This agreement is made between you, the person booking the pest control appointments and us, the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.  By entering into this agreement, you are agreeing to the following terms and conditions and to pay for the service where requested.

1. Booking an appointment
2. Pest types and treatment schedules
3. Aftercare, repairs, and recommendations
4. Missing, rearranging, or cancelling an appointment
5. Refunds and call out fees

1. Booking an appointment

1.1. London Borough of Barking and Dagenham’s Pest Control service is a paid for and non-statutory service, therefore treatment costs must be paid for in full before any treatments can commence. It is your responsibility to make sure you have paid the right fee for the work to be done.

1.2. The cost of treatment includes the specified number of visits, which should be sufficient to address the problem. Treatment costs do not include unlimited visits until a problem is resolved. If after conclusion of the course you want further treatment, you will need to make a new booking.

1.3. For morning timeslots, the technician will aim to arrive between 9am and 12.30pm. For afternoon timeslots, the technician will aim to arrive between 12.30pm and 4pm. Due to external factors, such as traffic or parking, we cannot always guarantee that the technicians will arrive between the timeslots chosen, however all booked appointments will still take place between 9am and 4pm.

1.4. If you are a Council tenant living in a Council owned flatted accommodation, treatment may be funded by the Landlord Services department. Therefore, costs may not apply when booking treatment.

1.5. For all appointments, an adult over aged 18 must be present at the property for the duration of the appointment. 

1.6. While it is asked at the time of booking which rooms you believe the pest infestation to be in, the Pest Control Technician has the final decision as to what rooms need to be treated and what chemicals will be used during the appointment.

1.7  To maintain public health and safety for residents and staff members, our Technicians make use of body worn cameras.  The technicians will announce that they are wearing a body worn camera before entering the residence. 

The Pest Control technicians will use body worn cameras in any interaction with members of the public, where Pest Control technicians consider it may be required to capture incidents of unacceptable or illegal behaviour towards them or others, (either actual incidents or the potential for incidents) 

2. Pest Types and Treatment Schedules

2.1. Rats and mice

Treatment for rats and mice consists of up to three visits, approximately 7 -10 days apart. The first visit will involve placement of baited boxes, the second visit will involve replenishment of bait and refreshing bait boxes as necessary, the third visit will involve collection of our boxes and will signal completion of treatment.

2.2. Cockroaches

Treatment for cockroaches consists of up to three visits, each approximately 7-10 days apart. This will involve the use of chemical control methods and advice will be given regarding hygiene and prevention of re-infestation.

2.3. Wasps

Treatment for wasps consists of one visit and will involve the use of chemical control methods. We will not physically remove the hive.

2.4. Squirrels

Treatment for squirrels consists of 5 consecutive trapping days using mechanical control methods. The last visit involves collection of our traps and will signal completion of treatment. 

2.5. Ants/Pharaoh Ants

Treatment for ants consists of two visits, each approximately 2 weeks apart. Pharaoh Ant treatment consist of up to four visits each approximately 10 days apart. Both involve the use of chemical control and advice will be given regarding hygiene and prevention of re-infestation.

2.6. Low-risk pests

Treatment for low-risk pests normally consist of one visit and will involve the use of chemical control. Advice will be given regarding hygiene and prevention of re-infestation.

2.7. Bedbugs

Bedbug treatments are available for morning appointments only.  Treatment of a bedbug infestation takes 6 weeks, consisting of three visits each approximately 14 days apart. We cannot guarantee against re-infestation if the treatments are not carried out within this period. 

Before we carry out any treatment, there are tasks you must complete before the appointment can take place. Failure to do so will lead to ineffective treatment. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have followed all the instructions for bedbugs in preparation for your visit. We will not be able to carry out the treatment if the rooms have not been properly prepared and no refund will be offered.

• all bedrooms need to be completely emptied of clothes and personal items
• wash all bedding and keep in sealed bags/containers in an uninfected room
• bedside tables need to be emptied
• all mattresses need to be separated from bed bases prior to treatment, our Officer will not remove mattresses during treatment or replace following treatment
• all wardrobes need to be emptied of clothing and fully moved away from the wall to allow an officer access for treatment
• all clothing needs to be washed on a high temperature
• store washed clothes in sealed bags or containers in an uninfected room
• cover any fish tanks, keep covered until treatment is dry – very important as we use various insecticides in this treatment
• vacuuming, dusting, and washing of walls should be avoided immediately after treatment, although cleaning can be carried out on the day before each subsequent treatment
• cleaning of windows, mirrors, door handles, and light switches can be carried out when the treatment is dry

After treatment various insecticides are used to treat bedbugs, so you must:

• keep all children and pets out of treated rooms for a minimum of 4 hours while treatment dries
• ventilate the room/area for 30 minutes before use
• Wash hands/feet if touched wet/dry treated areas, maintain this routine throughout the treatment period
• do not consume food/drink in treated areas
• avoid cleaning for as long as possible after the final treatment as this will aid treatment process

Chemicals can remain present for up to 3 months depending on level of house cleaning.

