# Hiring a pest control company


We do not refer, rank, or dispatch companies, and we earn nothing from anyone you hire. That is precisely why this page can be blunt.

## Before you call anyone

Know what you have. A quote for the wrong pest is worthless, and identification changes the scope of the job more than anything else. If you are not sure, use the [identification key](/identify/key/) or send a specimen to your county extension service first.

Also know whether you have a treatment problem at all. For a large share of complaints the honest answer is exclusion and moisture correction, and [prevention](/prevention/) covers what that involves.

## What a real inspection produces

An inspection should end with a written finding: what was found, where, what evidence supported it, and what conditions contributed. If you get a price without a finding, you have a sales call rather than an inspection.

For termites specifically, the report should distinguish **evidence of infestation** from **conducive conditions**. These are routinely conflated, at real cost — conducive conditions are things to correct, not evidence of termites.

## What a guarantee should actually say

- **What it covers.** Retreatment only, or retreatment plus repair of new damage? For termites this is the difference between two very different financial products.
- **What voids it.** Many require an annual paid inspection. Some are voided by any structural alteration.
- **How long it runs**, and what renewal costs.
- **Whether it transfers** if you sell the property.

Get all four in writing. A guarantee described only verbally is not a guarantee.

## Contract red flags

- **A quarterly contract sold for a one-time problem.** A wasp nest or a single mouse entry does not need an ongoing agreement.
- **A treatment recommended without an inspection.** Nobody knows the job if nobody has looked.
- **Pressure at the point of a real-estate transaction.** Time pressure at closing is where the worst decisions get made, and it is a known pattern.
- **A termite bond with unclear renewal or damage terms.**
- **Refusal to name the product used or provide its label information.** You are entitled to know, and it is the only way to check the re-entry interval.
- **An auto-renewing agreement with a cancellation fee** disclosed only in small print.
- **Anyone offering a restricted-use product for you to apply yourself.** That is not legal, and it tells you what kind of operator you are dealing with.

## Questions worth asking

1. Is the company licensed in this state, and can I see it?
2. What did the inspection find, in writing?
3. What is the treatment approach and what is it targeting?
4. What product class will be used, and what does its label say about re-entry?
5. Is this one-time or recurring, and what is the minimum term?
6. What is the total first-year cost?
7. What does the guarantee cover, and what voids it?
8. What am I responsible for — the exclusion and moisture work is usually yours.

## After they leave

The durable half of the job is normally yours: seal the gaps, correct the moisture, remove the food access. A treatment without that work is a repeating expense rather than a resolution.


Source: https://againstpest.shop/hiring/