Pest Control

The Cost of Pest Control: A Couple of Things to Consider

There are a few things to consider when researching the cost of pest control services:

• The initial cost of pre-planned maintenance visits (PPMs).
• What’s covered: what pests are included as standard and proofing levels.
• The hourly rate for extras and the mark-up rate applied to materials.
• Coverage of the business and reaction times – in and out of hours.

Keep in mind that pest control pricing will vary greatly depending on the size of your site and the level of service you require, for example, if services like field biologist visits.

Contract with Pest Control Provider

Once you have agreed on the specification, call out KPIs, and rates card, you know you’re covered for all your essentials or high-risk items.

Rats and mice are normally covered as standard, but when it comes to other pests and insects, the level of cover you’ll need depends on the type of buildings your business operates from and the location. For example, removing specific pests from the inclusive list could save you money across the estate, and you may wish to consider a variety of specifications depending on the location of your site. A good pest control provider will survey your site, look at risk levels, and advise accordingly. A good example of this is if you’re based in London, cockroaches are common, but in Newcastle, they aren’t.

Pest control contracts are based on the following formula:

TIME ON SITE + CALL OUT RISK + MATERIALS = SERVICE COST

Individual small retail premises: pest control pricing for 8 visits will range between £240 – £400
Individual larger sites: costs will generally range between £450 – £650

National accounts rates will generally be around 25-30% lower based on volume, route density, and risk across a larger portfolio.

Ad-hoc Pest Control Service – Using Approved or Local Suppliers

All pest control companies will accept ‘one-off’ emergency call-outs. The risk with using an ad-hoc non-contractual service is that often the cost of reactive services is much higher. Plus, if you’re an unknown client, you may struggle to get same or next-day service, especially in the peak pest seasons of summer and mid-winter.
Another major risk of shopping around online for pest control is that pest control is a self-regulated industry. This means that with only some basic training anyone can advertise as a ‘pest control technician.’

Reactive call-out rates are normally higher and expose you to greater pest risk.

A three-part rodent riddance visit call-out will cost between £180 – £300
General insect call-outs will cost between £100 – £150 per visit, and you may need two or three visits depending on the species.

Of course, some providers will also charge a same-day premium.

If you’re looking at this as an option, we would recommend only employing a provider that’s a member of the BCPA. Membership of the professional body means that technicians are competent and able to control pests safely, legally, and effectively. BCPA members are also fully insured businesses with at least £2M public liability insurance and follow the BPCA Codes of Best Practice.

Another thing to look for when looking for a pest control provider is that all competent and compliant companies will have been audited to the British Standard in pest management, BS EN 16636.

Reactive Service Based On Call Off Contracts

The obvious advantage of a reactive approach is that you save money on planned visit costs.