Four steps in a fixed order — and if you are in a flat, a fifth that is not about your property at all.
Confirm it is rats, remove what is feeding them, treat the active problem, then close the way in. In that order — proofing before treating traps rats inside your walls.
Treatment is £190 flat and £240 house, proofing £180. If you are in a flat, add a fifth step: report it to the landlord or managing agent, because the source may not be yours.
| Rat | Mouse | Squirrel | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Droppings | Dark, tapered, ~15mm | Small dark specks | Larger, rounded |
| Noise | Moderate, with dragging | Light, fast skittering | Heavy thumping |
| When | After dark | After dark | Daytime |
| Where | Walls, floors, lofts, drains | Walls, ceilings, kitchens | Roof space only |
| Treatment | £190 / £240 | £190 / £240 | £280 |
Dropping size is the quickest discriminator. Rat droppings are unmistakably larger than mouse droppings — comparable to a large grain of rice or bigger, and tapered.
Rats need food, water and shelter. In a flat the list is shorter than in a house but no less important:
In a house, add the garden: bird feeders are one of the most common single contributors, along with open compost, accessible bins and fallen fruit.
Neophobia. Rats are genuinely wary of new objects in a familiar environment — considerably more so than mice. A trap may be avoided for days regardless of what is on it, which is why people conclude it does not work and give up just before it would have.
Product strength and safety. Amateur rodenticides are deliberately weaker, and careless placement is a hazard to pets, children and wildlife. In a flat with shared access that risk extends beyond your own household.
See our complete service, published prices and treatment information.
View Rat Control Wealdstone →Rats pass through surprisingly small gaps and gnaw a small opening into a usable one. The usual routes:
Proofing is £180 for up to one hour. Where the cause is structural — a collapsed drain, a hole needing bricklaying — that is building work and we will say so.
Sealing a building with rats still inside does not remove them. It traps them, and a rat that cannot get out gnaws at cabling, pipework and plasterboard — then dies somewhere you cannot reach.
This one is not about your property and it is the step people skip.
A building-wide rat problem addressed one flat at a time is a problem that keeps returning, and each round costs somebody £190.
Read nextRat Control Wealdstone – How Much Does Professional Treatment Cost? →It depends how established the problem is. Not an overnight job, and anyone promising that should be treated with suspicion.
Not generally. Tell us about pets and small children when you book — it affects how and where things are placed.
If the food source and the route are still there, eventually something will. That is what step four is for.
A different problem with an equally clear price — wasp nest treatment in Wealdstone is £90 fixed cost, guaranteed.
Confirm the pest, remove the food and shelter, treat the active problem, then close the access route — in that order.
No. Proof after treatment. Sealing rats inside a building makes things considerably worse.
Report it to the landlord or managing agent as well, and ask whether the drainage and communal areas have been checked.
Rats are wary of new objects in a familiar environment, so traps are often avoided for days. Most people give up before that passes.
Their use by non-professionals is restricted in England, and we would not recommend them.
No. It is a hazard to pets, children and wildlife, and frequently illegal in how it is deployed.
£190 for a flat and £240 for a house.
If you have seen a rat indoors, found gnawed cabling, or two weeks of effort has changed nothing.
Published prices, and an honest view on whether the source is in your property or elsewhere in the building.
Prefer to talk? Call 0203 151 6640 or WhatsApp us.
