He came to our house for our rat problem. I showed him the crawl space where there was the most activity. He said he doesn't go into crawl spaces. I should have stopped then. He said he seals all possible entering spaces with his spray foam and they cannot get in. He tells me if a rat dies inside, I should get any handyman to dispose of it. I already had 7 traps set. A month later he returns with no decrease in activity. He walks around the house again and offers some lame excuses. Again, no decrease in activity. 6 weeks later I get an unannounced phone call and the caller asks if I still have rat problems. I said yes and the person hung up on me. The service, paid up front; is worthless and unprofessional. read more

I don't recommend this service. All Garland did was set up traps in my crawl space, he did not even set traps in the attic nor did he walk the premises of my home to find possible holes and entry points. There was an obvious hole in one of the crawl space mesh vents and he didn't even find that. Not only this but they don't even come back to check up on the traps or your home. We paid all this money and all they could do was set traps that I myself could buy at Home Depot. Their service didn't solve the issues so I had to call another service who did regular check ups on my home and even went as far as finding holes to patch up and they were usually available when we needed them. read more

I started feeding the birds in our back yard, and alas, we got rats, huge rats, really gross rats which somehow found their way into our basement. Garland came to our house, identified all the points of entry and blocked them, then we used rat traps (the most humane way of catching them) to get rid of the rats that were already living inside. We no longer have an issue with rats ... although sadly I did have to stop feeding the birds. read more

At first I thought Garland was good. He's a nice guy. At first it seemed like he fixed our problem. And he's way cheaper than a lot of the alternatives. Turns out there's a reason. It costs more to do a real reinspection when the rodents come back. It costs more to use proper wire screening instead of just spraying foam everywhere. So he usually just uses foam. Sometimes with some steal wool. Rodents can get through that. not right away, but they will. And he only guarantees the work for 2 years so he can run out the clock denying the problem is back until it's too late. When the rodents seem to be coming back he denied the problem unless I could show him new droppings. Then I did and it did not convince him the problem has come back. He tried to say it was there before. Only something caught in a trap convinced him. That means he makes you wait for a problem to get really bad instead of finding the new place they are getting in right away when you get the first signs they are back. Finally I got fed up. I hired someone else who immediately found a bunch of problem areas with holes he didn't see or patch, plus the foam where screening should be. They are now fixed right and the problem is gone - hopefully for good. But it did cost more. Sometimes you get what you pay for. read more

We're hearing some weird critter noises in the wall behind the kitchen counter. Erratic, we've only heard it three different days so far, but it made me think of The Exorcist. I didn't call a priest - just threw some plastic cups at the wall and pounded on it. Whatever it was, it sure sounded persistent. I called Rat Patrol. They were incredibly helpful, and advised me to first contact Vector Control and have them come out to see if they could find entryways. I was so impressed - how many companies would tell you do something first before spending money? This is our second time working with them. Major, major points. read more

I've had a very good experience with Rat Patrol. Victoria is thorough and considerate on the phone. She follows up and sends reminders. They came to my house when expected. I find Garland knowledgeable and friendly. We went down to my basement and up into the attic. He knew which animals (rat and a skunk) were in our home, where they were and the specific ways that we could trap them and or keep them out. They do schedule a follow-up and come a few weeks later to check on the traps. read more

