Professional Survey

BED BUG INSPECTION

A short, careful, written-up bed bug survey by a trained technician — across London, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex, Kent and Surrey. Fixed inspection fee, deducted from your treatment cost if you proceed. Honest "you have nothing" reports where you have nothing.

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When you actually need a bed bug inspection

A formal inspection is not for everyone. If you can see live insects, shed skins or blood spots on the sheet, you do not need an inspection — you need a treatment, and you can skip straight to the emergency heat treatment page. An inspection is for the people in the harder-to-call middle: bites with no visible insect, a returned trip from a hotel, a second-hand sofa just brought home, a tenant claiming infestation that the landlord wants verified, a property purchase where the seller mentioned "a small issue last year".

  • You are waking with bites but cannot see a single insect.
  • You have returned from a hotel and want to clear your luggage and bedroom.
  • You are a landlord facing a tenant complaint and you need independent verification.
  • You are a tenant whose landlord denies the problem and you need formal evidence.
  • You are buying a flat and the EICR/survey noted "evidence of pests".
  • You manage a hotel, hostel or HMO and you want a routine quarterly check on guest-facing rooms.

What we look for, and where

A trained technician on the right side of forty bed bug jobs per month sees things an untrained eye misses by orders of magnitude. We inspect, in order:

  1. Mattress seams, tags, piping and underside. 70% of infestations are visible here first.
  2. Box spring / divan staples, joints and dust covers. The second most common harbourage.
  3. Headboard joints, brackets and the wall behind the headboard.
  4. Bedside drawers — runners, joints, undersides.
  5. Skirting boards, especially behind the bed and at the corners of the room.
  6. Electrical sockets, light switches and smoke alarms. Bed bugs travel between flats through these voids.
  7. Curtain hems and pelmets.
  8. Soft chairs, sofas, footstools. Especially under the cushions and inside the recliner mechanism.
  9. Picture frames, books, jewellery boxes, alarm clocks.
  10. Suitcases and travel bags stored in or under the bedroom.

We collect any insects, casings, faecal spotting or egg evidence into labelled vials and identify them under microscope. The common bed bug (Cimex lectularius) is what we treat. The look-alikes — bat bugs, swallow bugs, carpet beetles, booklice, fleas, mites — get a different answer and we will tell you honestly which it is.

The written report

Every inspection ends with a PDF report delivered within 24 hours. The report covers: property address and date of inspection, technician name and qualification, rooms inspected with time spent in each, confirmed species (with microscope photo), infestation stage estimate (introduction / early / established / heavy), photographic evidence keyed to room locations, a recommended treatment plan, and a fixed written quote for heat treatment if treatment is recommended. We can format the report for landlord/tenant disputes, insurance claims, council environmental health referrals and property transactions.

Inspections across London and the Home Counties

We run inspections seven days a week, with same-week appointments standard in Camden (NW1), Westminster (W1, SW1), Hackney (E8), Tower Hamlets (E1), Southwark (SE1), Lambeth (SW9), Brent (NW6), Ealing (W5), Croydon (CR0) and the Home Counties belt — Watford (WD17), St Albans (AL1), Hemel Hempstead (HP1), Stevenage (SG1), Luton (LU1), Bedford (MK40), Cambridge (CB1), Milton Keynes (MK9), Chelmsford (CM1), Colchester (CO1), Romford (RM1), Maidstone (ME14), Canterbury (CT1), Guildford (GU1) and Kingston (KT1).

Where we deliver this service

We respond across London and the Home Counties on the same day. Click any location below for postcode-level coverage, response times and pricing for that exact area.

See all areas we cover

Frequently asked questions

How much is a bed bug inspection?

We charge a fixed inspection fee based on the size of the property — single room, flat or house. Call us with the basics and we'll give you the number on the spot. If you proceed with heat treatment within 30 days, the inspection fee is deducted in full from the treatment cost.

What does the inspection actually involve?

A trained technician on site for 45–90 minutes. We strip the bed, lift the mattress, inspect seams, tags and folds with a torch and magnifier, check bed frame joints, headboard, skirting, sockets, picture frames, curtains and any soft furniture. We collect any insects or shed casings into evidence vials and identify them under microscope.

Will I get something in writing?

Yes. Within 24 hours you receive a written report covering: confirmed species, infestation stage and population estimate, rooms affected, photographic evidence, recommended treatment, and a fixed written quote for heat treatment if needed.

Can you inspect for landlord/tenant disputes?

Yes. We provide chain-of-custody photo evidence and signed reports suitable for use in tenancy disputes, deposit deductions and council enforcement. Our reports are accepted by London borough environmental health teams.

Do you use dogs?

We use visual and trace evidence inspection by a trained human technician — it is faster, cheaper and as accurate as canine inspection for residential properties. Canine inspection is genuinely useful in large hotel surveys (50+ rooms) and we subcontract that to a partner team when needed.

What if you find nothing?

You still get the written report stating the property is clear of bed bug evidence on the date of inspection. That is often exactly what a worried tenant, returning traveller or buyer of a second-hand mattress needs.

Related guides

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