The trash was taken away sometime the week of Nov. 17, and all neighbors could do was express some relief.

While none wanted to give their names, a number of local residents have voiced complaints and sent a letter to the Reporter regarding a home at 14320 84th Ave. N.E. in what is commonly known as the Finn Hill neighborhood of Bothell.

The residents all describe the home as having been surrounded by mounds of accumulated trash. A picture sent to the Reporter shows at least a dozen bags of refuse lining the tree lawn along the side of the house, while another picture shows of a mound of trash bags piled up near an overflowing Dumpster.

“We, the people in the neighborhood, have tried various attempts to have the garbage and debris removed from this property,” wrote one resident. “This has become a health and sanitation condition that is impacting our quiet little neighborhood.”

The complaints to the King County Council and local health-district representatives led first to an apparently long paper trail, but ended up in the removal of the trash by the home’s owner.

“There were rodents, garbage. The house is a mess,” said Jeanne Keenan, chief of staff for King County Councilwoman Jane Hague, District 6.

Keenan added most of the windows in the home had been busted out.

“They have reason to be upset,” she said regarding residents around the home.

It’s the possible presence of rodents, particularly rats, that now has nearby residents worried.

Spotting a reporter taking photos of the home, one neighbor came out to say she had seen rats in the trash formerly around the house and in the street nearby. She said she had purchased rat traps for her home out of fear the rodents might migrate, especially now that the trash, which she referred to as their food supply, is gone.

According to Keenan, the issue mostly had bounced back and forth between code-enforcement and county health officials. An offer was made to pick up the trash for free, but the street is a private one which created a legal hurdle, Keenan said.

According to Keenan, the home is owned by a non-resident, who could not be reached for comment.

“For various reasons, it took us a while to contact the homeowner,” said Hilary Karasz, a spokesperson for Public Health — Seattle and King County. She said the owner was sent notices regarding alleged problems with the home in early November.

Keenan added it is her belief the house is now empty. Windows on the home now are boarded over.

Another resident who said she routinely jogs by the home said she was just pleased to see some progress was being made.

“I’m glad see it (the trash) is gone,” she said.