Pest control in the home

If you’ve made an appointment for a pest control visit through our customer service centre or online booking form, we will make sure we visit on the agreed appointment date.

All our staff have photo ID. Our pest control staff are fully trained and qualified to carry out treatments in a professional and friendly manner.

When we visit you, we will assess the problem that you have reported. We might ask you questions or for further information to help us do this. Once we have investigated the problem, we will take the appropriate course of action.

In many cases treatment may only take a few minutes and involve the application of an industrial insecticide or pesticide. These can take effect gradually over a period of days. Some treatments take up to 7 days to take full effect.

We will give you information about the action we have taken and will give you advice on protecting your home against future infestations.

You may also be asked to sign some forms to confirm when a treatment has been carried out.

If it is necessary for us to return to your property to carry out further treatment work, we will tell you how and when to book a further appointment.

What you will need to do depends on the kind of pest problem you have.

If you have a pest that needs a spray or powder treatment, you will need to make sure that the treatment area is vacuumed and cleared of any belongings and soft furnishings. We will give you more information about this when you book an appointment either online or through our Contact Centre.

If you have rodent issue, please make sure that the pest control officer can access the possible access points. So, if you think mice or rats are coming in through a kitchen cupboard, make sure the cupboards are empty.

If treatment is being carried out outdoors, please make sure you are in to show the pest controller where you think the problem is.

Remember, if we cannot access the area requiring treatment you might need to rebook another slot. This can delay treatment.

We offer weekday appointments (excluding Bank Holidays) between 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday. It is possible to request either a morning or an afternoon appointment if essential, but we are not able to give specific appointment times.

We treat a wide variety of pests. Click on the pest name below to find out more information from the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) website.

Ants	These common insects can often find their way into our homes.
Bedbugs	They can cause serious discomfort, but they are rarely dangerous.
Beetles	Different types of beetle are often found in the home as adult beetles fly well and can easily get in through open windows and doors.
Cockroaches	They can carry food germs on their bodies and can be responsible for the spread of some serious illnesses.
Fleas	Not everyone is affected by flea bites, but they can cause serious irritation to people and pets.
Mice	We only treat these as a pest when they are in your home, not in the garden, shed or an outbuilding.
Rats	Rats are a serious problem that require treatment. They can cause major problems for homes and businesses.
Silverfish	Silverfish are often found in damp areas commonly in kitchens and bathrooms.
Wasps	Wasps become a nuisance to people mainly in late summer when they are more likely to sting. A wasp can sting many times. Although a sting is not normally serious it can be painful and in certain cases it can cause a reaction.

Please endeavour to check that you are reporting wasps and not bees – we are unable to treat for bees.

Some pests are only actually classed as a pest when they are inside your home, so there are some pests that we only treat indoors.

We don't treat the following pests outside as they are in their natural habitat:

• Mice (outside and in sheds and outbuildings)
• Ants
• Mites and Beetles
• Flies
• Cockroaches
• Silverfish
• Fleas and Bedbugs

The council does not offer a service to treat bees, advice and guidance can be found on the British Beekeepers Association website.

We also do not treat:

• Birds (including seagulls and pigeons)
• Feral cats
• Rabbits
• Foxes
• Badgers
• Moles
• Maggots or Moths

We do not offer a bird proofing service.

We currently offer all our treatments free of charge for residential properties. This includes rats, mice and insects inside residential properties and rats and wasps in outdoor areas. We do not treat for mice in outdoor areas or garden sheds and outbuildings.

Treatments for empty rental properties are chargeable. Different pests have different prices. Some pests have a typical amount of treatments, but this can vary depending on the infestation. The prices are shown in the table on our Pest control charges page.

Please make sure you are booking and paying for the correct pest, as some pest treatments have a non-refundable call out charge.

You can book and where necessary, pay for pest control treatments online.

Pest Control - Report a pest.

You can change or cancel your appointment up to 24 hours before your arranged appointment date by using our online form Click here (you will need your booking reference which will look like this 3643-3974-0805-0003) or by contacting our City and Neighbourhood team.

You can read our Cancellation Policy.

If you qualify for a refund you can request this by contacting our City and Neighbourhood team.

British Pest Control Association - domestic properties

British Pest Control Association - A to Z of pests