Pest Control
Pest control treatment for rats and mice inside homes is free of charge for domestic premises, as long as someone living there is receiving at least one of the benefits listed below:
- Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related) (ESA)
- Income Support
- Job Seekers' Allowance (JSA)
- Disability Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Attendance Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Reduction
- Pension Credit Guarantee
- Universal Credit
Please note that you will need to provide evidence of your benefits, such as an award letter, when the technician visits you.
Important Service Information
Our contractor is East Devon District Council Pest Control Service. The service is provided to our customers on Tuesdays only. To be effective, the treatment requires three visits. All three appointments will be booked at the same time for three consecutive Tuesdays.
Due to the large geographical area the technician has to cover, we are currently unable to provide you with a morning or afternoon appointment time. You will need to be at home and be prepared to wait in for the whole day, for all three Tuesdays.
If you are not able to make this commitment, then please do not use this service and instead make your own arrangements with another pest control provider.
Due to high levels of demand for our service, the earliest appointments available for a first visit are in 8 weeks’ time, but we are working hard to reduce this.
If you cannot wait 8 week for your first appointment and you are a tenant please contact your landlord. Landlords are responsible for ensuring that your property is in good repair and well maintained so that rats do not gain entry in the first place.
If you are an owner occupier and you cannot wait 8 weeks then you will need to arrange for your own pest control contractor. More information on how to find local services can be found in the 'Customers who would like to arrange their own pest control' section below.
Customers Who Would Like to Arrange Their Own Pest Control
If you don't receive any of benefits listed above, or cannot wait 8 weeks for our free service, you will need to contact a private pest control company.
You can also contact the British Pest Control Association and National Pest Control Technicians Association to find a local service.
Pest Problems at Other Properties or in Public
If the pest problem is at another property, or in a public place, please report it to our Customer Service team using the general enquiries form. We will then investigate the problem.
Feedback and Service Complaints
West Devon Council is one of the few local authorities to provide a free pest control service.
We do our best to provide a good service but at times of high demand there will be a long wait for our service. We appreciate that this may be upsetting for you, but please be polite to our staff who are doing their best to help.