How we chose
We built the candidate list from search listings around Telford, Companies House records [6] and each firm's own website. Before scoring, each business must meet our basic checks: it is who it says it is, it is trading today and can actually be reached, and any claimed registration checks out. We looked first at what customers say, qualifications count next, then trading history, stated cover, pricing clarity and website detail. All evidence carries its date from early September 2026.
How to hire
Start by matching the pest to the right help. Wasps in a loft or shed are a standard single-visit treatment, while honeybees need a beekeeper, so describe what you see before anyone quotes. Rats and mice need a course of visits plus proofing of entry points, because bait takes must be checked and gaps resealed, and bedbugs usually need repeat insecticide visits or heat treatment across the affected rooms. Grey squirrels in a loft must be handled within wildlife law, so ask the firm to explain its method before you agree anything [4].
Then check the firm itself. Look for BPCA [1] or NPTA [2] membership and technicians on the BASIS PROMPT register [3], and read what the membership actually required rather than taking a logo on trust. Type the business name into each scheme online search and check the name that comes back matches the firm you are hiring. If the firm is a limited company, confirm it on Companies House [6], and ask for proof of insurance with the cover and expiry dates shown.
Telford and Wrekin adds its own wrinkles. The council advises householders with rats, mice or wasps to contact a private firm, treating rats and mice itself only on council-owned public land, and points bee swarms to approved collectors searchable by postcode [8]. The ranked firms name Wellington, Dawley, Madeley, Lawley and Ironbridge among their patches, and the property shapes what follows: older terraces and Gorge cottages hide voids and runs that reward a full survey, loft and garden-room jobs suit rooms with clean access, and farm outbuildings need proofing scaled to the plot. In the Gorge itself, the conservation area and special planning controls mean permission may be needed for even minor exterior works, so proofing that alters the outside of a cottage needs a word with planning first [9].
When you enquire, describe the pest, where you see it, and whether children or pets use the space, because the treatment plan depends on all three. Ask which products will be used and how non-target animals are kept away from them, what you must do before the visit, such as emptying cupboards or hot-washing bedding for bedbugs, and what proofing is included or priced separately. If you rent, tell your landlord or agent first, since the tenancy usually decides who arranges and pays for treatment [7].
Insist on a written quote that shows the treatment method, the exact number of visits, the total price including VAT, whether proofing materials and labour are included or extra, and the callback terms if the pest returns within the guarantee period [5]. Ask for it by email so you can compare two or three firms on the same basis. Never accept a price that covers only the first visit with the rest left to be confirmed.
A careful controller surveys before quoting for rodents or bedbugs, explains the safety precautions around rodenticides and insecticides required under biocides rules [4], and books the follow-up visits there and then. Expect clear aftercare telling you when rooms can be re-entered, when to vacuum, and the date of the check-back, rather than a spray and a handshake.
Prepare the practical side before the van arrives. Clear under-sink cupboards and loft hatches for rodent surveys, strip and hot-wash bedding for bedbug visits, and move pets, bowls and covered fish tanks as the aftercare sheet directs. In flats and managed blocks, check who can authorise work in communal lofts, bin stores and voids, since the controller must treat the source rather than your rooms alone. Confirm parking and side-entry access too, because a missed entry point is how a cleared job restarts.
A typical job runs the same course. You describe the pest and the property by phone or form, the firm surveys rodents and bedbugs in person before quoting, and the written quote lands by email with the method, visits, total and callback terms. You clear and prepare rooms as instructed, treatment goes ahead with safety notes left on the day, and follow-up visits happen on the dates fixed at booking. At sign-off the treatment note, guarantee terms and receipts join the quote in one file.
At the end, keep the paperwork together: the written quote, a treatment note naming the products used and the dates of each visit, the guarantee terms with their time limit, and every receipt. If you run a food business, ask for dated service records you can show an auditor, since contract-grade cover stands or falls on its paper trail. File everything with your property records so the next problem starts from evidence, not memory.
Pricing
As of autumn 2026, a single wasp nest runs around £75 to £200 in one visit, the quickest standard job in this trade [5]. Height and access to the eaves or shed move the figure, as does any extra nest found on the day, and same-day call-outs for a nest by a doorway usually carry a premium. Nests build through spring into a late-summer peak and empty after summer, so an early visit usually means a smaller job [10].
Rat or mouse removal runs around £120 to £240 for a two-visit course, because bait takes must be checked and entry points sealed on the return [5]. Access to lofts and wall voids, the size of the infestation, and whether proofing with mesh and sealant sits inside the price or apart from it decide where in the range you land [5].
Bedbug insecticide treatment runs around £100 to £280, while whole-property heat treatment reaches £1,000 to £1,500 for up to three bedrooms, reflecting the crew, kit and room-by-room hours involved [5]. Repeat visits across every affected room are the norm, so fix all dates in writing at booking.
Fleas run around £80 to £220 per property, ants come in around £100 to £230 per treatment, and cockroaches run around £120 to £260 for two visits [5]. Property size and how far the infestation has spread move these most, with larger homes and multi-room jobs landing higher [5].
Squirrels run around £100 to £300, with wildlife law shaping the method and stretching the timetable [4] [5]. Where a job needs a full day on site, a specialist day rate sits around £230 before materials [5]. Telford usually sits below London and South East prices. Proofing is often charged apart from treatment, so check the quote shows which side of the line it falls [5].
Get in writing the treatment method, every visit included, the total with VAT, the callback terms if the pest returns, and who pays for proofing materials. A quote that will not say how many visits it covers is not a quote you can compare, so ask for the missing lines before you agree anything.
Red flags
Quotes a fixed price for rats or bedbugs without inspecting the property first.
Cannot say which products will be used or how children, pets and non-target wildlife are kept away from them.
Reaches for insecticide against honeybees instead of referring you to a beekeeper for relocation.
Promises that a single visit will clear rats or bedbugs for good, with no follow-up dates offered.
Asks for full payment in cash upfront and offers no written quote or receipt.
Gives only a first name and a mobile number, with no address, landline or company record you can check [6].
Will not put the treatment, the visits, the total price and the guarantee terms in writing before starting.
Treats a wasp nest or lays rodent bait without asking about children, pets or fish tanks in the property.
Starts work on the doorstep at the first visit with the full balance due before anything is in writing.
Leaves no aftercare note, no return date and no way to reach the same technician if activity resumes.
Corrections and business responses
Tell us what needs checking, or ask to claim a listing and reply to an assessment.