Birmingham City Council area only, B1 to B48 and Sutton Coldfield B72 to B76
An introduction service: you hear the firm's name before your details go anywhere.
In a shared house one bedroom rarely stays the only one. Treating the whole property in one planned course, with every tenant preparing at the same time, is cheaper than treating room by room as bites appear.
As a guide, a whole-house spray course for five or more bedrooms is £450 to £950 and heat is £1,400 to £2,200. The firm we introduce prices the house after an inspection.
Free to use. This is an introduction service, not a pest control firm: we pick a bed bug specialist who covers your postcode, tell you who they are, and pass on nothing until you agree. About this service
| Job | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Inspection of every roomBefore deciding the scope | £60 to £120 |
| 5-bed HMO, spray courseUsually two or three visits | £450 to £950 |
| 5-bed HMO, heatWhole house, one long day | £1,400 to £2,200 |
National guide figures from Fantastic Services (updated 30 September 2026, VAT included) and Checkatrade (May 2026). Neither lists a West Midlands rate. A guide, not a quote; see the cost and schedule planner.
This is the order a well-run HMO treatment follows. The point is that every room is ready on the same day; one unprepared bedroom can undo the rest.
| Time | Stage | What happens | Done when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 0 | Report and inspect | A tenant reports bites or a bug. The landlord or agent books an inspection of every bedroom and the shared rooms. | A list of affected rooms in writing. |
| Week 0 | Notice and prep sheet | Tenants get written notice of the visit and the same preparation sheet: wash and bag bedding and clothes, clear floors, leave furniture where it is. | Every tenant has the sheet and the date. |
| Week 1 | First treatment | All affected rooms and the rooms either side are treated together, with the shared lounge and landing. | Every listed room treated on the day. |
| Week 3 | Second treatment | For a spray course, the return visit catches bugs that hatched since. For heat, a check visit with monitors. | No live bugs found. |
| Week 5 | Sign-off | The firm confirms in writing what was done and found. Keep it with the property records. | A dated report on file. |
Birmingham runs one of the largest landlord licensing schemes in the country. Larger HMOs need a mandatory licence everywhere, an additional HMO licensing scheme covers smaller shared houses across the city, and selective licensing applies to private lets in 25 wards. Selective licensing and additional HMO licensing on the council website set out the conditions.
Licence conditions generally require a property to be kept in good repair and free of hazards, and a serious, untreated infestation can count against a landlord. The practical lesson is to act quickly, keep the inspection and treatment reports, and give tenants written preparation instructions.
Shelter explains how responsibility for pests in rented homes usually works in England, including when a landlord must act. Shelter: pests in rented homes. Students in Selly Oak, Bournbrook and around Aston University can also ask their university's housing service for help with a landlord who does not respond.
Managing a shared house with bed bugs? Send the details once and we line up a specialist used to whole-house jobs.
Request a treatmentPut the same six questions to every firm and their quotes line up side by side.
| Item | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Rooms and tenants | Exactly which rooms are covered, whether the rooms either side of affected ones are included, and who gives tenants notice and the preparation sheet. |
| Visits and dates | How many visits, how far apart, and whether the follow-up is booked now or left for you to chase. Spray courses are normally two or three visits; heat is one long day and a check. |
| What is in the price | Which rooms, whether sofas and divans are included, steam, mattress encasements and the follow-up. A low headline figure often leaves these out. |
| Products and re-entry | Which products are used, the time to keep out of each treated room, and any change in approach for babies, pregnancy or pets. |
| Your preparation list | What to wash, bag and leave in place, written down for your home rather than read out on the phone. |
| If bites continue | Whether a call-back within an agreed number of weeks costs extra, and what proof the firm wants first. |
Three short steps. Detail about the home and the signs helps us choose the right specialist and helps them price it accurately.
| 1 | We read the request and pick a bed bug specialist who covers your postcode and your type of property. |
|---|---|
| 2 | We get in touch to tell you who that is, by name. |
| 3 | Only if you say yes do they receive your details and contact you to arrange a visit. |
This is a free introduction service, not a pest control firm. No firm rings you about it until you have accepted the one we put forward.
Treatment request
Step 1 of 3