How an empty flat still has fleas waiting
Eggs laid in the carpet develop into pupae that can remain dormant in a tough cocoon for months once a property is left empty, true near Bow too, where victorian terraces close to the Roman Road and the canal. Body heat and vibration from someone actually living there again is what triggers the next generation to hatch, sometimes within days of moving in.
Is it fleas or something else?
Flea bites usually sit low down, around the ankle, and the insect jumps rather than crawls; flea dirt turns reddish if dabbed on damp paper. A bite pattern higher up, in a row along an arm or shoulder, points elsewhere - see the Tower Hamlets bed bug guide for that instead.
Ex-council flats in Poplar and Bow
Ex-council flats around Poplar and Bow, many with a history of resident pets over successive tenancies, are the most common source we see, with fleas hatching once new carpets or flooring is disturbed by moving furniture in.
If you let a property out
With nothing to move and nobody home to be bitten, the gap between tenancies is the simplest time to treat fleas, as anyone near Poplar will recognise, where large ex-GLC and modern estates close to the East India Dock Road. A pet kept during the previous tenancy, flea dirt found at check-out, or bites reported at an inventory visit are all worth acting on before new tenants arrive.
Clearing the carpets
- Pull furniture away from walls so every edge of the room is reachable
- Vacuum thoroughly and empty the vacuum straight into an outside bin
- Wash any pet bedding on a hot cycle
- Keep using and vacuuming the rooms after treatment rather than closing them off
Booking flea treatment in Tower Hamlets
A flea job in Tower Hamlets costs £180 for the first room and £60 for each additional room, and since around Mile End, where terraced streets and student housing close to the park and the university, 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 Tower Hamlets flea treatment page.
