A Dutch housing corporation has won the right to evict a tenant who kept 60 pythons in his attic, saying the presence of so many snakes could alarm his neighbours, the AD reported on Thursday.

Officials from ProWonen were alerted to the snakes after neighbours complained their homes were being infested with mice. Inspectors who visited the property said it was strewn with “junk, food, bird food, cat food and old bird cages”, according to court documents.

In the attic of the house in the village of Lichtenvoorde, inspectors then found white boxes containing around 35 snakes.

Despite efforts to reach a solution about the mice and the snakes, the man “continually refused to cooperate”, the housing corporation said, prompting it to go to court.

Judges in Gelderland have now given him four weeks to leave the property.

Breeding

The man told the court that snakes are an essential part of his life and that he is entitled to keep them as long as he does not cause a nuisance, the AD said. He said the pythons – now 60 in number – are not dangerous and cannot escape, and argued there is no proof the mice at neighbouring homes came from his property.

ProWonen said the tenant was using his home as a breeding laboratory and animal refuge, and was causing a public nuisance because mice were attracted to the rubbish.

The housing corporation also said the presence of the snakes could upset or worry neighbours. By refusing to speak to officials, the man was breaching the terms of his rental contract, it said.

The court ruled that breeding such a large number of snakes could be seen as a commercial enterprise, which is not permitted in a rental home. Judges also agreed with ProWonen about the impact of keeping so many snakes in a residential area.

In 2013 and 2016, the man also faced court proceedings over breeding birds in his home, but judges at the time ruled he should not be evicted.