You arrive after a ten-hour drive, open the door and smell it: something has been living in the roof. A house that stands closed for months is an open invitation. A visit before you arrive changes the whole first week.
A holiday house that's empty for most of the year should be checked and treated before you, or your guests, arrive, ideally a few weeks before the season starts. An empty house is quiet, dark and undisturbed, which is exactly what rats, mice, fishmoths, wasps and fleas look for. By the time the family arrives in December, a small problem has had months to grow, and you're dealing with it on day one of your holiday instead of before.
We look after holiday homes, second homes and short-term rentals along the Garden Route, from Mossel Bay and the Brak rivers to Wilderness, Sedgefield, Knysna and Plettenberg Bay, for owners who live in Johannesburg, Cape Town, overseas or just down the road.
What builds up while the house is empty
- Rats and mice in the roof. A classic arrival-day surprise. With nobody home they move from the roof into the kitchen, chew wiring and leave droppings in the cupboards. Our rodent control page explains how we deal with them
- Fleas waiting in the carpets. If a pet stayed over at Easter, flea pupae can sit dormant in the carpet for months and hatch the moment someone walks in. That's the classic "bitten within an hour of arriving" story
- Wasp nests under the eaves. Started in spring by a single wasp, and fully grown by December, often right above the braai or the front door
- Bees in the walls or roof. A swarm finds a gap in a quiet house and moves in. See bee removal
- Fishmoths and booklice. Closed-up houses near the sea or the lagoons get damp, and fishmoths and booklice move into linen cupboards, bookshelves and boxes
- Cockroaches. Usually German cockroaches that came in with a guest's groceries and found a warm fridge motor
- Mosquitoes. From gutters, pot saucers and a pool that turned green over winter
- Termites and wood borer. Silent damage in timber decks, floors and roof structures that nobody notices because nobody's there
How a holiday home visit works
- Access You don't have to be in town. We'll set up access with your caretaker, a neighbour or the rental agent.
- Inspection Roof space, kitchen, cupboards, bedrooms, outbuildings, eaves, decks and garden. We look for droppings, nests, damage and anything that's moved in.
- Treatment What's needed for what we find: a general insect treatment, rodent bait stations in the roof, wasp nests removed, a flea treatment if there's been a pet.
- Report We let you know what we found, what we did and anything that needs fixing, like a broken roof tile or a gap under a door, so you can get it sorted before you arrive.
Book a few weeks before your arrival date. Normal treatments are dry and safe for children and pets within hours, but rodent bait needs time to work, and if anything needs a builder, you want the time to arrange it.
Short-term rentals and guest houses
For houses let out through the season, the stakes are higher. One guest who finds a cockroach, a rat dropping or bed bug bites writes a review that stays online for years. A pre-season treatment plus a check between busy periods keeps the house clean of the obvious problems. If a guest does report bites, our bed bug treatment page explains how we handle it quickly and discreetly. For larger operations with several units, our commercial pest control contracts cover regular visits.
The towns where this matters most
Plettenberg Bay and Knysna have the largest share of holiday homes, many of them in thick coastal bush where rodents and insects are never far away. Wilderness and Sedgefield houses near the lakes and lagoons stand in damp air that suits fishmoths and mosquitoes. Around Mossel Bay, Hartenbos and the Brak rivers, it's mostly rodents and fleas in houses that only fill up for the school holidays. Our guide to getting a holiday home ready for December has a checklist you can send to your caretaker.
What you can do before you leave
When you close the house after a holiday, take every bit of food out of the cupboards, including the sealed packets, because mice chew through them. Empty the fridge and leave the door propped open. Turn pot plant saucers upside down and empty the paddling pool. Vacuum the carpets thoroughly, especially if a pet stayed. And ask someone to clear the gutters before summer.
Leave a note for whoever has the keys: where the roof hatch is, where the electricity box is, and whether there's a pet door that should be closed. It saves a wasted trip and lets us get into the places pests actually live.
What it costs
A holiday home visit is priced on the size of the house, whether there's a flat or outbuildings, what we find and how much treatment is needed. A small flat that just needs a check and a general treatment is a short visit. A large house in the bush with signs of rats in the roof and wasps on every eave takes longer. We'll quote you before we go out, and again if we find something unexpected.
Give us your arrival date on 044 012 5011 or through the booking form, and we'll work back from it.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to be there for the visit?
No. We arrange access with your caretaker, a neighbour or your rental agent, and let you know afterwards what we found and did.
When should I book a holiday home treatment?
A few weeks before you arrive. That gives rodent bait time to work and gives you time to fix anything we find, like a broken tile or a gap under a door.
Why do I get bitten by fleas as soon as we arrive?
Flea pupae can lie dormant in carpets for months and hatch when they sense people moving. Treating before you arrive breaks that cycle.
Can you check the house between rental guests?
Yes. For busy rentals, a check between peak periods catches problems before a guest finds them and writes about it.
Is the house safe to move into after treatment?
Yes. An ordinary insect treatment needs only to dry before children and pets are back on the floors.
What should I do when I lock up after a holiday?
Take all food out, including sealed packets, empty and prop open the fridge, empty anything that holds water, vacuum the carpets, and ask someone to clear the gutters before summer.