At House Method, our primary concern will always be transparency to the reader. When evaluating home services, we take care to apply the most stringent evaluation criteria to all providers we review. Guarding your home against pests is a significant portion of many homeowners’ responsibilities, and we’ve gone to great lengths to ensure that you have all the information needed to hire the best pest control company available. Read our affiliate disclosure to learn more.
Once you’re a homeowner, you’ll have plenty of associated responsibilities to keep you busy. One of these will be keeping your home pest-free. If you have an active infestation, or need protection due to your home being in a high-risk area, then hiring the right pest control service will be of the utmost importance.
Our rating system is fixed for each provider we review. The ratings assigned to each company are based on a flat 10-point scale. This is broken down into six parent categories and 19 associated subcategories.
All of the pest pros we review are fully licensed and insured, and carry the necessary training for successful application of all needed chemicals and techniques to get the job done properly. We’ve broken down each provider based on their cost, service offerings and plans, customer service ability, and flexibility to give you a comprehensive picture of what to expect.
When procuring any home service, we realize that the importance of peace of mind cannot be overstated. A given provider’s ability to follow through on stated policies and price points is key to booking confidently. Communication at all points during the booking process, and while services are being rendered will help to add some assurances that your pest control needs are being met.
All pest control service providers will have stated policies that they will use as a guidepost for rendering services, pricing, and inspections. We’ve explored customer reviews and compared them against each company’s policies to determine how faithfully their processes are executed.
Whether you’re committing to a six-month or annual contract, or are simply looking for one-time pest or wildlife control services, you’ll want to get the services you’ve originally requested. We’ve combed through customer reviews from all reputable sources, including Google, Yelp, Better Business Bureau, and more to determine just how well each pest control company sticks to their contracts.
No matter the quality of your pest control provider, you’ll want to have some assurance that, if things don’t go to plan, you’ll be able to recoup at least some of your money. If not that, then a provider should offer additional corrective services at minimal added cost (if any) to complete the originally agreed-upon services.
All pest control services should offer some form of guarantee regarding their overall quality and results. This could include some means of redress for any issues you encounter after your initial service has been completed. If an infestation remains or reemerges within a set amount of time after your pest control pros have visited your home, they may offer to make things right.
Budgeting for any home service is a key factor in ensuring that your maintenance needs in any area go smoothly. Costs should be relatively easy to understand, with add-ons clearly delineated from basic services.
At the very least, all basic costs should be clearly outlined on company websites and any advertising materials distributed via mail, email, or other means. Sample pricing for a range of pests and plans of varying duration should be easily visible to all prospective clients prior to booking. Beyond this, all contracts provided for service should be clearly worded, with charges fully laid out in writing.
Average costs for pest control can be difficult to understand, due to the variety of bugs, rodents, and general wildlife a given provider can typically handle. However, your average costs should fall within typical rates for your state and the industry in general. Here are a few sample ranges for reference:
Your costs will also depend on the type of infestation you have, as well as the size of your home:
*One-time treatment costs
This has become standard practice, but all pest companies should provide service plans that extend beyond a single visit to your home or treatment. Most providers offer annual contracts, as well as six-month and (sometimes) quarterly options, which can streamline and cheapen the process.
Pests come in many shapes and sizes, and each has multiple effective treatment options for pest control companies to choose from. The breadth of services provided was a key factor for us when evaluating pest control services. We weighted this category among the most important when rating these providers, and examined hundreds of individual service profiles from top providers to determine what homeowners may need.
The varieties of pests on your radar will be fairly dependent on your geographic location. However, since many of the providers we profile have nationwide availability, we rate the breadth of service highly. You should look for a company that can provide protection from the following:
If you’re concerned with environmental impact, then multiple greener treatment plans will likely be a priority for you when selecting a pest professional. The best providers will be able to offer a range of minimally invasive or damaging treatment and removal plans for a range of pest-related problems.
From removing a family of skunks from your property near your home to exterminating a colony of termites causing severe structural damage to support beams in your house, quality providers will be able to show up with little notice to deal with any problem. Such service will typically come at a premium cost but should be relatively hassle-free to book.
No matter what the scope of your pest control needs is, you’ll want to be able to find out whether a given provider offers such services relatively quickly. A pest control company with a dedicated and easy-to-understand services page ranks highly for this reason.
A consumer-friendly experience is something that all reputable home service providers strive to provide. When evaluating this side of each pest control service we reviewed, we did deep dives into customer reviews from numerous sources. This, combined with stated policies, gave us plenty of information to render an accurate rating.
Feeling connected to your pest control experts, whether for emergency or ongoing service, is important when dealing with the effective removal of any unwanted bugs or rodents. Your pest control company should provide a dedicated phone line or email portal through which you can voice your concerns while replying quickly.
If you feel that your service needs have not been met, or that your contract has not been fulfilled, then a reliable dispute resolution arm of your pest control company will be important. Customer service representatives should be available at all times to help resolve issues surrounding the failure to render service.
Mobile apps – or fully streamlined mobile websites – are increasingly becoming the norm across all customer service-oriented industries. Pest control companies are no different. You should have ready access to digital copies of your contract, as well as a fairly straightforward means of contacting your provider on hand at all times.
No two pest removal service requests will be exactly the same. In more unique cases, a company’s versatility and ability to work within client needs will come to the forefront and will be tested. We’ve thoroughly evaluated each provider we review for their willingness to adapt to fit individual needs.
Many of the pest control experts we’ve reviewed are available across most states in the U.S., which factors into our corresponding rating.
Providers with a presence in at least all lower 48 states receive our highest rating in this category. Being widely available also lends itself to trustworthiness in the eyes of consumers and homeowners everywhere. These pest control providers have a far wider base from which to draw customer feedback, which provides plenty of credibility in the eyes of a savvy client.
Pest control needs are sure to vary, depending on your exact location. Providers who offer similar extermination and removal services across their entire service areas rate higher on our scale.
At House Method, we strive to maintain transparency to our readers and to be a fully reliable source of information about all home services we cover. In that vein, each pest control service we review is graded on the same 10-point scale, which we’ve outlined here.