The presence of a pest problem within your home can be both horrifying and distressing. If your home has recently been invaded by some unwanted guests, then you’ll need to contact a pest management company to get the issue resolved as quickly as possible. As president of Boston’s Ultra Safe Pest Management Inc., Vic Palermo understands how difficult it can be in such situations to find the right company for the job. He therefore suggests that people ask the following questions prior to hiring a pest management company:
How much will the job cost?
When it comes to any type of home-related service, cost is usually a factor. Therefore, you’ll want to get a clear sense of how much the job in question is going to cost you. While the cheapest company out there might not offer the best service, you also don’t necessarily want to go with the company looking to charge the most.
What are your treatment methods?
Before you agree to a company’s terms, it’s a good idea to ask what types of chemicals and materials are going to be used on your property. This is especially important for people with infants and pets. After all, the last thing you’d want is for your extermination job to pose any sort of health risk for the various members of your household.
What type of warranty will I get?
The fact that you’re being forced to pay for pest management services is probably aggravating enough. Therefore, the last thing you’ll want is to have to go through the process again several months down the road. In order to protect yourself from having this happen, you’ll want to ask if the services in question come with a warranty. A good pest management company will stand behind its work and offer warranties on the various services it performs. While the specifics might vary from business to business, Ultra Safe offers a six-month warranty on many of its extermination services. Additionally, the company offers a one-year warranty on bedbugs and a five-year warranty on termites.
How long will the job take?
Before hiring a pest management company, you’ll want to find out how long the job in question is expected to take. In many cases, it is preferable or even mandatory that a homeowner be away from the premises during and after the extermination and treatment process. Therefore, you’ll need to ask this question so that you can plan your schedule accordingly. Additionally, be sure to ask if there are any restrictions on returning to your property after the pest management job has been completed.
Do you have references?
As is the case in any type of service industry, when it comes to pest management, you’ll want to choose a company that comes with its fair share of glowing references. After all, the best way to get a sense of how well the company will perform is to talk to customers who experienced their services firsthand. The more rave reviews a company has, the more likely you are to find yourself satisfied with the work they do on your property.
Are you licensed and insured?
This is something you’ll want to ask of any contractor or company coming to do work in your house. Not every company and individual in the pest management field is properly licensed. So for your own protection, go with someone who has the proper credentials. Additionally, make sure that the company you hire has the proper liability insurance. If your pest management company is not properly insured and a worker gets injured on your property over the course of the job, then you could be held legally and financially responsible. Another important thing about company insurance is the fact that it protects you from having to bear the cost of repairs in the event of damages resulting from company error. After all, the last thing you’ll want to deal with on top of a pest problem is the cost of any type of home or furniture restoration.
Do you have experience with my specific problem?
The term “pest management” covers an array of issues. So before you hire a specific company, make sure that it has experience in dealing with the particular problem that you are facing. For example, the fact that a pest management company has spent years dealing with termites does not qualify it to tackle a situation like bedbugs. In order to ensure that you’re truly hiring the best people for the job, make sure that the company can point to its experience in your area of pest-related concern.
By knowing what to ask before hiring a pest management company, you’ll be putting yourself in the best position to have the job done properly and effectively.
