Owner-operated rat extermination in San Francisco — inspection, trapping, full rodent exclusion, and follow-up. We don't lean on bait. We trap the rats and seal the building.
Most calls come in after someone hears scratching in the wall after 10 p.m., finds droppings under the sink, or sees a rat in the garage. The wrong response is to spray bait and hope. The right response is to identify the entry points the rats are using, trap them out, and seal the building so the next ones can't follow.
Our process starts with a thorough inspection, followed by strategic snap-trap placement on active travel paths, follow-up activity checks, and exclusion work with durable materials. No bait stations as a substitute for real work.
We work directly with restaurants, apartment buildings, HOAs, and property managers across San Francisco. Same person on the inspection, the trapping, and the exclusion — no rotating crews.
Interior, exterior, crawl space, roofline, conduit penetrations, and trash areas. We identify entry points and active travel paths before setting traps.
Snap traps on active travel paths, monitored and adjusted based on what each follow-up visit shows.
Hardware cloth, mortar, and metal flashing at the entry points identified during inspection.
Return visits to check activity, review exclusion work, and address new findings when needed.
San Francisco buildings have too many entry points for bait alone to work. If the food source outside the building is steady — restaurant alleys, shared trash enclosures, neighbor's open compost — bait inside the building only kills the rats that already made it in. The next ones replace them within weeks.
The other failure mode is sealing too early. Plenty of companies caulk a few visible gaps and walk away. If active rats are still inside when exclusion work begins, they can die in the wall and create odor problems. We trap first, monitor the activity, and time the exclusion work based on what the follow-up visits show.
"John did an excellent job resolving a mouse issue in a commercial kitchen. He arrived promptly, diagnosed the problem immediately, and had it resolved within two days using a few strategic traps. He is clearly very knowledgeable and experienced. Highly recommend his professional services!"
"John is a hardworking, incredibly diligent rodent control expert. He came to the site multiple times in the cold, rainy, dark and thoughtfully put together a plan to mitigate the problem. Thank you."
"John is very easy to work with and clearly passionate about what he does. He took the time to understand the root cause of our rat problem and focused on solving it properly, not just putting a temporary fix in place. Professional, knowledgeable, and thorough. I would absolutely recommend John to anyone dealing with rats and wanting the problem handled the right way."
A thorough service starts with an inspection, strategic trapping, and exclusion work at the entry points identified during the visit. Bait alone, or sealing without trapping first, doesn't address the full problem in many SF buildings.
Pricing depends on building size, severity, and how much exclusion work the building actually needs. Most single-family jobs land between a few hundred and a couple thousand dollars across multiple visits. We quote after the inspection so you know exactly what's included.
Availability varies. Call or text with the details and we'll share the earliest available time, with urgent restaurant and commercial kitchen issues prioritized when scheduling allows.
Practically, nothing. We use 'rat control,' 'rodent control,' and 'rat exterminator' interchangeably. What matters is whether the company actually traps and excludes — not just sprays bait and leaves.
Generally no. Poisoned rats die in walls and create odor problems for weeks. We use snap traps placed strategically along travel paths, then seal the building. It's faster, cleaner, and the result holds.
Call or text (415) 798-7849 — calls answered direct.