The best time to treat a home for pests is the week before you move in. Empty rooms let us reach every corner, and you start clean. In Karenpark, where there's a steady turnover of freestanding homes and complex units, we're often called by new owners, tenants and landlords who've found cockroaches, fleas or mice the previous occupants left behind. Here's what to check and what we do about it.
A northern suburb with a lot of moving vans
Karenpark is on the northern side of Pretoria near the Magaliesberg ridge, with family homes and complexes. Properties change hands and tenants come and go, and every move is a chance for pests to arrive in boxes and furniture, or to be left behind in an empty house where nobody's been watching.
What new occupants usually find
Cockroaches
Small brown German cockroaches hide in kitchen cupboard hinges, behind the stove and inside the motor housing of the fridge. They can travel in from a previous home inside appliances and boxes. Gel bait placed where they shelter clears them far better than a spray. Our cockroach control in Montana and surrounds covers the details.
Fleas
If the last occupants had a dog or cat, flea eggs and pupae can lie dormant in carpets and floor cracks for weeks. Then you move in, walk around, and they hatch. Ankles bitten in an empty house is the classic sign. We treat the floors and carpets, and your own pets need treatment from the vet at the same time. See flea treatments for northern homes.
Bed bugs
Less common, but serious when they turn up. They come in second-hand beds, couches and suitcases. Check the seams of any used mattress or headboard before bringing it in. Our article on how to get rid of bed bugs explains the signs.
Mice
An empty or quiet house is easy for mice to move into. Droppings in drawers, under the sink and in the geyser cupboard are the usual find. Mice also chew into the insulation around geysers and the wiring in the roof, so a house that stood empty over winter is worth checking properly. A few snap traps and sealing the gap they used is often enough for a mouse or two. A steady supply of fresh droppings means a bigger family and a proper baiting plan.
A pre-move checklist
- Open every kitchen cupboard and look in the hinges and corners for droppings or cockroach egg cases.
- Pull the stove out and look behind it.
- Walk the carpets in white socks. Fleas show up as small dark specks on the fabric.
- Check the roof hatch and garage for droppings and chewed insulation.
- Look at skirting boards and door frames for mud tubes, which point to termites.
How we treat a home between occupants
We inspect the empty property first, then treat for what we find. Gel baits for cockroaches in the kitchen and bathrooms, a flea treatment for floors and carpets, bait stations and proofing advice for mice, and a full bed bug treatment with follow-up if that's what's needed. Residual sprays are odourless and won't stain, so you can move in soon after. Keep children and pets off treated floors until they're dry.
For landlords and complex managers
A quick treatment between tenants is cheaper than dealing with a complaint three months into a lease. In complexes, cockroaches and mice travel through shared walls, drains and roof spaces, so treating a single empty unit sometimes isn't enough. We can work with the body corporate to treat a block or the whole complex, and set up regular checks of the common areas.
The mistake people make
Setting off a bug bomb in the empty house before moving in. It drives cockroaches into the walls and the unit next door, does little to flea pupae, and does nothing at all for mice. Then the furniture arrives and so do the pests, back from wherever they hid.
What does it cost?
The price depends on the size of the home, what we find and how many follow-ups it needs. A clean house with a few cockroaches in the kitchen is a small job. Fleas through the whole house or a bed bug problem takes more work. Landlords and complexes can ask for a quote that covers a number of units. We'll tell you if a simple bait from the shops is enough.
The rest of our work in the north is on the Montana pest control page. We're SAPCA registered, we've been at this for 25 years, and our 3-month guarantee means we come back if the pest does. Call 012 012 5526, or WhatsApp us a photo of what you've found in your new place.
Questions we get asked
Why am I getting flea bites in an empty house?
Flea pupae left by the previous occupants' pets can lie dormant for weeks, then hatch when they sense people walking about. A floor and carpet treatment clears them.
Should I treat before or after moving in?
Before, if you can. Empty rooms let us reach every cupboard, skirting and corner, and you don't have to move anything.
Who pays for pest control in a rental, the landlord or the tenant?
That depends on your lease. Many landlords treat between tenants as standard. If pests were there before you moved in, raise it with your landlord or agent early.
Can cockroaches come with me from my old house?
Yes. German cockroaches and their egg cases travel in boxes, appliances and kitchen goods. Unpack the kitchen boxes outside or in the garage if you can, and check appliances.
Is it safe to move in straight after treatment?
Yes, once treated surfaces are dry. Keep young children and pets off sprayed floors until then.