Rats are chewing through vehicle wiring in some Boston neighborhoods, leaving residents with substantial repair bills and adding a costly dimension to the city’s rodent problem, NBC Boston reported. One Back Bay resident described a damaged car that needed roughly $6,000 in repairs.
The reports come as some residents seek a single person to take charge of addressing rats in Boston, according to the station. City officials said Boston had received more than 6,000 rodent complaints so far this year, though that figure covers rodent complaints generally, not just reports involving vehicles.
Ali Foley, who lives in Back Bay, told NBC Boston that more than four cars in her neighborhood had sustained damage. Her account included the vehicle with the roughly $6,000 repair bill, as well as conversations with neighbors whose cars had wiring damaged by rodents.
The damage described in the report involves rats gnawing through wiring, rather than simply appearing near parked cars. NBC Boston characterized the damage in some neighborhoods as extensive. For the residents reporting those problems, the concern includes both the presence of rats and the expense of repairing what they damage.
Neighborhood accounts and citywide complaints
Foley’s account offers a neighborhood-level view of a problem also reflected in the city’s complaint totals. But the two measures describe different things: Her report concerns several damaged vehicles in Back Bay, while the city’s total encompasses thousands of complaints about rodents across Boston.
The available reporting does not establish how many vehicles citywide have been damaged by rats. Nor does the complaint total provide a count of affected cars or a combined price tag for repairs. The roughly $6,000 expense is one example reported by Foley, not an estimate of what every affected driver faces.
That distinction matters in understanding the scale of the issue. The citywide figures document a large number of rodent complaints, while the accounts from Back Bay describe a specific kind of property damage. The reporting does not provide a breakdown showing how many of those complaints involved chewed wiring.
Calls for a person in charge
Alongside the reports of damaged cars, NBC Boston described interest among some residents in having one person responsible for tackling the rat problem. That request reflects a desire for a clear point of responsibility, but the available report does not describe an adopted city plan or identify anyone selected for such a role.
For now, the reported repair costs and the broader complaint tally remain separate indicators of residents’ concerns. Foley’s account puts a price on the damage to one vehicle and identifies several others affected nearby. The city’s more than 6,000 complaints show that concerns about rodents extend beyond those individual cars, without establishing how widespread vehicle damage has become.
