Pest control

Full service during the coronavirus outbreak

Pest Control is considered as an essential service and our pest control officers are designated as key workers. The health and welfare of our residents, our pest control officers, all our families, and our communities is our primary concern.

We are continuing to provide the same service to residents. All visits made by our officers during this time will strictly follow government guidelines.

• We will not attend properties where residents are self-isolating with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 symptoms
• We will confirm with the client that Government guidelines and social distancing conditions can be observed during the visit
• Our officers will wear personal protective equipment
• All officers are expected to observe the Government guidelines regarding social distancing

Services we provide

Our service is available to residents and businesses for advice about how to get rid of insects, rodents or other potential health hazards. We have effective treatments for certain types of pests and can help with identifying pests and information about what to do. We will come to your home and treat any infestations of rats, mice, cockroaches, bed bugs, fleas and wasps and pharaoh ants.

We give advice on treating other pest like bees, foxes etc in our information sheets , squirrels.

We can investigate complaints about fouling from pigeons and arrange through landlords to carry out proofing measures if deemed necessary.

We provide pest control services for schools, nurseries, community centres, places of worship and registered charities. One of our Pest Control team will discuss your needs and provide a price for this service.

We are increasing our commercial pest control work for non-food businesses in the borough. Any businesses interested in our services should email us on pest.control@towerhamlets.gov.uk or contact the customer contact centre who will pass calls to the pest control team.

Information sheets about each type of pest

• bed bugs
• black (garden) ants
• cockroaches
• fleas
• foxes
• mice
• oak processionary moths
• pharaoh ants
• pigeons
• rats
• wasps/bees
• other insects

Charges for residents in the borough

The following charges apply for different treatments and are inclusive of VAT:

Treatment for Public Health pests is free for all state pensioners who live on their own or with another pensioner. You will need to show proof when we visit.

The service to deal with any rat infestation is free to all Tower Hamlets residents, whether the rat is in a dwelling, garden or other residential outdoor area.

You have the right to cancel a booked visit in accordance with rights under the Consumer Contracts (information, cancellation and additional charges) Regulations 2013, Schedule 3.

A partial refund will be given where treatment has already started.

Our contracts with some registered providers

Services are provided at no direct cost to tenants and leaseholders of these registered providers:

• Tower Hamlets Homes
• ARHAG Housing Association.
• Belgrave Street Housing Co-operative, odd numbers 13 to 49 Belgrave Street, E1
• East End Homes
• One Housing Group (Island region residents only)
• One Support residents at John Sinclair Court, 36 Thrawl Street, E1 6RN
• Poplar HARCA (Services are only for tenants of Poplar HARCA. Leaseholders will be charged for our services)
• Providence Row Housing Association
• Spitalfields Housing Association
• Wilfred East London Housing Cooperative  residents at 1 – 95  Corbin House, Bromley High Street, E3 3BQ

If you are a resident of one of the above Registered Providers then we will treat the following pests:

• bed-bugs
• cockroaches
• fleas
• mice
• pharaoh ants/ghost ants
• wasps.

People who live in property owned or managed by any other registered provider can use our services but will have to pay us directly, unless a state pensioner lives alone at the address or with another pensioner (you will need to show proof when we visit) or the pest to be treated is a rat.

People who live in property which is privately owned or privately rented will have to pay us directly for our services, unless a state pensioner lives alone at the address or with another pensioner (you will need to show proof when we visit) or the pest to be treated is a rat.

Alternatively, people in these properties can contact their landlord directly in the event of a pest infestation. If your landlord refuses to provide treatment you can contact Environmental Health

Tel: 020 7364 5000

Payment must be made when you phone us to make an appointment. You can pay with most major credit or debit cards (not Diners Card or American Express).

Please note that for mice, cockroaches, and pharaoh ants if an infestation continues after the course of treatments you have paid for, then a further payment will be required before additional treatment is carried out. We do not proof and undertake repairs for mice infestations.

If flea or wasp activity is still a problem seven days after the initial treatment a further visit will be made, this will be free of charge.

Bed Bug treatments

Infested rooms must be prepared before we visit, according to our Bed bug preparation leaflet. This Preparation is of vital importance to enable effective treatment and should this not be fully carried out then the officer may not be able to treat the room(s).

If bed bug activity is still a problem three weeks after the initial treatment, then a further visit will be made (free of charge for paying customers). Further treatments will not be undertaken if the property is not adequately prepared.

Pest samples

We provide a free pest identification service. The specimen will need to be placed in a secure container/package together with your name, address and contact number and brought to the Environmental Health Support Services team at John Onslow House, Roman Road, 1 Ewart Place, London, E3 5EQ. following identification the Pest Control team will then contact you to give advice.

Landlords of houses in multiple occupation with bed bug infestations

The council will only treat Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) for bed bugs if the service is requested and paid for by the landlord.

One of our pest control team will discuss your needs and provide a price for this service.

The definition of HMO is complex, but includes amongst others:

• A house which is occupied by three or more unrelated persons, who do not form a single household

Our service to you

We will:

• Make sure that someone is available to take calls between 9am and 5pm on weekdays.
• Respond to your request by providing a morning or afternoon appointment
• Investigate the cause of the pest infestation you are suffering
• Put in place a quality controlled treatment system aimed at eradicating the pest from your premises, and continue treatment until the pest is eliminated
• Provide safety information about the pest treatment used in your premises when necessary
• Offer advice on any actions possible and timescales involved where practical

In return, we ask that you:

• Contact us with at least 48 hours notice if you know you can't keep an appointment. We may be able to give it to someone on our waiting list, whilst offering you another appointment
• Report the pest problem to us as soon as you can, as it may reduce the time it takes us to rid you of the pest
  If the pest problem comes back after the treatment is finished, let us know as soon as you can
• Tell the pest control officer who visits you as much about the problem as you can recall
• Follow the advice or instructions given to you by the pest control officer investigating or treating the pest problem
• Contact us in response to the pest control officer leaving a letter at your home when you were unable to keep an appointment (if you have paid for treatment but are not in on the day and time of your appointment we regret that no refund can be made)
• Accept that investigating and treating can take time.

Contact us

Your first point of contact for the Environmental Health Service is through our Customer Contact Centre, where we have trained and experienced operators ready to listen to your concerns, make an appointment and give you the information you need.

We are available to take your calls Monday to Friday - 9am to 5pm

Tel: 020 7364 5000

If you have any questions about pests or our service, please email us at pest.control@towerhamlets.gov.uk.

Please note that appointments can only be made over the phone.