How does this price sound for pest control? $500

Question

My tenant was in the attic and said they found some what appeared to be fresh rat poo.

I sent a pest control guy over there and he came back with the following recommendations:

- Apply detour and traps in the attic

- Follow up to seal points of entry

- Follow up to fog attic with DSV

- 4 holes needing to be sealed

- 2 traps needed

Total price - $500.  Thoughts?

Alecia Loveless · Answer

@Steve S. I pay a quarterly contract on several of my buildings that would cover this type of thing as well as placing bait boxes around the perimeter of the building and refilling them quarterly, and treating for the appropriate pests during the appropriate times of year. The approximate cost for this is about $186*4=$744 per building.

They will then come out for any other issues like a hornets nest or an infestation that needs treatment at no additional cost.

We got rid of a mouse infestation in 3 weeks using a very similar treatment plan to what was posted in the original post.

Brian Ploszay · Answer

As a landlord, I used to do this myself.   Rats don't die easily in glue traps.   Old fashion spring traps worked pretty well.    You can seal the holes with foam that has rodent kill.

The problem with poison is that the rodent might die in a hidden place - like inside a wall.  And the smell will remain for awhile.   $500?   Sounds full price, but the guy sounds like he knows what he is doing.  In the long run, try to find a few service providers that are both good and affordable.  You'll be amazed at the differences in price that you can be charged for the same job.

Nathan Gesner · Answer

1. This should be a tenant responsibility. My lease says the rental will be provided pest-free and I will cover any pest issues for the first two weeks. After that, the tenant is responsible. Seriously, anyone can set mice traps and it's cheap.

2. $500 may be reasonable for a pro in your market, but it's completely unnecessary. You can fill the attic with spring traps for under $20 and 30 minutes of your time, then make the tenant responsible for checking and resetting them. For another $20 you can buy foam specifically designed to prevent mice from gaining entry. Watch some YouTube and learn how to find and fill the holes.

Account Closed · Answer

@Steve S.  It sounded high until you mentioned an attic in the middle of summer in Dallas.  I would charge a fairly high price if I had to get into an area that might have been more than 125 degrees.

Alene Wilson · Answer

The national average cost of pest control service is $295. At the low end it costs $80 and at the higher end, it will cost you around $900.

A few years back my boyfriend and I signed a one year contract to rent a flat in Vaughan. Upon moving in we noticed that the place stinks. The landlord revealed that there was a dead rat in the wall and offered to refund a month's rent. Even after a week of moving in, she didn't do anything other than putting some bowls of coffee on the floor to remedy the smell. Finally, we sought the help of a pest control service in Vaughan to get it removed. It did cost about $230 to us. We got it paid back upon completing the contract period.

Steve S. · Answer

Thanks for your perspective

Christen Vogler · Answer

I just had pest control come out to one of our units last week and it was $485 so that sounds about right.

James Wise · Answer

Sounds reasonable.

Benjamin Sargent · Answer

Sounds about right. $500 is on the higher end. I've done door to door for 3 pest control companies.

How does this price sound for pest control? $500

Most Popular Reply