaving. Rick's face dropped even more but surprisingly he kept his cool and even kept his appointment.
As I mounted the TV, I overheard Rick talking to his kids about a serious rodent problem in his town home. He told me he had killed several bats inside the unit and had reported the problem to the rental manager and Charlotte Animal Control, without any help. I noticed that Rick had a small infant in the home who could not possibly defend herself from a vicious bat attack. I told Rick that his town home was infested with a serious problem and that he needed to vacate the premises as soon as possible or risk the possibility of being exposed to rabies. Rick explained that he didn't have the means to relocate after paying the security deposit at East Coast Town Homes.
Exposure to rabies can result from direct contact between a human and a bat by means of a bite, scratch, or even mucous membrane exposure. Histoplasmosis is a disease you get from exposure to bat droppings or "bat guano."
After mounting his tv, Rick realized his sofa was too big to rearrange the room but his reaction was cool as ice. After seeing this, I vowed to do all I could to help Rick and his family get out of his town home. I put Rick in touch with Delene Maybin, the rental manager at Klutts Properties.
I received an unexpected phone call from Rick while working one day. Delene helped Rick and his family find a new place to live in less than two weeks.
Whether it's shot out windows, bats in the attic, or oversized furniture, we never know what life is going to hand us but remember, there is always a light at the end of every tunnel.
If you think you may have a bat infestation or bats living in the attic, call you local Animal Control.
You can learn more about bats living in the attic and rabies by visiting this CDC website...
https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/exposure/animals/bats.html
Bats must not be allowed into your home. Read this article for tips on keeping bats out of your home...
https://www.cdc.gov/rabies/bats/management/index.html
