How to choose a pest controller
Anyone can set up as a pest controller. Here's what to check, what to ask and the warning signs, so you hire someone who'll fix the problem safely.
Price agreed first Products explained We never cold call
What to check
- Training. Ask what qualification the technician holds. The RSPH Level 2 Award in Pest Management is the standard starting qualification in the UK.
- Trade body membership. Members of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) or the National Pest Technicians Association (NPTA) have to meet the association's standards on training and insurance.
- Insurance. Public liability insurance, so you're covered if something goes wrong in your home.
- Professional products. The strongest rodenticides can only be bought by people who can show they're trained, under the UK's rodenticide stewardship scheme. A pest controller should tell you exactly what they're using.
- A written price. One price that says what's included: the number of visits, follow-ups and any proofing.
- A business you can check. A company name and number, or a trading address.
Questions to ask
- How many visits will it take, and are they all in the price?
- What will you use, where will you put it, and what do I need to do about children and pets?
- How are they getting in, and will you block it or tell me how?
- What happens if they come back?
- Will I get a written record of what was done?
Warning signs
Price only on the day
A price that appears after the treatment, or keeps growing with extra visits nobody mentioned.
Poison and go
No search for how the pests got in. They'll be back, and you'll be paying again.
Vague about products
If they can't say what they've used and where, you can't keep children and pets safe around it.
Cold calls
Someone knocks offering to deal with a problem you didn't know you had. Trading Standards advise not dealing with uninvited traders.
How we do it
Every job starts with you telling us what you're seeing. You get one fixed price before any treatment, we explain what we use and where, and we show you how the pests are getting in. We never cold call or knock on doors.
Get a fixed price
Tell us what you're seeing and where you are. We'll call you back to talk it through and give you a fixed price before any treatment.
Or call 01302 616311
- Price agreed before we start
- We tell you what we use and where
- We never cold call or knock on doors