How to free your home of rats in 5 easy steps

Step 1: Confirm if you have a rat infestation

Look out for gnawed cables, droppings and grease marks left behind on skirting boards and walls –these can all be indicators you have rats in your home. Listen out for sounds of scratching or scurrying. Rats are loud and disruptive, and will often disturb your sleep with their noise.

Check your loft for signs of a rat nest made from shredded cardboard or paper and peer behind your kitchen appliances as rats enjoy gathering in warm, hidden places like this.

You should also inspect your garden for indications of a rat infestation. Scan your decking and garage doors for bite marks and keep an eye out for any holes in the garden – they could be rat burrows.

Rats tend to live in large numbers, so sightings of them are common, and it’s likely if you’ve seen one in your home or garden, then there are more. You can call us to survey the property for you and confirm if your home is infested.

Step 2: Contact a professional pest control agency

Rats are a common problem in London homes because of the large number of properties using the sewer system, and their old age. Loose structures, brickwork and floorboards, offer rats plenty of entryways into your home.

If you suspect you have a rat infestation, it’s best to contact a professional pest control service as soon as possible. Rats can pose a threat to your family’s health and cause a lot of damage, but we can help you resolve the issue quickly, with minimum stress.

Step 3: Get rid of rats from your home and garden

Our pest control technicians will survey your home and identify the areas that need to be treated. We conduct three home visits, every two weeks, checking under floorboards and in every nook and cranny, to ensure all rodents are completely removed.

Rats can use gaps in walls, floorboards and sewer pipes to gain entry to your home. (Image: Archant)

Step 4: Protect your home against future infestations

We’ll then advise on the best rodent proofing methods to ensure the infestation doesn’t reoccur. Our rat-proofing comes with a one-year guarantee and can be carried out anytime within six months of your initial treatment.

We’ll identify, then seal all entryways to your house, including repairing sewer pipes, installing one-way valves in your drain, rat-proofing bin-sheds, placing air cover vents and covering gaps in your walls, masonry and floors with metal plates or mesh. To protect your garden, we can fit runs beneath your fencing, decking and outdoor buildings.

Before we begin rat-proofing, it’s best to contact your local county council or the architect or builder that worked on your home, for blueprints and building plans. This will help us analyse the structure better to provide a bespoke, comprehensive proofing service.

Even if you don’t have a current rat infestation, using rat-proofing services can help ensure it’s a problem you never have to face.

Inoculand Pest Control Services will use CCTV to inspect your drains for rat activity. (Image: Archant)

Step 5: Keep on top of your home to prevent an infestation

It’s important to keep your home tidy and stay on top of your waste disposal – don’t let it build up, perform a bi-annual spring clean in all those hard-to-reach areas and make sure your garden is well-maintained. This will ensure rats will have nowhere to hide and help to dispel any temptations they may have to enter your home.

We pride ourselves on the expert, friendly service and advice we’re able to offer landlords, tenants, property owners and businesses throughout London. We use the latest and most effective methods to help you get rid of mice, rat, bed bugs, cockroaches and other pests.

Visit inoculandpestcontrol.co.uk for a quote or to book an appointment.

Call 0203 405 5000 or email info@inoculandpestcontrol.co.uk.