Guide
Free council pest control: what's free and what's charged
Updated
Is pest control free? Rarely, and it depends on your postcode. Of the council price pages we read on 12 September 2026, every one that treats rats charges for it, from £44 at Hounslow to £197 at Plymouth; the only free rat treatment we found was Lewisham's concession rate.
Is pest control free? The position, per gov.uk
The government's own guidance says to contact your local council to find out whether it provides pest control and notes you may be charged for treatment (gov.uk/pest-control). There is no national free council pest control service and no national price list: each council sets its own, and some have stopped treating altogether.
Council pest control prices for rats
These are the rat charges seven councils publish on their own price pages, read on 12 September 2026. How much the council charges for pest control depends as much on what a charge includes as on the figure: some cover three visits, some one.
| Council | Published charge | What it covers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hounslow | £44 | Up to 3 visits, external treatment where necessary; extra visits £44 each | London Borough of Hounslow |
| Hastings | £62 | Normal charge | Hastings Borough Council |
| Pembrokeshire | £88.23 + VAT (£105.88) | Rats or mice | Pembrokeshire County Council |
| Stafford | £93 | In your house, garden or outbuilding | Stafford Borough Council |
| Stockport | £102 | Rats and mice, includes 2 revisits no more than 28 days apart | Stockport Council |
| Lewisham | £150 (free at the concession rate) | Up to three visits | Lewisham Council |
| Plymouth | £197 | Rats or mice | Plymouth City Council |
Does the council remove wasp nests?
Some do, and for a charge. Lewisham publishes £88 (£78 at the concession rate) with a free re-treatment of the same nest within six weeks, Stockport £116, and Hastings and Plymouth £129 each. None of the council pages we read removes wasp nests for free. Private firms publish from £47 to £200 a nest: see wasp nest removal cost.
Council pest control prices vs private, the practical trade-offs
| Factor | Council service (where offered) | Private firm |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £44 to £197 for rats on the council pages above | See the rat and wasp price tables |
| Waiting time | Can be days to weeks in busy seasons | Often same-day or next-day |
| Scope | Limited pest list; Hounslow, for one, does not treat ants in gardens or open areas | Any pest, any tenure |
| Guarantees | Rarely | Common on rodent and bed bug courses, get it in writing |
Is pest control free for council tenants?
The charges above are the price a resident pays; where a council publishes a concession it is shown beside the charge, as Lewisham does. Whether pest treatment in a council home is the landlord's job is set by your tenancy agreement and your landlord's repairs service, so check those before you book and pay.
How to check yours in two minutes
- Search your council's website for "pest control"; the gov.uk page above links a council finder by postcode.
- Check three things: which pests they treat, the charge for yours, and the waiting time. The fee alone does not decide it if wasps are in the wall by your door and the council slot is in three weeks.
- If the council charges standard rates or cannot come soon, get private quotes and compare on visits included, not just the headline number.
UK pest control laws: where the council gets involved uninvited
Councils also enforce: under the Prevention of Damage by Pests Act 1949 they can require an occupier or owner to deal with rats and mice on their land (legislation.gov.uk). A rat problem fed by a neighbour's land or a landlord's disrepair is worth reporting to the council's environmental health team rather than paying to treat your side of the fence forever. The pest duty and nuisance law dataset sets out whose duty an infestation is.