First, Thank Them
It takes some nerve to tell a neighbour, and it helps you. You now know to look, which is far better than finding out from a bite pattern weeks later. Ask them, if they are happy to say, which rooms are affected and whether treatment has been booked.
That second point matters. Bedbugs in a flat that is about to be treated can be pushed outwards for a while, and walls, floors and pipe runs are shared in most blocks. Knowing the dates tells you when to look most carefully.
What to Check in Your Own Home
Concentrate on the rooms that back onto theirs, and on where people sleep.
- Mattress piping, labels and the corners of the base.
- Headboards, especially where they touch a wall shared with the neighbour.
- Skirting boards along the party wall, and around pipes and sockets.
- Sofas if anyone sleeps on one.
Look again every few days for a month or so. Finding nothing on the first night does not mean you are clear; finding nothing repeatedly is a good sign. Keep a note of what you checked and when, so that if you do find something you can tell us, and your landlord, exactly how it developed.
What Not to Do
Do not spray shop-bought insecticide along the walls as a precaution. It rarely stops bedbugs and can scatter any that are there. Do not move beds away from the shared wall and do not start sleeping in another room; if they are in the bedroom, both of those spread them further.
If you are worried, a professional inspection starts from £120 and tells you whether there is anything to treat. That is often money better spent than treating a flat that turns out to be clean.
Who Else Should Know
Much of the housing in North Kensington is on large estates managed by a housing provider or a managing agent. If you are a tenant, tell them in writing that a neighbouring flat is affected and ask whether they are arranging checks on adjoining homes. Who arranges and pays for any treatment depends on the tenancy and the cause; we are pest controllers, not legal advisers. The borough chemical treatment page covers how visits work with a housing provider.
The other side of this conversation is covered in our guide to telling neighbours about bedbugs, and the Kensington and Chelsea page sets out how we plan a room if treatment is needed.
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Bedbug Control North Kensington — Questions
Can bedbugs come through the wall from next door?
They can travel along gaps around pipes, cables and skirting boards, and under doors into shared corridors. A solid wall slows them; gaps in it do not.
Should I get treated at the same time as my neighbour?
Only if you have them. Check first, or have an inspection. Treating a clean flat is not a substitute for looking.
How long should I keep checking?
For a few weeks after the neighbour's treatment finishes. If the signs never appear, you can stop.
I have bites but found nothing. What now?
Bites alone do not prove bedbugs, and some people do not react at all. An inspection settles it. For the bites, a pharmacist or GP can help; call 999 for signs of a severe allergic reaction.
What does it cost if I do need treatment in North Kensington?
Treatments start at £220, and inspections from £120. The final figure depends on the rooms and method and is given on the phone before booking.
Elsewhere in Kensington and Chelsea
The other areas in the borough, each written around a different situation.
Bedbug Advice for North Kensington
Picked for this page: the guides that go further on what matters for North Kensington.
Telling Your Neighbours
Why it helps, who to tell first, what to say, and bringing in the managing agent or landlord.
Read more →
The Early Signs, and the Timeline
Week one to month six. What is detectable when, and why 'early' is mostly invisible.
Read more →
How Professional Chemical Treatment Works
What is actually in a professional treatment, and why it is not the tin from the hardware shop.
Read more →
Bedbugs in Ceilings and Light Fittings?
When they climb, where they hide up high, and what a sighting on the ceiling says about the problem.
Read more →Bedbug Treatments in Kensington and Chelsea
Every service has its own page for Kensington and Chelsea: heat, chemical, hotels, commercial premises and inspections.
Covering North Kensington
Tell Us About the Property
Tell us which of your rooms back onto the neighbour's flat and whether you have seen anything, and we will advise.