I will preface this review by saying that I have been in contract with Rat Patrol/Garland for nearly 21 years. Many of those years I received good customer service and good results. However, the past 2 to 3 years and especially in the past year things have changed profoundly. I know that Garland is a one-man business. When I used to call him for a service visit, I usually had to wait on a matter of 2 to 3 maybe 4 days tops. When I call now, I am often told that he cannot come for 2 to 3 weeks. If I can get something a week or less out, I feel lucky. When you are in the middle of a mouse infestation in your kitchen, waiting a week or two or three is just not doable, especially when you are already paying this person to keep these rodents out! . I feel as if he has grown his customer list profoundly and taken on more clients than he can sustainably service appropriately, pushing service times way out for existing customers. And maybe he's getting tired of doing the job, but I feel like when he does show up he barks/nearly yells at me/us in a rude way and acts insulted and annoyed by our questions, as if we should be rodent experts ourselves. But perhaps most importantly, he does not do the work to find the holes where the rodents are gaining access. He does a cursory walk of the house perimeter, may look in the crawlspace but won't go down into the crawlspace to assess the situation. And when we've called them to retrieve the mice or rats that we have caught, they seem bothered by that, as if they feel it's more appropriate for us to be doing that ourselves. For at least the past year, we have been feeling very put off and unimpressed by his service and therefore recently called in some other companies to do an assessment/bid. Four out of the four companies that we brought in found vents under our front bay windows that were either entirely open or the mesh had a big enough hole chewed in it that rodents could enter an exit. When Garland did show up at my house for a service call after these bids came in, he did not even look in this area. I had to point out the area. There were several other areas that these other companies pointed out that Garland has never looked at. When he does come for a service visit it is short and not thorough. as a result, we now have a mouse infestation that has infiltrated our kitchen, and the investigation by these other rodent companies revealed that we have a rat issue in our attic. Almost as if we don't pay someone to take care of this! It's really disheartening. I recommend that you look elsewhere if you are looking for a rodent solution. read more

Rat Patrol is very thorough and understands rodents. We've used this company for years. We're plagued with tree rats up in the Oakland Hills, so we're glad to have such a dependable company to help us out from time to time. read more

One call and the problem was solved thanks to Garland and Victoria. That was years ago. Recently (2024) we had some contractor work on our roof and hired Rat Patrol to return and check if any of Garland's earlier rodent barriers needed repair. He did a brief update on our rodent barriers just to ensure we remain problem-free. Highly recommend. read more

I used their service to get rid of rats in my house. They acted very unprofessionally. The lady on the phone (Victoria) is an unreasonable and frustrating person to deal with. After taking your money, they would not even come to take the dead rodents out of your house. Really?! You expect me to have dead rats in my house when you charged me for that very service? What kinda bullshit business are you running. WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THEIR BUSINESS TO ANYONE! read more

Incredibly impressed with Rat Patrol. They were responsive, reasonable, and easy to work with. I had seen multiple positive reviews on Nextdoor about them about them. Just to be double check, I reached out to several companies on Yelp and I was getting double or triple the cost of Rat Patrol. The others felt like they were more of a scam. Rat Patrol had a longer warranty and offered more reasonable measures to rat proof the house. The owner is friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. The only downside is that they are busy. It took me a couple of weeks to schedule the first visit (I wasn't in a rush, so it worked out well. I can't recommend them enough, they are great. read more

Initially, Teresa was very responsive to getting me scheduled for initial inspection and though the wait for almost a month, I thought I would wait it out based on their reviews. When Garland arrived, he was great at finding all the places rodents were creeping in through. However, the follow up visits once the rodents chewed their way through the foam was terrible. Eventually, Garland came back out but when I pointed out that there was some activity in a crawl space, he said there was no way to prevent this. I wish I would have known this from the beginning as I was looking for a more solid guarantee from a company. Please note that this company only has one person who does everything (except for the call center) and he it is obvious he is too busy to handle a decent turnaround time for follow up visits. When I called them for rodent pick up, the delay was unacceptable (a week and a half!). I ended up having to pick up one which defeats the purpose of why I paid the $500 to them for this. The other rodent never got picked up after weeks of calling back and only getting one call back with a time that didn't work. I have yet to receive a call or apology for this. They should hire some more people to help improve their responsiveness and service quality. I would rather pay someone an initial fee then a monthly fee as I will likely have a better guarantee that they will follow through on their promises. I am hopeful that this will improve and I will be able to update this but for now, beware of what you are getting into! read more

I've been a customer since 2016 and have been so happy with my service! Look no further for your needs. I do the regular maintenance program. A couple times we have had them out in between those times when we have had work done around our foundation and it's been fast and easy. Great people and very much appreciated by customers like me who live in the Oakland Hills! read more

