Why the Building's Past Matters
A second outbreak in a block usually has one of two explanations. Either a flat that was part of the problem last time was never fully dealt with, or someone has brought a fresh lot in and it has nothing to do with the earlier job. Those two situations need different plans, and you cannot tell them apart from inside your own flat.
If it is left over from before, treating only your rooms may buy you a few quiet months and then the same thing again. If it is new, your flat may be the only one affected and a single contained treatment is the sensible route.
What to Ask the Managing Agent
Write to the agent or the residents' management company and ask for plain facts rather than reassurance. You are entitled to ask; whether they answer in full is up to them.
- When bedbugs were last reported in the building, roughly
- Which flats or floors were involved, even without flat numbers
- Whether the treatment was heat, chemical, or a mix
- Whether follow-up visits were completed in every flat
- Whether anyone checked the flats either side and above and below
Keep a copy of what you send and what comes back. If the answers point to a flat near yours, that is worth telling us on the phone, because it decides where we look first.
Choosing a Treatment in a Block That Has Had Them
Where the history suggests they are coming through the walls or along service runs, heat on its own leaves nothing behind to meet the next arrival. In shared buildings we may put a light residual at the edges after a heat treatment for that reason. The heat treatment page for the borough sets out how that day runs.
Chemical treatment puts a residual into the seams, frames and skirtings, which keeps working between visits, and in a flat with neighbours on every side that has real value. It needs two, sometimes three visits about 10-14 days apart. If you are unsure whether it is really back at all, an inspection from £120 settles it first.
Keeping a Record From Now On
Whatever happens this time, write it down: the date you first saw signs, the rooms, the date of each visit and what was done. If there is a third episode in the building, that record is the thing that shows a pattern. It also helps the next person who buys or rents your flat in Hammersmith ask the right questions. For how a problem can hide in the gaps along the floor between flats, see our guide to bedbugs in skirting boards and floor gaps. The Hammersmith and Fulham borough page covers fitting treatment into a working week.
← Bedbug Control Hammersmith and Fulham · Bedbug Control London
Bedbug Control Hammersmith — Questions
The agent says the last outbreak was fully treated. Should I believe that?
It may well be true. We would still want to know which flats were done and whether every follow-up happened, because a single missed visit is enough to keep a small population going.
Can you treat the corridor outside my flat?
Only with the agreement of whoever manages the common parts. We can tell you whether there are signs there, and you can pass that on.
Do I have to tell my neighbours?
You do not have to, but a note to the flats either side often gets them checking their own beds, which helps everyone in a Hammersmith block more than keeping quiet does.
Will you need access to other flats?
Not to treat yours. If we think the source is next door, we will say so and leave it to you and the agent to arrange.
What does it cost?
Treatments start at £220. The figure depends on the rooms and on heat or chemical, and we give it on the phone before booking.
Elsewhere in Hammersmith and Fulham
The other areas in the borough, each written around a different situation.
Bedbug Advice for Hammersmith
Picked for this page: the guides that go further on what matters for Hammersmith.
Why Bedbugs Reappear After Treatment
Hatching, survival or re-introduction. Three different problems that look identical.
Read more →
The Places That Get Missed
Beyond the bed and the two-metre radius: the harbourages that survive a mediocre inspection.
Read more →Skirting Boards and Floor Gaps
The gap at the bottom of the wall is one of their favourite places; here is how to check it.
Read more →
How Long Do Bedbugs Live?
Adult lifespan, what changes it, and why leaving the flat empty is not a plan.
Read more →Bedbug Treatments in Hammersmith and Fulham
Every service has its own page for Hammersmith and Fulham: heat, chemical, hotels, commercial premises and inspections.
Covering Hammersmith
Tell Us About the Property
Tell us what you know about the building's last outbreak, even if it is only hearsay, and we will say where we would start.