If you've just bought, rented or inherited a house in Kini Bay, a pest inspection before you move your furniture in is one of the most useful things you can do. Empty rooms are quicker to inspect and easier to treat, and anything left behind by the last occupant gets dealt with before it spreads into your belongings.
Kini Bay is a small seaside village west of the city, with holiday and retirement homes near coastal bush. Houses here often stand empty between owners or between seasons, and that's when pests settle in.
A move-in check also gives you a baseline. If mice turn up six months later, you'll know whether they're a new arrival through a fresh gap or something that was there all along. For a house you plan to keep for years, that's worth knowing from day one.
What a move-in inspection looks for
Rodents in the roof and garage
Rodents from the surrounding bush find their way into roof spaces, garages and storerooms, particularly in a house that's been quiet for a while. We check the ceiling for droppings, nests, chewed wiring and insulation, and look at the outside for the gaps they're using. If there's activity, we place lockable stations and traps and give you a list of entry points to close. Our rodent control for coastal homes and the city has more detail.
Fishmoths in built-in cupboards
Built-in cupboards that have been closed and slightly damp for months are often full of fishmoths. They're easy to miss in an empty house and easy to move into your clothes, books and paperwork when you unpack. Treating empty cupboards is quick and thorough, much more so than treating full ones later. See fishmoth treatments on the Walmer side of the city.
Cockroaches in the kitchen and drains
A kitchen that's been empty can still have a cockroach population behind the stove, under the sink unit and in drains that have dried out. If the last occupants had German cockroaches, they'll still be there waiting. With the cupboards bare, gel baits and crack treatment go exactly where they're needed.
Ants along the foundations
Sandy coastal soil means ant nests under paving and along the walls. You'll see them as soon as you start bringing food in. Baiting early, before trails become established, saves weeks of frustration. More on our ant baiting approach.
Crawling insects in general
Spiders, silverfish, earwigs and the odd scorpion all use quiet, empty rooms. A general crawling insect treatment along skirtings, door frames and outside walls gives you a clean start. That's covered by our crawling insect control service.
How the visit works
- Before the furniture arrives. Ideally we come when the house is empty, or at least before the boxes are unpacked.
- Room-by-room inspection. Roof, kitchen, bathrooms, cupboards, garage, outbuildings and the garden edge.
- Treatment of what we find. We treat on the same visit wherever possible, so the house is ready when you are.
- A clear summary. You get a plain explanation of what we found, what we treated and what needs repair, such as gaps around pipes or a broken air brick.
Normal insect treatments don't stop you moving in. Wait until treated surfaces are dry before putting down rugs, and keep pets and children off them until then.
What new owners often get wrong
Unpacking first and treating later. Once boxes are in cupboards and furniture is against the walls, pests have far more places to hide, and treatment becomes slower and less effective. Cardboard boxes stored in the garage are also a favourite place for cockroaches and mice to set up home.
A Kini Bay tip
Don't store moving boxes once you're done. Flatten them and get them out of the house and garage in the first week. In a damp coastal climate, a stack of cardboard in the garage becomes a home for fishmoths, cockroaches and mice within weeks.
What does it cost?
It depends on the size of the house, how long it stood empty and what we find. A well-kept house with a few fishmoths is a small, quick job. Rodents in the roof or an established cockroach population left behind by the previous occupants take longer and may need a follow-up. If the house turns out to be clean, we'll tell you and leave it at that. We'll quote once we know the property.
For the wider area, see our pest control in Walmer, the nearest main suburb.
Call 087 012 5550 to book a move-in inspection, or WhatsApp us a photo of anything you've spotted in the house.
Questions we get asked
Should I do a pest inspection before moving into a coastal house?
Yes, if you can. An empty house is far easier to inspect and treat, and it stops pests getting into your belongings.
Can you inspect a house I'm about to buy?
Yes. With the owner's or agent's permission, we can look at the property and tell you what we find.
Do I need to wait before moving in after treatment?
Only until treated surfaces are dry for normal insect treatments. Keep children and pets off them until then.
Why does an empty house have cockroaches?
Cockroaches can survive a long time on very little, and dry drain traps let more in from the sewer. An empty kitchen doesn't mean an empty kitchen of cockroaches.
Do you check the garage and outbuildings too?
Yes. Garages and storerooms are often where rodents and insects are living, so they're part of the inspection.