If I could give these people 100 stars, I would do that here. Victoria and Garland were fantastic! I can't even begin to tell you how much money I've spent trying to get rid of these rats on my own. What a waste of time and money. The jerk-rats ate my husband's car anyway, causing $25,000 in damage. I would've saved so much time and money had I called Rat Patrol from the get-go. Thank you, Rat Patrol!!! read more

I do not recommend this company. We found rat poop during our walkthrough when we were buying our home last year and as a condition, the seller of the house hired Rat Patrol to deal with it. They did not catch any according to the seller during that time. Fast forward to this year, I saw rat in my garage along with some droppings. We called Rat Patrol as we are still well under the 2 year warranty. We were able to schedule them to come. So we didn't get a call on that day, but we were given a window. Garland rang the doorbell knocked on the door. I have a baby and I just had to put him down before I opened the door. When I got to the door he already left. I checked our door camera, he was there for less than 2 minutes. I called their office immediately to let them know, no answer, left a message and then called again. I was able to get a hold of them and the lady called Garland, but told her that he's not coming back because he's already in the freeway. Lady told me that they will charge us a $100 for canceled appointment if we reschedule. I didn't cancel our appointment, the guy left in less than 2mins! I explained this to her and told me that they'd call me back. Never got a call! I mean if you're going to charge your clients for canceled appointments, wait for your client to answer the door or atleast give your client a call before you come or before you leave. So frustrating! read more

I tried doing this myself, I met with Alameda county vector control (free). I was not able to contain the rats. Garland came multiple times over a 3 year period and I have not had a rat in several years now. I initially called a pest control company and they came to spray pesticide after they forced me to sign up for a monthly service. Garland is the way to go. He is busy so he needed a few phone calls to get him going. read more

I wouldn't recommend this place. We had them come out last year to take care of rats in our attic, and since then I've had to have them come back two more times. Garland keeps nailing up the same panel in the front of the house and ignoring all the other panels and screens where the rats are getting in. Since we have a warranty I don't want to waste money calling another exterminator, but I might have to. Today he came by my house for the third time but didn't call, and since I was in the backyard I didn't hear him at the door. He nailed the same panel up for the third time and left, and now I need to schedule a 4th appointment. Meanwhile my dog is continually freaking out because you can hear the rats scurrying around in the walls, our upstairs tenets hear the rats, and there are at least 3 other access points around the house that I know the rats are entering through. read more

The absolute best there is. They just saved our Thanksgiving by helping us get rid of a terrible rodent issue. We have been using Rat Patrol for nine years now and they are the most reliable, professional and effective service imaginable. I have had the absolute worst experiences with other pest control services, some of whom operate incredible scams to create recurring business. Rat Patrol are ethical, determined to get the job done right the first time, and are awesome with follow-up. Seriously, don't waste your time with anyone else. If you have rats, there is literally no-one else you should be calling. read more

Called the office and spoke to Victoria. Very professional and clear about what services are offered and what is no. Garland came the next day (there had been a cancellation) and handled the paperwork, explained the work and performed the inspection, closed up some spots around the foundation where rats could get in and set some traps. Came back 8 or 9 days later. Very easy, works as expected. Please note that the company does not do cleanup of the site (ie crawl space or other areas) so be prepared to hire someone to clean up the mess created by the rats if you need this service. read more

We had used Garland for rat proofing several years ago and were happy at that time, but after getting back yard chickens and having the roof replaced, they came back worse than before and this time he was unable to adequately keep the rats out of the house. Even though we paid (a second time) for a two year warranty, the rats ate and scratched through the barriers he put up, and eventually he told us there was no way to keep them out with the chickens in the yard. We ended up having to pay another company (Smart Pest Pros) while his warranty was still in effect because the attic and crawl space were overrun with rats. They charged a lot more for much better work, but they did the job right and we are now rat-free. If you have a serious rat problem, Garland's methods are not up to the task, and the response time and attitude for follow-up are poor. read more

