How an empty property fills with fleas
Eggs laid in the carpet by a previous pet develop into pupae that can sit dormant inside a tough cocoon for weeks if nothing disturbs the property. Movement and body heat trigger hatching, so a semi or bungalow left empty between tenancies can start producing bites within days of someone actually living there again.
Is it really fleas?
Flea bites tend to sit low down, around the ankle and lower leg, and the insect itself jumps rather than crawls; flea dirt in the carpet turns reddish if dabbed on damp paper. A different pattern - bites higher up, in a row along an arm - points to bed bugs instead.
If you've just moved into a Bexley rental
Track when the bites started and which rooms are worst, and take photos of any flea dirt you come across - the same pattern holds near Barnehurst, where quiet residential streets on the borough's eastern edge. Put your landlord or agent on notice in writing straight away, so there's a clear record of when the problem began, whether you're in a Bexleyheath semi or a bungalow near Barnehurst.
If you manage a rental property
The gap between one tenancy ending and the next starting is the simplest time to deal with fleas, since there's nothing to move around and nobody living there to be bitten. Whether it's a pet kept by the previous tenant or flea dirt found at check-out, either is worth dealing with before new tenants arrive, much as it does near Erith, where riverside streets and industrial land along the Thames.
Clearing the carpets
- Pull furniture away from walls so every edge of the room can be reached
- Vacuum thoroughly and empty it straight into an outside bin
- Wash any pet bedding on the hottest cycle it allows
- Keep using and vacuuming the rooms after treatment rather than closing them off
Booking flea treatment in Bexley
A flea job in Bexley costs £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room, and since around Crayford, where housing bordering the Crayford Marshes and the industrial estates along the river Cray, telling us how many rooms are carpeted and whether pets are part of the household when you book flea treatment helps, with the full detail on the Bexley flea treatment page.
