How an empty flat fills with fleas
If a pet lived there before, eggs laid in the carpet turn into larvae and eventually pupate inside a durable cocoon that can sit dormant for a long stretch if the place is left alone - the same pattern holds near Eltham, where suburban houses and semis spreading out from the Eltham High Street. Movement and body heat trigger the next generation to hatch, so a flat left vacant for weeks in Woolwich or Plumstead can start producing bites within days of someone moving back in.
Is it really fleas?
A flea bite usually shows up near the ankle, and the insect jumps instead of crawling; a simple test is dabbing suspected droppings onto damp paper, they'll turn reddish, whether that's near Kidbrooke, where a mix of older estate housing and newer riverside-style apartment developments under the Kidbrooke, or elsewhere in the borough. A row of bites higher up points somewhere else - the Greenwich bed bug guide covers that instead.
If you have just moved in
Make a note of when the bites began and which rooms they're happening in, and take a photo of any flea dirt visible in the carpet, as anyone near Eltham will recognise, where suburban houses and semis spreading out from the Eltham High Street. Notify the landlord, agent or seller in writing straight away, so there's a written record of when the problem started, whether that's near Plumstead, where victorian terraces on rising ground, or elsewhere in the borough.
If you let the property
Between tenants is the simplest time to deal with fleas, there's nothing in the way and no one around to get bitten, true near Woolwich too, where dense converted flats and former barracks buildings. If the previous tenant kept a pet, or flea dirt turned up at check-out, or an inventory visit noted bites, any of those is worth dealing with before the next tenant moves in, as anyone near Charlton will recognise, where terraced streets close to the river and the industrial land along the Thames path.
Pets in the houses around Eltham and Blackheath
Across the larger gardens typical of Eltham and Blackheath, where pets spend more time outdoors, a flea problem often surfaces after time away - a cat or dog boarded at a kennel or cattery stops picking up eggs as it goes, leaving whatever has already hatched at home to bite the next person through the door.
Clearing the carpets
Before the treatment, move furniture away from the walls, vacuum every surface thoroughly, empty the vacuum bag or canister straight outside, and put pet bedding through a hot wash, as anyone near Kidbrooke will recognise, where a mix of older estate housing and newer riverside-style apartment developments under the Kidbrooke. There's no need to close the rooms off afterwards, normal use and vacuuming actually helps draw out any late-hatching cocoons, true near Blackheath too, where georgian and Victorian houses around the heath.
Booking flea treatment in Greenwich
A flea job in Greenwich costs £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room, and since around Charlton, where terraced streets close to the river and the industrial land along the Thames path, 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 Greenwich flea treatment page.
