Overview
Rats are New York City's defining pest problem. Two primary species dominate the five boroughs: Norway rats and roof rats, each requiring a different approach. Norway rats are the bulky, ground-dwelling burrowers you see near subway vents, under stoops, and along sewer lines throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. Roof rats are smaller, agile climbers that move through attics, cornices, and upper floors — more common in Queens and Staten Island where residential tree cover gives them overhead access.
Effective rat extermination in NYC is not a single visit. It is a structured process: full property inspection to map entry points and identify species, exclusion work to seal every gap rodents use, targeted baiting and trapping to address the active population, and follow-up visits to verify the job held. Any service that skips the exclusion step is billing you to delay the inevitable. New rodents will replace the ones you removed within days if the building is still open. We don't skip that step.
Get a Free Inspection
Free phone consultation. We'll give you a straight answer before any work starts.
- ✓No obligation to book
- ✓Same-day availability in most of NYC
- ✓Flat-rate quote upfront
- ✓Follow-up visits included
What's Included
Every service includes a thorough inspection and written scope before any work begins.
Property Inspection & Species ID
Full exterior and interior walk-through to identify the rat species, confirm activity zones, and map all entry points before any treatment starts.
Entry-Point Mapping & Exclusion Plan
Documented list of every gap, penetration, and structural weakness rodents use, with a written plan to seal each one before treatment begins.
Tamper-Resistant Bait Stations
Locked bait stations placed in protected locations — wall-hugging runs, under appliances, in mechanical rooms — inaccessible to pets and children.
Targeted Snap & Live Trapping
Strategic trap placement along confirmed rat travel routes, checked and reset on each visit until activity stops.
Interior & Exterior Sealing Work
Copper mesh, hardware cloth, steel-backed foam, and concrete patching applied to every identified entry point.
Burrow Treatment
Bait application and physical treatment of active burrows in yards, crawl spaces, and alongside foundation walls.
Follow-Up Visits & Monitoring
Scheduled return visits to check stations, reset traps, verify exclusion integrity, and reassess pressure from outside sources.
Written Scope Before Work Starts
You receive a written scope of work with the flat-rate quote before any treatment begins. No surprises.
Our Process
Phone Consultation
Tell us what you're seeing, where, and how often. We'll give you an honest read on severity and timeline before you commit to anything.
On-Site Inspection
A technician walks the full property — exterior perimeter, basement, mechanical spaces, and interior — mapping entry points and confirming rat species and activity level.
Flat-Rate Quote
You get one number covering the full job, exclusion work, and follow-up visits. Agree or walk away, no pressure.
Exclusion & Initial Treatment
We seal the building first, then deploy bait stations and traps inside. The exclusion comes before the treatment, not after.
Follow-Up & Verification
Return visits to confirm activity has stopped, verify exclusion integrity, and address any pressure points that emerged since initial treatment.
Why It Matters in NYC
NYC has a rat problem that most American cities don't. The density, the subway system, the sewer infrastructure, and 400 years of layered construction all combine to create continuous rodent pressure that no single-unit or single-visit treatment can permanently solve.
The subway connection is real. Norway rats — the dominant species in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx — use subway tunnels, sewer lines, and storm drains as a citywide highway. A building that sits on a block with heavy subway access is essentially connected to every rat in the borough. You can kill every rat inside a building and have it fully re-infested within a week if the entry points stay open.
Pre-war construction creates the access. Brownstones, walk-ups, and pre-war co-ops throughout Brooklyn, Manhattan, and western Queens were built with balloon-frame or masonry construction that leaves pipe penetrations, utility chases, and foundation seams unsealed. These are the roads rats use to move from the sewer infrastructure into the building interior. A bait-only exterminator does nothing about these pathways.
Neighborhood concentration matters. Blocks in the East Village, Chinatown, Bushwick, Mott Haven, and Fordham Road all face above-average rat pressure because of restaurant density, older housing stock, and subway access stacking on the same block. In these neighborhoods, a single building getting treated while adjacent buildings remain infested means constant reinfestation pressure from the outside.
That's why our rat extermination service starts with exclusion. We don't treat the interior until the building is sealed. That sequence — seal first, then address what's inside — is the only approach that actually produces lasting results in NYC. We follow up until the activity is gone, not just until we've made the visit.
How to Get Started
Call Us
Free phone consultation. Describe what you're seeing and we'll give you an honest read.
Free Inspection
A technician maps the full property, identifies the species, and finds every entry point.
Flat-Rate Quote
One number covering the full job. No surprises, no hourly billing.
Rodent Species We Address
Effective treatment depends on knowing exactly which species you have.
Service Areas
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you find all the rat entry points in a building?+
We do a full perimeter walk of the exterior looking for foundation cracks, pipe penetrations, sewer clean-out caps, weep holes, door gaps, and vent openings. Inside, we check basement walls, mechanical rooms, utility chases, and anywhere pipes enter from outside. We also look for rub marks, burrow activity, and droppings to confirm which pathways are actively used.
How long does a typical rat extermination take?+
Most residential jobs span 2-4 weeks from initial treatment to verified completion — two or three visits depending on infestation severity. Commercial jobs with larger properties or ongoing exterior pressure may require ongoing service plans. We tell you the full timeline upfront.
Do you use poison, traps, or both?+
Both, strategically. Tamper-resistant bait stations handle the bulk of the population. Snap traps are deployed along confirmed travel routes for faster knockdown in high-activity zones. The combination, deployed after exclusion seals the entry points, is the most effective approach.
What if the rats are coming from my neighbor's building?+
This is common in dense NYC blocks. Our exclusion work seals your building so outside pressure can't get in. We'll also discuss with you what you can do about shared walls, shared courtyards, and neighboring garbage situations if those are contributing factors.
Are bait stations safe around pets and kids?+
Yes. We use tamper-resistant, locked bait stations that require a key to open. They're placed in locations pets and children can't reach — behind appliances, inside mechanical rooms, under floor-level overhangs. We walk you through every placement before we leave.
Can you handle rats in commercial restaurants and bodegas?+
Yes. Commercial jobs are a significant part of what we do. We offer after-hours and overnight service, documentation appropriate for health inspections, discreet vehicles and approach, and recurring service plans for ongoing monitoring.
Do you work with building management and co-op boards?+
Yes. Many NYC rat problems require building-wide treatment, not unit-by-unit service. We work directly with supers, building managers, co-op boards, and property management companies to coordinate access, communication, and treatment across multiple units.
What happens if rats come back after treatment?+
Follow-up visits are part of every job. If activity persists or resumes after treatment, we come back, reassess the exclusion work, and address any new entry points or bait station issues. You're not on your own after the first visit.
Ready to End the Problem?
Free phone consultation. Free inspection. Flat-rate quote before any work starts.
Call Now: (212) 555-012324/7 Availability · Same-Day Service · All 5 Boroughs