Coogee homeowner’s horror after finding rat infestation near his $3m beachside home

A Sydney man has taken to social media to express his dismay at a rat infestation in the area where he claims to have bought a house.

Philip Jajou posted a video on TikTok showing rats running across the grass and a path into the bushes in Coogee, where he said he had bought a $3 million home.

“When you buy a $3 million house in Coogee but no one told you about the rat problem,” he wrote.

‘Why didn’t anyone warn me?’

The video appears to have been filmed in a public park in Coogee.

Commenters said rats had been a feature of the Coogee area for decades, with one saying they “thought it was common knowledge.”

“Rats in Coogee exist whether you paid $700,000 or $7 million,” wrote another.

Someone said they thought the real estate agent should have alerted the home buyer to the rat problem.

“If I paid $3 million for a house only to have the real estate agent not mention to me once that it’s infested with rats, you can bet I’d be driving the price down,” they said.

But others said it was up to Mr. Jajou to do his due diligence before buying the property.

Didn’t you take a walk around the area at different times of the day before shopping? That’s like a 101 on buying property,” said one commenter.

Randwick City Council acknowledged that “a number of complaints” were regularly made about vermin and pests in the area.

On its website, the council said its officials could investigate complaints and provide advice on how to deal with any infestation.

“Any infestation involving private land will be the responsibility of the owner or occupant to control by engaging the services of a licensed pest controller,” the council said.

“Rats and mice are generally active at night and are most commonly seen in late summer and early fall.”

NCA NewsWire has reached out to the Randwick City Council for comment.

Mr. Jajou shared a video on TikTok showing the rodents as they run across the pavement outdoors (pictured)