Bedbug Inspections Bromley

What the Inspection Is For

The point is a list, not a verdict. At the end you should know, for every room we looked at, whether bedbugs were found, whether it was clear, or whether it is worth watching. That list then sets the quote. What an inspection involves in general, and how bedbugs are told apart from other insects, is on our London inspections page, for the full explanation.

Whether to treat the whole house or part of it is a decision that follows from the list, and the Orpington page on big family houses goes through how to make it. If all you have so far is a single bug, start with the Hayes page on finding one bedbug.

The Order We Go Through a House

We start where the evidence is, usually the bedroom of whoever has the bites or found the bug, and work outwards. That order matters: once we know what the problem looks like in the first room, it is easier to recognise faint signs of the same thing elsewhere.

1. The room where the bites or the bug were found.
2. Any bedroom whose occupant moves between beds, such as a child who climbs in with a parent.
3. The rooms either side and directly above or below.
4. The spare and guest rooms, even if nobody has used them lately.
5. Sofas, armchairs and any room where someone regularly naps or falls asleep in front of the television.
6. Anything that has come into the house recently, such as second-hand furniture or bags back from a trip.

What We Look At in Each Room

In each bedroom we lift the mattress, look along its seams and piping, open up the base where we can, and check the joints of the frame and the back of the headboard. Then the furniture nearest the bed, the edges of the carpet, and the skirting behind it. In a house with fitted wardrobes, built-in cupboards and window seats there is simply more to open, which is why a bigger house takes longer to inspect.

The guide to places that get missed lists the spots people overlook. In an older house with picture rails, loose skirtings and gaps round old floorboards, we pay those extra attention.

Getting the House Ready for Us

Very little, and mainly things not to do. Do not strip the beds, hoover the edges or spray anything beforehand, because that removes the evidence we need. Do make a note of who sleeps where, who has had bites, and which rooms guests or family have used in the past few weeks. Keep any bug you have caught in a sealed bag or pot.

• Clear a path to each bed so the mattress can be lifted.
• Unlock any rooms that are normally kept shut.
• Have someone at home who can tell us about each room as we go.
• Mention anything bought second-hand in the past year.

What You Get Afterwards

A room-by-room account: which rooms had live bugs, eggs, cast skins or spotting, which were clear, and any that showed something too faint to call. From that we suggest which rooms to treat and whether heat or chemical suits the job. The routes are on our heat treatment page for Bromley and our chemical treatment page for Bromley.

A clear room is not a promise that it will stay clear. It is a record of what was there on the day, which is why we tell you what to keep an eye on in the rooms left off the treatment list.

What It Costs

Inspections start from £120. A larger house takes longer to go through, and we tell you the price on the phone once we know how many rooms there are. Treatments start from £220 and follow the number of rooms the inspection finds. For the rest of what we do across the borough, see the Bromley borough page.

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