Step 1: Call and Describe It

The line is answered 7 days a week. Tell us what you are seeing and where: the rat in the basement, the droppings in the garage, the burrow along the foundation, or the scratching low in the walls. That conversation is enough for an honest first read and upfront pricing, with no obligation attached. If what you describe points at a foundation gap that needs a mason or a drainage problem in the yard, you hear that too.

Step 2: The Inspection

A local exterminator confirms the rodent and finds the source. For Norway rats that means the basement, the crawlspace, the foundation, and the yard, following the runways and droppings to the nest and tracing the burrows outside. Getting the identification and the entry points right is the whole game, because sealing the wrong gap or trapping without finding the way in wastes the visit, and the burrow in the yard is often the real nest.

Step 3: Trapping and Removal

Traps go where the inspection says the rats travel: the basement runways, the wall bases, and the paths along the foundation, not scattered at random. Snap and secured traps are chosen around your family and pets and explained before they are set, and loose poison bait is not scattered through a home with kids and pets. The traps are monitored and cleared, and this is the step that actually removes the rats that are inside.

Step 4: Seal the Home and Treat the Burrows

Trapping empties the basement, and sealing keeps it empty. The foundation cracks, gaps around pipes and utilities, unsealed basement windows, and bulkhead doors get closed, because a Norway rat needs only a small low gap to push back in. Outside, the yard and alley burrows get treated and collapsed, and the harborage feeding them gets flagged, so the nest is dealt with, not just the rats that wandered indoors.

Step 5: Follow Up

A follow-up confirms the basement is empty rather than just quiet for a few days, catches anything the first visit missed, and adjusts if needed. Most homes finish as a one-time job with a follow-up, and a recurring plan is recommended only when the property actually justifies it, such as a home backing an alley or sitting near a persistent neighborhood source, not as a default upsell.

What It Costs

The pricing comes first, on the phone and after the inspection, before anything is scheduled. What moves the number: the size of the home, how established the rats are, how many entry points need sealing, and whether the job is indoors, outdoors, or both. What never happens: surprise line items, work the inspection did not justify, or a number that changes after the fact without a conversation.