Hiring a Termite Company

Contracting with a commercial structural pest control company can be the beginning of a long relationship.

A lot goes into choosing the right pest control company that will give you the level of service you desire. Large companies tend to charge more, but may have better trained technicians. Small companies may offer a lower price but remember some states do not even require testing of pest control employees before applying pesticide or termiticide chemicals. During your first face to face contact with a potential company you need to be prepared to ask a few questions. Hopefully the answers you get will allow you make good decisions about who to hire to do your termite work.

You may want to ask your neighbors who they use and whether they would recommend them or just look in the phone book. Choose three pest control companies that you are comfortable with, that have good reputations. I have dealt with some very unhappy folks wanting out of their contract with the company that promised the lowest price. You most often get the service you pay for.

Here is a Quick Summery of what dealing with a termite company is like. All of these steps are mostly the same with all professional pest control companies.

1. Company does their initial inspection on your property
2. They report their findings to you in writing via a graph drawing
3. Company Proposes work to be done in writing
4. Company makes treatment, guarantee and payment arrangements
5. You agree to their terms and sign a contract
6. Your termite related work is scheduled
7. Company performs the termite treatment
8. Company answers any termite related or treatment related complaints
9. One year later company does your annual inspection and written report
10. You receive your bill
11. You pay your bill
12. Repeat steps 9, 10, 11 until your contracted period is over, then start at number 1 again.

If you have an infestation of termites you will want to decide on a treatment and guarantee. There are lots of possibilities but these are my choices.

1. Complete Comprehensive termite treatment, (Termidor)
2. Perimeter Plus termite treatment or a (Termidor)
3. Termite Bait Station System treatment(Advance Termite Bait System)

Once you hire a termite company to treat your home they will be the company who will do the inspections, issue and back the guarantee and bill you for your yearly premium commonly refereed to as your annual renewal.

Before signing a contract with any pest control company, get treatment estimates from several different companies. Ask questions about termites, how they will treat your house, cost of treatment, cost yearly inspection, types of guarantees, how many years can you renew, etc. After you have narrowed your selection to two or three companies, contact the better business bureau for additional information on the companies. You may also want to consider contacting your State's Agricultural Dept. Find your states AG Dept here.

Annual Guarantee Renewal

You should have the opportunity to renew your annual guarantee for at least 5 years or more at a fixed yearly premium rate. If you decide to hang on to your coverage, and you probably should, you need to pay the renewal fee each year on or before your treatment anniversary date. Most termite treatments are guaranteed for a one year period with the option to renew for an additional 4 years or longer.

Questions You Should Ask

• What will your company do should termites return after treatment?
• If I have a repair guarantee, do I have to pay a deductible?
• All homes don't qualify for REPAIR guarantees, ask if your's does.
• After the initial one year guarantee period, how many extra years can I renew my contract?
• How much will my annual contract renewal cost be?
• When my contract period is over do I have to retreat my house again at my expense? Is there a discount for the next treatment?
• Ask for an insurance certificate. Companies who don't have any insurance are counting on you not asking.
• If your getting a bait treatment, ask how often their inspections will be performed, and the distance apart the stations will be placed.

Bargain For A Good Price

Before you decide to drive a hard bargain on the cost of your termite job remember customers who drive a hard bargain usually get the best prices, but not always the best job. Driving too hard a bargain can be unfair to a Termite Company who in turn may be unfair to the customer by spending less on chemicals and time on the job. Companies that do not earn enough profit can find themselves in financial trouble. They might be forced to cut corners. The most obvious place to cut cost is to use less than the prescribed amount of chemical resulting in a treatment that does not properly protect the home and the homeowners investment. Some Termite Companies work short handed or lower their treatment standards to accommodate lower skilled technicians. My advice would be to get a good medium priced Termite Company and ask enough questions until you understand what they are going to do and then check to see if they did it.

Something Wrong With Your Treatment?

If you suspect that the Termite Company you did business with did not do the job correctly, and they will not give you satisfaction, you may visit your state's Dept. of Agriculture. They will check the job, no charge, and report any violations to the Termite Company and see that they are corrected. Find a list of links for State AG Dept here.

• Most Termite Companies give free inspections with written estimates. I understand that in some areas of the country there are charges, just make sure to ask if there is a charge when you phone them.
• Don't accept a bid written on a business card. You need detailed information on guarantees, treatment procedures, payment plans etc. Later you'll want to sit down and compare apples with apples and oranges with oranges. Not just prices.
• Don't be surprised at how much prices can differ from company to company.

Can I treat My Own House?

Treating a house for subterranean termites "used to be a job best left to professionals". In some cases special equipment is required and termiticides are much stronger chemicals than pesticides, and can be a danger to the environment and yourself if handled improperly.

There are types of treatments a fit person can do and get professional results with. All the information you need to do a treatment is located here and you can purchase products professional pest control operators use here. Remember, if you do it yourself there is NO GUARANTY!