How a change of tenant 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, until movement and body heat trigger them to hatch. This is a recurring pattern in the borough's ex-council flats: a new tenant moves in, starts walking the carpet daily, and bites appear within days even though no pet has ever lived there under the new tenancy.
Is it really fleas?
Low around the ankle is where a flea bite tends to appear, and the insect jumps rather than crawls; its dark droppings turn reddish when dabbed on damp paper, much as it does near Dulwich, where larger period villas and semis near the park and the village. Bites higher up, in a row along an arm, point somewhere else - see the Southwark bed bug guide instead.
If you've just moved in
Keep track of when the bites started and where, and photograph any flea dirt you find in the carpet, much as it does near Bermondsey, where former warehouses converted to flats sit among Victorian terraces close to the river. Put the landlord or housing office on notice in writing as soon as possible, so there's a record of when the problem began rather than it becoming a dispute later.
If you manage the property
The gap between one tenancy and the next is the easiest time to deal with fleas, since there's nothing in the way and nobody around to be bitten. A previous pet, or flea dirt found during check-out, is reason enough to act before new tenants arrive, true near Bermondsey too, where former warehouses converted to flats sit among Victorian terraces close to the river.
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 and any affected throws on the hottest cycle they allow
- Keep using and vacuuming the rooms normally after treatment, rather than closing them off
Booking flea treatment in Southwark
A flea job in Southwark costs £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room, and since around Rotherhithe, where riverside developments and converted dock buildings, 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 Southwark flea treatment page.
