Residents in one area of Nesquehoning say they have a rat problem because of deplorable conditions at a rented home.

On Wednesday, Sandy Gazdick, who lives on the 100 block of East Catawissa Street, approached Nesquehoning Borough Council about poor living conditions in her home as a result of a neighboring property."I think we need a quality of life ordinance passed," she said. "Our town is going downhill."The home in question is a rented property, Gazdick said, and the landlord does not return calls and the current tenant does not clean up anything and also has chickens in the yard."The property is a mess," she said. "We have full-grown, fat rats."She said she and a neighbor filed complaints regarding the property.The 26-year homeowner told the board about her recent battles with the "brazen rats."She has two small dogs and no longer allows them to freely use the dog door into the backyard due to the situation.She also said she can't open her doors because a rat already came in and helped itself to the dog food.Gazdick said before this, her dogs were allowed to go in and out of the home freely."My independence is gone. My dogs are a nervous wreck," she said, adding that she carries a Swiffer sweeper around her house in case she sees a rat.She also found a rat in her basement the other night which chewed her dryer vent and stole newspaper."It is not getting any better and I don't see it getting any better," Gazdick said. "This is getting worse. Maybe we didn't recognize this soon enough but something needs to be done. Do I have to move out of this town to get some help?"Council President David Hawk said the person has been cited and code enforcement officer Robert Blisard is already following up on the matter and will file additional citations as needed.He said that the council committees, during the August workshop, will discuss the possibility of making changes to the animal ordinance or adopting a new quality of life ordinance."Unfortunately, it is a slow process but we will continue to pursue this property," Hawk said.