How much does it cost to get rid of rats?
Although a common pest issue, rats pose a serious problem to both your property and your health; they can chew through furnishings and electrical cables, contaminate food sources and 50% of them carry the fatal Weils Disease plus other rodent-borne illnesses. They are also unhygienic, can create bad smells within your property and multiply at an alarming rate so it’s important to get rid of rats as quickly and effectively as possible.
The cost of getting rid of a rat colony can depend on many factors;
- The size of your property – larger properties with lots of outside space are likely to cost more to treat than smaller properties due to the increased time to survey them and put the traps/bait down, plus the greater amount of materials required during the course of the programme. The way this sliding cost scale is managed will vary from company to company – some may increase their price per bedroom whereas others will only charge more past a certain property size (usually determined by amount of bedrooms). Commercial properties and those with extensive grounds will also be priced differently – these costs will be bespoke. For simplicity, this article will focus on residential property rat treatment costs.
- The location of your property – this relates to the travel time to get to the appointment. Some companies will charge mileage if a customer’s property is over a certain distance away from their head office. It’s worth asking about this potential charge when booking a rat treatment programme.
- The size of your infestation – a serious infestation is likely to require more than the standard number of visits to get rid of the rats. Visits over and above what’s included in the original package booked will be charged extra, these extra charges will vary by pest controller so this is also something worth checking out.
- Location of the infestation within your property – most pest control companies will charge different prices for outside vs inside treatments, these prices will be company-specific but they should be able to explain to you what the prices are and the reasons for this. If the rats are inhabiting a hard to reach area, specialist equipment may be required to get to these places in order to treat the rats which can add cost.
- Time of the visit – some companies will offer an out of hours service for customer convenience. However, it’s important to note that if your visit is out of core business hours, it’s likely to be more expensive. Some providers will also charge a same-day call out premium.
- The pricing structure of the pest controller – some pest control companies will charge extra for materials, it’s advisable to ask whether materials are included when you receive a quote.
- If it’s a one off job or contract – generally ongoing pest control contracts will work out cheaper, per visit, than an ad-hoc treatment programme. For the sake of comparison, we will focus on ad-hoc treatments in this article. As a starter, most companies will offer a multiple stage treatment programme – these usually consist of two or three visits to your property. A contract is usually offered as an option if you are experiencing an ongoing rat problem.
- Whether proofing work is included – there are two elements to consider when getting rid of rats: 1. Treating the current issue and 2. Putting preventative measures in place to ensure the problem doesn’t return through proofing of the rat entry/exit points. Some pest controllers will include proofing in their treatment programmes, others won’t, but proofing is critical to ensure a long term solution to the problem.
We researched the cost to get rid of rats through some local, best-known and large pest control companies and the findings are below:
Covering most of the UK through their franchise network, Pestforce are one of the biggest pest control companies. They don’t have a price list online, however, we’re led to believe it costs £250 + VAT for a three visit external treatment including a survey of the area and baiting. This does not include any internal investigation and was for a programme which took place during working hours.
Also a nationwide firm, operating for 90 years and with 40 branches, Rentokil do not advertise prices online but research suggests it costs £400 + VAT for a “four week knock down program” to get rid of rats. This cost covers outside only and is related to a 3-bedroom semi-detached property although it’s not clear whether it includes proofing work.
There is no information about call out charges or out of hours works.
A pest control franchise operating since 2012, Fantastic Pest Control offer various pricing options depending on property size and the intensity of the treatment. Prices start from £195 + VAT for a one bedroom property which includes “one major visit and one follow-up”. They also run a loyalty scheme called ‘Fantastic Club’ which entitles the customer to reduced prices. The highest price on website is for a three stage treatment in a three bedroom property at £290 + VAT.
The web page doesn’t detail if that treatment is outside, inside or both. However they do charge £50 extra for night jobs and minimum call out charges. Costs for properties larger than three bedrooms are individually tailored.
London-based Catch-it Pest Control charge £310 + VAT for a two stage treatment within standard operating hours. This includes an internal and external assessment of the area, placing, checking and replenishment of bait stations and the blocking/sealing of potential entry points up to five inches wide (i.e. proofing). There’s no mention of how the size of the property might affect this price.
A company focussing on overall risk reduction, Contego charge between £180 – £300 + VAT for a three-part rodent riddance visit call out. They have a comprehensive cost piece on their website although it’s not clear how the size of the property or the call out time affects the price, also whether proofing work is included in that cost or not.
A Surrey-based pest control firm, covering Guildford, Woking, Dorking, Weybridge, and Kingston. They charge £200 + VAT for a three-visit treatment including an area survey and putting bait down. It’s not specified whether the survey covers both inside and out and proofing work is not included. The property size is also not specified, and it’s unclear if there would be any extra charges for out of hours appointments.
Also Surrey-based but with franchise units across the UK, PGH Pest Prevention offers a range of different treatment options, aiming to suit most budgets. An outside-only three visit treatment programme costs £225 + VAT. If it’s necessary to get rid of rats from both inside and outside a three-stage treatment costs £345 + VAT – this comes with a full survey and baiting of the drains. Any additional visits required after the first three will be at a cost of £86 + VAT per visit.
While a three stage treatment is recommended for maximum effect, if a pay-as-you-go option is preferred it costs £86 + VAT per visit, with a minimum of two visits covering both inside and out. However, this doesn’t include a survey or drain baiting which can make it likely that more follow-up treatments are required. This pay-as-you go option is aimed at those with smaller properties or those who don’t have an active infestation/aren’t sure if they have an active infestation.
If, for any reason, the visit takes more time than expected extra time is charged at £65 + VAT per hour. Overtime could be due to various reasons such as a larger infestation than is expected or a wider area to investigate and treat.
Charges are the same for all property sizes and types up to the four bedroom+ point – for a building of that size a free initial survey would be conducted and recommendations made prior to any treatment being carried out. If a property is outside of the business’ radius there may be an extra charge for mileage, this is assessed on a case by case basis.
There is a full price list on the website, all prices include materials and call out fees. A call out fee would only be charged in an instance where there is no work to be undertaken during the treatment visit, for example, if no activity is found by the technician the first time they go to site. There is a bank holiday/Sunday surcharge of £40 + VAT.
PGH Pest Prevention states that they specialise in preventative measures to ensure the problem does not come back and to reduce overall pesticide use and will therefore always offer customers a quote for additional proofing work. This quote will be bespoke to that specific client.
If your rat problem is in the sewers surrounding the property a CCTV survey costs £690 + VAT, and drain valves (which may be required as a result of the CCTV survey) cost £290 or £390 + VAT, depending on what size valve is necessary.
Local councils
Most councils will offer pest control services to their residents, however these services will vary from council to council. Some provide a free control service for pests, other councils will simply provide advice or control for a fee.
Costs for a council rodent treatment vary quite widely across councils – some could be as cheap as £45 for two treatments (just baiting, no proofing work) and can go up to £134 for two treatments in central London.
The following pest control companies do not have any pricing on their website but ask visitors to either fill in a form or call to request a quote:
JG Pest Control
https://www.jgpestcontrol.co.uk/pest-control-prices/
Terminix
https://www.terminixuk.com/pest-control/rodent-control/
Pestokil
https://pestokill.co.uk/
Although a common pest issue, rats pose a serious problem to both your property and your health; they can chew through furnishings and electrical cables, contaminate food sources and 50% of them carry the fatal Weils Disease plus other rodent-borne illnesses. They are also unhygienic, can create bad smells within your property and multiply at an alarming rate so it’s important to get rid of rats as quickly and effectively as possible.
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