Harlow was laid out as a new town, with neighbourhoods divided by green wedges, shopping areas and industrial estates. That mix is good for living and working, but it also gives rats routes between open ground, bins, drains and buildings. We provide rat control across Harlow for tenants, owners, landlords and businesses of every size.
If you have heard noises in the walls at night, found gnawed packaging or seen a rat in daylight, contact us. We inspect, find the cause, and put a treatment in place that is safe around children and pets.
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The green wedges that run between Harlow neighbourhoods are pleasant, but rats treat grass banks, hedges and overgrown verges as cover. From there they head for the nearest food, often a communal bin store, a takeaway yard or a garden where scraps get thrown out. Once a food source is found, other rats follow the same route along fences, walls and drainage channels.
A good deal of housing in Harlow is rented, and many blocks have shared bin areas and drains. Problems can persist when nobody feels responsible for them, so it helps to report sightings to the landlord or managing agent quickly and in writing. We work with tenants and agents alike, and can survey a whole block as well as a single flat or house.
In Harlow we start by tracing the signs. Greasy smears along skirting boards, droppings, gnawing on pipes and cables, burrows beside walls and noises in the roof space all tell us where rats are travelling. Drains are checked too, since a broken pipe can give rats a way into a property without anyone noticing, and that is something bait alone cannot fix.
Baiting and trapping are used in a controlled way, with boxes sited out of reach of children and pets. We revisit to see what has been taken, replace or remove traps and adjust the plan as needed. When the activity stops we recommend proofing work, such as sealing pipe gaps and damaged air bricks, so that any new rats find the way closed.
Warehouses, workshops and food outlets around Harlow face a different risk, because stock stored at floor level and rubbish skips attract rats quickly. We can set up a regular inspection routine and keep notes of what we find, which is useful when someone asks about your pest control arrangements. We also cover Epping, Loughton and Great Dunmow, as well as every postcode from CM17 to CM20 in Harlow itself.
We cover towns and villages across Essex. Choose your area to see how rat control works locally.
Rats are secretive and mostly active after dark, so the first clues are usually small marks and sounds rather than a sighting of the animal itself.
Read the guide →Rats come to gardens for food, water and shelter, so the most reliable way to keep them away is to remove all three before they settle in.
Read the guide →
Most household pests leave clues behind, and learning to read droppings, damage, noises and timing will help you decide what you are dealing with and what to do next.
Read the guide →Usually the landlord or managing agent is responsible when the cause is the building or communal areas, so report it in writing as soon as you notice signs. If you prefer, we can visit, explain what we find and talk to the agent on your behalf.
Yes. Cracked or poorly sealed drain pipes can give rats a way into a garden and sometimes into a building. We check drains as part of the inspection, and if a pipe needs repair we will say so, since baiting alone will not solve that.
Keep pets and children away from areas where you have seen rats, put food away and do not block holes yourself. A note of where and when you heard or saw them is useful, and so is a clear route to the loft or garden.
Tell us what you have found and roughly where it is. We will come back to you — or call 01245 327 274 if it is urgent.
