Found a Wasp Nest in Your Loft in Hardres? Here's What to Do
Timing can be awkward when a wasp nest turns up just before a viewing, survey or new tenants arrive. Here is how to handle it calmly and quickly.
Awkward timing
Nests have a way of appearing at the least convenient moment. A surveyor's report mentions activity in the roof space. Prospective buyers see a wasp on a windowsill. A new tenant is due to move in next week and the agent has spotted a nest at a routine inspection. Whatever the situation, the answer is the same: do not delay, and do not hide it.
A wasp nest is a common, fixable problem. A property with a nest that has been properly treated is in a very different position from one where the colony is still active and the owner has done nothing. Acting promptly shows that the property is looked after.
Do not feel embarrassed. Nests are common, and nobody who has dealt with one properly needs to apologise. The embarrassment, if any, belongs to the property that is left unattended.
What to do first
Start with the safety basics, then the practicalities.
- Keep the loft hatch shut and the roof space off-limits to everyone, including viewers.
- Tell your agent, surveyor or tenant what is happening.
- Book treatment as soon as you can.
- Keep the receipt and a note of the date.
- Rearrange viewings or inspections if wasps are active in the house.
- Never block the gaps or attempt to remove the nest yourself.
It is better to postpone a viewing by a day than to have a visitor stung.
It helps to keep a short folder of paperwork: our booking confirmation, the date of the visit, any notes from the technician and photographs, if you took any. If a buyer or tenant later asks, you have the answers to hand.
Honesty and paperwork
What you must disclose, and when, depends on the circumstances and on professional advice, and we cannot give legal guidance. If you are selling or letting through an agent, ask them what is expected. If a surveyor has raised the matter, keep any report and the record of treatment together.
Having a clear record is sensible regardless of the rules. Note the date you first saw wasps, the date of the visit and what the technician told you. If the technician confirms that the nest has been treated, that is something you can share with the people involved.
If a surveyor or inspector has noted signs of wasps but has not seen a nest, a technician can still check the roof space and confirm. It is sensible to ask, rather than assuming either way.
Arranging the visit around viewings
We are open seven days a week, offer same-day service, and have evening and weekend appointments, which suits people juggling a sale or a change of tenant. Treatment costs a fixed £120 per nest, £60 for an additional nest on the same property, with no call-out charge. Cover and qualifications are in place, since the technician is fully insured and qualified, and one visit is guaranteed.
Book as early as you can, since a viewing that falls on the same day is hard to move at short notice. The number is 01622 410 019, and the online form on the contact page works too. We cover Hardres and the surrounding area, for homes and commercial premises, including empty properties where access is arranged with a key holder.
Buyers and tenants often feel reassured when they hear that a fully insured, qualified technician has dealt with the problem.
Empty properties and keys
If the property is unoccupied, tell us. The technician will need access, so arrange a key holder or a lockbox. Let us know whether the electricity and lighting work, and whether the hatch is easy to reach. In an empty house the nest may have grown for weeks without anyone noticing, so it can be larger than expected, but the price is unaffected.
Agents often hold the keys, and some will meet the technician. Give them our details and the appointment time, and ask them to confirm.
If a house is on the market and the loft is accessed by a surveyor, make sure they are told in advance that a nest has been found, so they can plan around it. Nobody should go up until the technician has confirmed that it is safe.
If a viewing has to go ahead before treatment, tell the agent so that visitors are kept away from the landing and loft. Keep the hatch closed, put a note on it if you like and make sure nobody offers to show the roof space. A viewing that avoids the problem area is far better than one that ends in a sting.
Buyers' surveyors sometimes ask to inspect the loft. If a nest has been found, give them advance notice and arrange the inspection after treatment. Most will be happy to wait a day or two, and some will want to see the receipt.
For rental properties between tenants, the window can be an ideal time for treatment because the house is empty. Agree a date with the agent, arrange access and book. It saves new tenants from finding the problem themselves.
Presenting the property afterwards
After treatment, clear up dead wasps from floors, sills and the landing. Ask at booking whether the empty nest can be taken down, since a clean roof space reflects well in a survey. Airing rooms and cleaning windows helps remove any lingering signs.
Do not make claims about the property that you cannot support. State plainly that a nest was found and treated by a qualified technician on a given date, if asked. For the future, a snug hatch and a tidy roof space make later inspection easier.
For landlords with several properties, it is worth noting which houses have had nests. Next spring, ask tenants to watch the roofline and report any activity early. A few minutes spent on this can avoid a rushed treatment later.
Wasps on your property in Hardres?
Fixed price £120 per nest, no call-out charge, same-day service available.