Your first year
From the day you get the keys to your first anniversary
The plan is the same for every house; the order depends on the season you moved in. Here it is step by step.
- Closing week
Step 1: Before the boxes
If you can, call between closing and move-in. An empty house is the easiest to look through.
- Week 1
Step 2: The walk-through
Outside, basement, garage, attic hatch and under the sinks, with you. Photos of what we find go in the report.
- Week 2
Step 3: The written plan
You get the report, an estimate and a calendar for your house. Nothing starts until you say yes.
- Month 1
Step 4: The first treatment
Where the walk-through found activity, and the outside walls and entry points.
- Seasons
Step 5: A visit each season
A short visit in spring, summer and fall, aimed at what's likely then. Between visits, call if something turns up.
- Month 12
Step 6: The look back
A written summary of the year: what we saw, what we sealed, and whether year two needs the full plan.
Week-one list
What you can do yourself in the first week
None of this needs a tool you don't own. It makes the walk-through shorter and the year quieter.
Break down the boxes and get cardboard out of the garage and basement; it gives pests somewhere to hide
Look at the garage door's bottom seal from outside with the door shut; daylight means a gap
Check that window well covers sit flat and that the wells are clear of leaves
Keep firewood and anything stacked a few feet from the walls
Store pantry food in lidded containers once you've unpacked it
Write down where you've seen anything, with the date, and hand us the list at the walk-through
Between visits
If something turns up before your next visit
Call or text. Here's what usually happens.
We ask what you saw
Where, when, and how many. A photo helps, and so does the date.
We look at the report
We check it against what the walk-through found, so we know whether it's new.
We come back if it's covered
If it's the pest we treated for and inside the 60 days, the re-service terms apply. If it's new, we tell you before we add anything.
Questions about the first year
What if I've only just bought and nothing is wrong?
That's the best time to call. The walk-through finds the gaps and damp spots while the house is empty or half-unpacked, and the calendar tells you what's likely and when.
How much does pest control cost?
It depends on the house, the pest and how many visits it takes. How pricing works spells out what changes the number. We send a written estimate before any work starts, and you decide after you've read it.
Do I have to sign a contract?
A one-time treatment has no contract. The first-year plan is written out on the estimate, with what each visit covers and how to stop: call or text us before the next visit.
Got the keys, or about to?
Tell us your closing date. We'll plan the walk-through around it.