An inspection answers three questions before anyone sets a trap: what rodent you have, how it gets in, and where it is nesting. In San Diego the answer is usually roof rats in the attic, but house mice in the kitchen and deer mice in the garage call for different fixes.
Ask for an inspection on its own if you are buying a house, hearing noises you cannot place, or comparing quotes. It is also the first step of any rat control or mouse control job.
What a thorough inspection includes
A real inspection takes time and covers the whole property:
- Roof and roofline: tile ends, eaves, vents, roof-to-wall joints and anything touching the roof
- Attic: droppings, urine stains, runways in the insulation, nests and chewed wires or ducts
- Garage, laundry and water heater closet: gaps at doors, slab edges and line sets
- Crawl space, if there is one: vents, access doors, torn vapor barrier and burrows
- Kitchen and bathrooms: under sinks, behind appliances and inside lower cabinets
- Yard: palm skirts, ivy, fruit trees, woodpiles, compost and pet food
You should leave with a written list of entry points and findings, and photos if you ask. The county Vector Control Program also does free educational rat inspections of the outside of a home, but it does not trap, seal or remove rodents.
Step by step
- A short talk about what you have heard, seen and tried
- Exterior walk-around at ground level, then the roofline
- Attic and crawl space with a flashlight
- Interior checks in the kitchen, baths, laundry and garage
- Identification of the rodent from droppings, tracks and damage
- A written plan that separates sealing, trapping and cleanup so you can compare prices
Why inspections matter more in San Diego
San Diego houses are hard to read from the ground. Concrete and clay tile roofs hide gaps under the tiles. Many ranch homes from the 1950s through the 1970s have shallow attics that are hard to move through, so a rushed technician may skip the far corners where rats nest. Older bungalows and Spanish Revival homes often have crawl spaces with old vents.
Terrain changes the findings. A Pacific Beach cottage near Rose Creek and a Rancho Bernardo home backing onto open space can both have rodents, but the species, the entry points and the cleanup rules differ. A good inspection notes deer mouse signs near open space, since those call for careful wet cleanup. See rodent noises at night if sound is your main clue.
What to ask for in writing
Ask for the rodent identified, the number and location of entry points, the materials proposed for each, how many return visits are included, and what the cleanup will involve. With that in hand, you can compare two quotes line by line. See how to verify a pest control license before you sign anything.
How to get ready for the inspection
Clear a path to the attic hatch, which in many San Diego homes sits in a hallway ceiling or a closet. Move cars out of the garage if you can, and pull stored boxes a foot away from the walls so the technician can see the slab edge. Open side gates and note any crawl space access door.
Write down what you have noticed and when. Noises at 10 p.m. in the ceiling, droppings in the pantry on Tuesday, a chewed avocado on the patio last week: those details help. If you have pets, keep them in a closed room during the visit. If anyone in the house has asthma or a weak immune system, mention it, because it affects how droppings and nesting material should be handled. And if you rent, tell your landlord or property manager first. Under California law the owner is usually responsible for rodent problems in a rental. See the tenant and landlord guide.