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What To Look For In Your Pest Control Company

Discovering a pest problem is going to put a downer on anyone’s day. Trying to deal with it yourself can be an outright nightmare. It’s tough to know exactly how you should go about removing your unwanted visitors and if you’re not careful, you could even be putting your health at risk.

It’s best to leave tasks like this to a professional pest control company, but how do you know who is going to be the right company and team to get the job done?

You need to consider the following aspects before putting your trust in a pest control professional.

pest control building

BPCA Certification

The British Pest Control Association (BPCA) is a trade association that represents “organisations with a professional interest in the eradication of public health pests.” They are a non-profit group who work with companies to ensure that they comply with legislation and adhere to the BPCA Codes of Best Practice, which outline the current pest control industry standards.

These codes are regularly reviewed by the BPCA Servicing Committee and are updated so that they remain in line with current legislation.

BPCA certified companies will be highly trained and insured, which provides you with peace of mind.

If you approach a company that isn’t clearly certified by the BPCA, we would recommend proceeding with caution. If you would like to double-check their certification, you can search the BPCA database here.

Experience

How long has the company been in the industry? And perhaps more importantly, how often do they deal with cases similar to yours?

It won’t matter that their business has been wrangling with nothing but rodents for the past fifty years if you’ve got a cockroach infestation. It’s a completely different procedure and a whole other set of skills.

This is especially important if you are a business and are looking for a specialist service like bird proofing. Not every company is equipped to carry out these specialist services.

If the company is experienced, you should be able to find case studies and testimonials on their website that will give you a good idea of the clients they have worked with in the past, together with results achieved.

Cost-Effective

The cheapest option is rarely the best, but you still want reassurance that you’re not being taken advantage of when it comes to pricing.

Take your time researching a few local pest control companies and get quotes from the ones who are both BPCA certified and experienced in providing the services you require.

You should be wary of any company that won’t arrange a fixed, agreed price before work commences. Some companies will try to charge you for extra pesticide, work hours and more.

If the company is professional, they should be able to carry out a thorough survey of the job and give you a fixed price. This will ensure there are no surprises when the bill comes through.

Clear and Open Communication

Your pest control company should be able to give you clear updates about every stage of the job. This means providing you with a defined timescale and regular updates, rather than bamboozling you with meaningless jargon.

You’ll probably be able to tell from your first interaction with a company if this is going to be the case or not. Beware of vague answers, exaggerated promises and extended timelines.

If you’re at all concerned it might be worth getting in contact with some of their previous clients and asking how they found the service.

Continuous Monitoring

Pest control is an ongoing process. You can’t necessarily just clear an infestation and expect to be free and clear of the problem forever.

There are often associated complications that have to be dealt with. After clearing birds for example, you may require specialist cleaning services to remove potentially hazardous droppings.

A good pest control company will advise you on preventative measures for the future and arrange a time to return to your property or business to ensure that all pests have been eradicated.

Before you commit to a company, ask what kind of follow-up services they offer after the main job has been carried out. If they seem unwilling to agree to continuous monitoring, strike them off your list.

With 30 years’ experience in the industry and BPCA accreditation, choosing Safeguard Pest Control means that all your pest control needs will be taken care of.

If you have a pest problem and would like to discuss how we could help eradicate it, please call us on 0800 328 4931 or send a message through our contact page.

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