Does Croydon Council Do Pest Control? Charges, Cover and Alternatives
Yes. Croydon Council runs a chargeable pest control service, delivered in partnership with Southwark Council as its contractor. Council tenants may get some treatments free. Private tenants and owner-occupiers are charged for everything.
That makes Croydon one of the better-served London boroughs, because plenty now offer nothing at all. Whether the council is the right choice for your particular problem is a different question.
What Croydon Council actually provides
According to the council’s own pest control pages, the service treats rat infestations at residential properties across the borough, whether the rats are inside or outside the home, along with a range of other pests.
| Who you are | What you pay |
|---|---|
| Croydon Council tenant | Some treatments may be free, others chargeable |
| Private tenant | Charged for all treatments |
| Owner-occupier | Charged for all treatments |
| Business premises | Not covered — private contractor needed |
- Booking: appointments are booked online, with full charges shown before you confirm. You can change or cancel up to the day before.
- Preparation: bed bug and flea treatments require specific preparation beforehand. If it has not been done, the treatment may not go ahead and you wait again.
- Your choice: the council states plainly that you are not obliged to use its service and can get quotes from other contractors.
Check the current charges before you book. The council publishes prices at the point of booking on croydon.gov.uk. Those figures change. Do not rely on a price quoted on any pest control company’s site, including comparison pages claiming to show what your council charges.
Council or private: how to decide
- Visits included. Compare like for like. A single-visit price is not cheaper if the problem needs three.
- How long you will wait. Rats in a kitchen, a wasp nest by a doorway, or a business that cannot trade — speed beats price.
- Whether you need documentation. Landlords, agents and businesses need a written record.
- Whether the way in gets sealed. Proofing is what stops it happening again, and it is rarely part of a council treatment.
Where the council is usually better
- You are a Croydon Council tenant and the treatment is covered.
- Straightforward outdoor rat activity at a property you own, and you can wait for the appointment.
Where private is usually better
- Flats and blocks. This is the big one in Croydon. Cockroaches and mice travel through service risers and shared voids, so treating one flat in isolation often achieves very little.
- Anything urgent, particularly wasps near an entrance or rodents in a food business.
- Commercial premises, which the residential service does not cover.
- Bed bugs, where council charges across London tend to be highest.
- Recurring problems, which need proofing and sometimes drainage work rather than another treatment.
Why Croydon gets the problems it does
It is the largest and most varied borough we cover. Central Croydon has a dense commercial core and a large stock of converted flats and high-rise blocks, which is where the cockroach and bed bug work concentrates and where problems rarely stay inside one unit. Out towards Thornton Heath, South Croydon and Norbury the Victorian terraces bring the rodent work, usually through ageing drainage and suspended timber floors.
If you live in a block and your neighbours have the same problem, treating your flat alone is money spent twice.
Common questions
Pest problem in Croydon?
Covering central Croydon, Thornton Heath, South Croydon, Norbury and Addiscombe.
Last checked November 2026 against croydon.gov.uk. Council services and charges change — confirm the current position before booking.