I used this company successfully a few years ago. Garland knows the habits of rats and can do a good job of keeping them away IF (and it's a fatal "if") you can get him to show up. Calls to schedule him (for the work that has been prepaid under his contract) are often not returned. When Theresa answers she says that Garland will call. He doesn't. When, after 3-4 calls to ask here why he didn't call, she says "Oh -- I thought he did". I've wasted hours trying to get a straight answer from them. One thing to notice is that although their overall rating is high, all but one of the 2016 reviews rate them as 1 or 2 because of their mismanagement and failure to deliver services promised under prepaid contracts. Highly unprofessional. read more

I had a poor experience with this company. Ive been waiting to write a review for quite some time as I want to share my experience. In a nut shell I felt like I got totally ripped off. Its a $500 initial payment for him to even show up at your door. Then I found him arrogant and condescending. He proceeded for 30 to 40 minutes looking around our house. He plugged up a few small holes on some vents with some steel mesh and a few screws and then called it a day. I asked for him to check some known locations that rats are getting under our house with the access to this location in the crawl space and he flat out refused to do it making excuses. Additionally he was dressed way too nice for any serious work other than putting a few screws in My suggestion is to look elsewhere, these people know you're desperate when you've found rats in your house and they pounce on that desperation with an upfront no refund $500 initial fee. Yeah they back it up with a two-year warranty however when I called for some warranty work seems I just missed my 2 year window by a few weeks and I would have to pay another $500. I didn't need the work done I just called as a test to see how they would balk and they did. $500 for 30-40 minutes of work didn't seem to justify a second visit even though I was only a few weeks out from my two year warranty. Shame on them. read more

Rat Patrol is a man named Garland Buckner. If you google around, you'll find lots of reference to him in news articles about rats in the Bay Area; a typical example is http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/morgue/2005/2005_04_01.eh.shtml . There are also online reviews in various places -- all very positive. About 10 days ago, we noticed a rat running around in our kitchen. Not good! I had no idea what to do, and didn't find any useful (or cool or funny) recommendations on yelp. I knew that poisoning the critters was a bad idea for environmental reasons, and also because it's easy to end up with dead decaying rats in inaccessible places. I read http://www.ecologycenter.org/factsheets/rodent_control.html for general information. This is a good document with lots of helpful advice, but I stopped at the paragraph labeled "Trapping" because I was seriously disinclined to set traps around myself. (I also didn't want to buy a cat.) To clear my mind, I walked out onto the street, still thinking about rats. I immediately saw a truck with the license plate RATZZZZ -- was that a hallucination? Negative: it was Garland Buckner, who was paying a professional call on a neighbor. (When rats come to your house, they're probably out in force in your area.) I introduced myself and asked him if he "did" rats for a living. "I do! Got a rodent problem?" I told him that I did, and we set up an appointment. Rat Patrol charges a flat fee of $500 and guarantees that it'll keep you rat-free for two years. Garland first inspects the structure, figures out where the rats are coming in and seals the holes. When he's done, you've got bottled-up rats. If you make sure that they don't have access to your food, the bottled up rats will get mighty hungry, and Garland's traps will start looking good to them. That's the plan: trap the rats and pull them out of the house; keep going until there is no more activity. An aside: I was a bit disappointed when I realized that the traps are spring traps that kill their victims; initially, I had the idealistic idea that the traps would imprison the rats, who would then be set free in the forest. I've gotten over this disappointment. In our case, Garland found and sealed up a rat hole in a spot that I never could have accessed because of thorny rose bushes that had grown away from a neighbor's house. He set his traps. Now, one week into the process, we've collected one animal and have observed that all six of the traps were sprung. Garland came by this morning to initiate round two. We'll keep going until the problem seems to have been solved. read more

