Dealing with pests

We define a pest as “a destructive insect or other animal that causes a substantial negative impact to the customer or property.” There is no complete list of what could be classed as a pest. In the UK, it normally means insects like ants, wasps, and cockroaches, and animals like rats and mice.

Pests infest the home when seeking basic needs for their survival like food, water, and shelter.

Signs of an infestation

Signs of an infestation can include sightings of the pests or other evidence such as:

• Droppings and footprints
• Damage to property or belongings
• Odour and discoloration.

Sighting one or two animals or insects is unlikely to be evidence of an infestation unless there are other signs that the pests are present in the property in large numbers.

Causes of infestations

Pests are easily attracted to the home due to the several reasons such as:

• Season/weather change
• Water clogging
• Unclean surroundings
• Build-up of waste.

Our responsibility: 

• Investigating all reported pest issues
• Identifying the cause and responsibility for pest control
• Provide support to you to rectify any pest issues including giving advice or agreeing financial support
• If required, we can help coordinate with support agencies
• Coordinating with customers, contractors and external agencies when necessary 
• May cover costs if the issue is caused by an ongoing repair or a structural fault
• Will keep you up to date throughout the process 
• Prioritise the most serious infestations to keep our customers and buildings safe. 

Your responsibility: 

• Take reasonable steps to prevent infestations
• Report any infestations to us promptly
• Follow our advice to help resolve and prevent pest issues
• Allow us access for inspections and necessary treatment 

You can contact your local authority for advice about dealing with an infestation. Most local authorities provide a pest control service for a fee. The fee might be reduced for people on means-tested benefits.

If you a contract a commercial service to deal with an infestation, you should ensure they are registered with the British Pest Control Association. Companies that are not registered might not be insured or might use prohibited methods or chemicals.

What happens when pests are found... 

Inside your home: 

• Report the issue to us as soon as possible. If you fail to report, we may recharge reasonable costs back to you for a contractor to manage the situation
• We will inspect the property and determine the cause
• If due to repair or structural fault, we will take responsibility 
• If caused by neglect, you may be charged for treatment. We will notify you in writing and aim to support you in resolving the issue. 
• If caused by an external factor (e.g. neighbouring land that does not belong to Westward) then, where possible, we will raise this with the landowner, and/or liaise with Environmental Health and any other specialist agencies, as required.

In your garden/outbuildings/sheds:

• You are responsible for addressing pests in these areas
• If the problem is caused by an outstanding repair or structural fault, we may take responsibility. Please report if you feel this is the case
• We can work with you on dealing with pests in these areas, but costs of any actions can be charged back to you. 

Communal areas

• We are responsible for removing pests from communal areas. The following examples are considered as communal areas:
  • Communal corridors
  • Communal stores - sheds, bin stores
  • Communal rooms - examples include, lounges, offices, guest rooms, toilets, kitchens
  • Shared pipework – e.g. soil pipes.
  • Shared walls (internal/external) (Detached properties do not apply)
  • Shared lofts
  • Communal gardens and play spaces
• Report the issue to us as soon as possible.

If you think you have a pest problem, please fill out this form and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

Report a pest infestation

Note: Questions marked by * are mandatory

*This is a mandatory field. Name

*This is a mandatory field. Address

*This is a mandatory field. Postcode

*This is a mandatory field. Contact Telephone Number

*This is a mandatory field. Email Address

*This is a mandatory field. Is it affecting only your home, or other properties as well?

*This is a mandatory field. Do you know where the pests are getting in? If yes, where?

*This is a mandatory field. What damage (if any) have they caused to the property?

*This is a mandatory field. Do you know of any reason why they may have started to infest the property? e.g., neighbours keep leaving rubbish bags outside, feeding them etc.

*This is a mandatory field. Have you tried to do anything to get rid of the pests? If yes, what?

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