How a change of tenancy brings fleas back
Eggs laid in a carpet by a previous pet develop into larvae and then sit dormant as pupae inside a tough cocoon, sometimes for months, waiting for movement and body heat to trigger them to hatch. A flat that's stood empty between one tenant and the next, whether a converted terrace near Forest Gate or an ex-dockland flat near Canning Town, can start producing bites within days of someone moving back in.
Is it really fleas?
A flea bite tends to sit low down, around the ankle or lower leg, and the insect itself jumps rather than crawls; a smear of the dark dirt it leaves turns reddish if dabbed onto damp paper. A cluster of bites higher up, in a row along an arm or shoulder, points elsewhere - see the Newham bed bug guide instead.
If you've just moved in
Note down when the bites started and which rooms they happen in, and photograph any flea dirt you find in the carpet. Put the landlord, agent or seller on notice in writing as soon as possible so there's a record of when the problem began, rather than it becoming a dispute months later.
If you let the property out
The gap between one tenancy and the next is the easiest time to deal with fleas, since there's nothing to work around and nobody there to be bitten. Either a pet the previous tenant kept, or flea dirt spotted at check-out, is worth acting on before anyone new moves in, whether that's near Forest Gate, where victorian terraces and conversions on the tree-lined streets towards Wanstead Flats, or elsewhere in the borough.
Clearing the carpets
- Pull furniture away from the walls so every edge of the room can be reached
- Vacuum thoroughly and empty the vacuum straight into an outside bin
- Wash pet bedding, throws and cushion covers on the hottest cycle they allow
- Keep using and vacuuming the rooms as normal after treatment, rather than closing them off
Booking flea treatment in Newham
A flea job in Newham costs £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room, and since around Plaistow, where closely packed terraced housing with a mix of owner-occupied and rented properties, 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 Newham flea treatment page.
