Although London offers nearly limitless entertainment, shopping, sports and culture, moving into a new home (new to you, but not necessarily brand new) can be a daunting task filled with stresses and risks.  Pests, such as rodents, like mice and rats, and insects, including cockroaches, bed bugs, moths and fleas, are all too common.

Rarely talked about on social media, because no one wants to mention they had a bed bug infestation, pest control is something that can turn a nightmare back into one of the best decisions of your life.  Choose the right company and issues can be sorted before you unpack the first box.

Here are a few things to consider, keeping in mind pest control can be easier, cheaper, and more effective if you act before filling the house with your items.

Some pests are seasonal

Assuming you don’t, or won’t, have a problem with ants, bed bugs or spiders, just because you don’t see any, in late autumn or winter, could be a costly mistake.  Some pests are seasonal.  Quality pest control professionals can inspect and assess risks, giving you a much more accurate view of the situation.  If the author of this article had followed this advice a year ago, a woodworm infestation would have been treated before wood flooring and a new kitchen had been fitted in the newly bought family home.

Don’t confuse annoyances with health hazards

Pests can be massive risks to property value and human health, or they can be annoying but with minimal impact to health and wealth.  A professional pest control company in London will not only report on the extent of pest infestation, but will make clear the risks to family and property as well.  This gives you, the homeowner, a chance to prioritise pest control activities, budgeting and scheduling.

Treating before move-in is a big deal

Once everything is moved into the home, it is much more difficult for pest control technicians to do their job.  In some cases, you’ll have to remove the items so that access is possible.  In other cases, you may need to shuffle things about or wash them after a treatment session.  Taking action before moving in is one of the single biggest positive decisions you can make!

Pest control companies are not all the same

When choosing who to inspect, and treat, pests in your new home, keep in mind that pest control varies, like many things in life, from inexpensive, inexperienced, poorly equipped individuals to good value, highly trained, safety-conscious professional companies.  Often choosing the apparently low-cost option will expose your home and family to ineffective treatments using unapproved chemicals or improper application.  The nominal savings does not justify the risk to your loved ones.

 Waiting can be expensive

Just because you don’t see a pest doesn’t justify inaction.  If you’ve ever known of someone with a rat problem, you’ll know there are signs to look out for long before the first sighting of a rat.  Also, if you see one, you’ve probably got many!

The point is simply that spending a small amount now, you can get peace of mind, knowing that you’ve got the situation in hand.  Waiting until a pest becomes an infestation problem is a sure way of spending much more money than if you had taken action early on.

Take good care of your family, your new home and yourself by setting aside a bit of time and money for pest control, before moving in.