2.8. Fleas    

Flea treatments are available for morning appointments only.  Treatment of a flea infestation will be carried out in two visits. Treatment will be administered to all rooms (except kitchens and bathrooms) during the visit. Smoke alarms must be deactivated during treatment.

Before we carry out any treatment, there are tasks you must complete before the appointment can take place. Failure to do so will lead to ineffective treatment. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have followed all the instructions for fleas in preparation for your visit. We will not be able to carry out the treatment if the rooms have not been properly prepared and no refund will be offered.

• all pets must be removed from the room before treatment can begin and must be kept out of the room for a minimum of 4 hours after the treatment is carried out
• all loose items need to be removed from the floor, including any items under the bed
• wash all bedding (including pet bedding) and keep in an uninfected room until after treatment
• cover any fish tanks and keep them covered until treatment is dry - this is important as we use insecticide in the treatment
• vacuum your entire house, including sofas and chairs. Throw out the vacuum bag as it may contain flea eggs
• clear as much floor space as possible (not the furniture) to allow access to skirting
• start to treat your pets for fleas and continue doing so until treatment is complete

After treatment:

• smoke alarms should be reactivated
• you and your pets must not enter any treated rooms for a minimum of 4 hours after the treatment has been carried out. We recommend that you go out for this period of time if possible
• ventilate the room/area for 30 minutes before use
• wash hands or feet after every time they touch wet or dry treated areas
• do not consume food or drink in treated areas if possible - this is important as we use an insecticide in the treatment
• cleaning should be avoided within the week following treatment if possible
• wipe down any surfaces such as TV screens, mirrors, remote controls, door handles and light switches

2.9 Moths

Treatment for Moths consists of up to two visits, each approximately 2 weeks apart. This will involve the use of chemical control methods and advice will be given regarding hygiene and prevention of re-infestation.

• Vacuum all rugs, carpet, and upholstered furniture. Vacuum bag should be discarded immediately upon completion
• Any wool, animal-fibre clothing, or animal fibre items (to include felt, fur, feathers, wool, silk, or blends of these items) should be laundered or at least placed in a hot dryer for one hour (please follow all label recommendations before laundering)
• Empty all closets that are experiencing the moth issue or exhibit signs of moth activity completely and wash all clothes (please follow all label recommendations before laundering)
• Empty all furniture which has been used for storage of any animal fibre items.
• All heavy, large, and bulky furniture (large desks, large dressers, Beds and the like) sitting on the carpet to be treated, must be moved to allow treatment
• Keep all children and pets out of treated rooms for a minimum of 4 hours while treatment dries

3. Aftercare, repairs and recommendations

3.1. Our pest control service includes the administration of the appropriate pest control treatment only.

3.2. For treatment to be successful we encourage you to adhere to any recommendations made by our pest control officers regarding proofing or repairs, as well as the advice regarding aftercare following a treatment.

3.3. Proofing or repairs (such as filling holes or voids, installing pest proof mesh or any solid construction which eliminates pest ingress) are not included or currently offered by LBBDs Pest Control service.

3.4. It is at the discretion of the resident, or Housing Officer, to arrange any necessary proofing or repairs to encourage a successful treatment.

4. Missing, rearranging or cancelling an appointment

4.1. Missing an appointment may lead to an ineffective treatment.

4.2. You must give us a minimum of 2 working days’ notice to cancel or rearrange an appointment.

4.3. If you have booked a multi visit treatment and give us less than 2 working days’ notice before the appointment date, you will only be able to reschedule on one occasion. If we are prevented from treating on a second appointment, then the treatment will be cancelled, and the below refund policy in section 5 applied.

4.4. If we are unable to attend an appointment due to bad weather, staff sickness or travel problems, and we cannot offer a suitable new appointment within 10 working days of your original appointment, a full refund will be offered.

5. Refunds and call out fees

5.1. Refund requests will only be considered within 30 days of the last visit to the property.

5.2. Should an officer attend and be unable to carry out treatment, you will be charged a standard call out fee of £70 for any booked appointments. This fee is inclusive of all charges.

5.3. No refund will be offered if the appointment cannot go ahead for any of these reasons:

• you miss your appointment or fail to provide two working days’ notice for cancellation or rescheduling
• an initial treatment has already taken place and subsequent visits are no longer required
• we are prevented from treating on an appointment that has already been rescheduled once
• there is no adult (over the age of 18) at home when we call
• the required preparations have not taken place before the technician’s arrival
• the occupant does not allow the treatment to take place
• the information supplied on the booking form is incorrect

5.4. If we attend the appointment and the information you supplied is wrong, we will leave the property without conducting the treatment and you will be charged for a £70 call-out fee. This fee is inclusive of all charges. This applies, but is not limited to:

• if you identified the pest incorrectly
• if the cost of the treatment required is more then you have already paid
• if you requested treatments for rooms the technicians confirm are not infested

Information on this page is subject to change in line with legislation

If you have any further enquiries about pest control treatments kindly revert to the call centre for assistance prior to making a booking.

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