If you know you have a pest problem and do nothing – you could be causing a serious health risk to your family and your neighbours.
If you’ve got pests – please deal with them.
What are pests?
Household pests such as mice, ants, wasps, fleas, bedbugs and cockroaches can be a real nuisance. In most cases if your home (or garden) is infested with any pests, it’s your responsibility to remove them. But we will get involved in pest control if the pests are mice, rats, ants, cockroaches, pigeons, squirrels or wasps nests and:
- a resident can’t handle the situation on their own because they’re older or vulnerable, or
- the problem has been caused by us – perhaps because we haven’t carried out repairs properly, or
- your home is in a block of flats and there’s a real risk that the problem will spread throughout the block, or
- the infestation is causing a problem and/or damage in a communal area such as a shared hallway, staircases, roof spaces, or shared gardens
If you’re on full housing benefit and council tax benefit, your council may provide free help towards pest control. Check with them first.
What should I do?
Your local council’s environmental health team will give you information about local pest control services and advice on what to do. They’ll also tell you if your eligible for any free help if you’re on certain benefits.
Or you can find local firms through yellow pages or use the British Pest Control Association’s website to find a local member. Remember that private companies will charge for their services.
The British Pest Control Association also has useful advice on identifying pests and details of the most common household pests.