We recently moved to a house in the Orinda hills that's basically out in the woods. A few weeks ago we were awakened by what sounded like a band of conga players in our bedroom wall. Called the Rat Patrol and set up an appointment. I got on the waiting/cancellation list because their first available appointment was over a month away (it's rat season, after all). In the meantime, Theresa, who was very nice and seemed extremely knowledgable, told me to set a few traps against the walls near where I heard the conga players. We caught one rat, and then lo and behold about a week later they called and said they'd had a last minute cancellation. Garland arrived and got right to work checking the perimeter of the house with a mirror and flashlight to identify any and all holes a rat might fit through. He sealed them up and set more traps on the theory that when the rats can't get back outside for food they'll be more attracted to the traps. He told me he'd be back at 8AM the following Wednesday (today) and the doorbell rang at 8:02 (which I love in a contractor). We'd caught one more rat, which he disposed of, then he reset the traps and gave me instructions for what to do and if/when to call. I agree that in the best possible world the rats would be dealt with by natural means but it's not natural for them or healthy for us if they're nesting in my house. I love the fact that Garland uses snap traps and not poison for the same reason: poisoned rats get eaten and then we've got poisoned owls, hawks et al. I have total confidence in his approach and knowledge of rodent control, and he obviously does too because his services come with a TWO YEAR guarantee. The $500 flat fee (varies a little depending on your home) is perfectly reasonable considering the expertise, follow-up and assurance that it paid for. The Rat Patrol got the conga players out of my bedroom wall, and for that I am eternally grateful (and well-rested). read more

Theresa and Garland can execute my rats any time. I've been dealing with rats for 2 months. I've called for tons of quotes and have been trying to take them out myself, with moderate success. Rat Patrol has the lowest price and best service I've found. Theresa had me the minute we were on the phone and she answered all my questions to alleviate some of my concerns of infestation. She calls back promptly and was extremely courteous. Garland is the man. He loves his job and it shows. He's transparent about what he's doing and he'll crawl into any space at all if he thinks a rat might be able to get through there. He sealed my entire house in an hour with that spray foam and some wire patches. The bottom line...my rats are gone. Completely. And after only $500. Plus I have the peace of mind with the 2-year warrrantee. Don't get better than Rat Patrol. read more

11/24/2010: Garland came over very recently. He asked some questions to help us understand what might be happening, then he explained what type of service he would provide, what he was going to do, and how he was going to do it. He was very professional and quick. Took care of the holes in the building, set some traps, and made a follow up appointment before leaving. Payment was not the first thing he talked about. Though we decided on him because of all the recommendations, he was as real as the reviews say. Very professional. I'll update again after his next visit. 10/30/2011: I still stand by my original assessment. We heard the critters running around earlier this year and had to call Rat Patrol under warranty. They called back in a few days and Garland came over again to check all the openings and reseal where the rodents had broken in. Garland isn't going to flatter you. He tells it to you straight about what he can and cannot do, and he'll do what he says he'll do. In our case, we share walls with our neighbors and the squirrels/rats were coming in through the walls, which is nearly impossible to correct without major reconstruction. But he'll tell you your options and correct what he can. Still professional as ever. I will say that they do get very busy during autumn, so be prepared to wait a week or so for an appointment. Also, Rat Patrol doesn't handle infestations and clean ups. (But he will remove the dead critters that he finds. Thank goodness!!!) read more

Garland, the owner, is great. Over the years we've had rodents and raccoons. Each time he's gotten rid of them and sealed their access. As time goes on, they engineer more access and he returns to get rid of them again. He's reliable, on time, and does just what you want. Safe for a household with pets. Highly recommended! read more

I hired rat patrol nearly 2 years ago and the technician caught a rat in our house. No more rat until recently, I saw some mouse dropping at my oven so I called rat patrol again. Luckily, I still under the two years warranty. I called and got response in next day. I had an appointment one week after I called which is fast. They are really busy. The technician came on time without charge as they promise. Highly recommend rat patrol! read more

I used Rat Patrol about 8 years ago and Garland does an amazing job! The rat chewed it's way back into my attic and Garland came out right away to fix the problem. I called them again because another rat came, 8 years later and Garland is getting our home secured right now. It is such a comfort to be able to call Rat Patrol because they give a warranty for 2 years so if anything comes up during that time,they are quick to respond. I think it is amazing the sealing job Garland did lasted this many years and I appreciate their fast response. read more

I received a response from Rat Patrol yesterday saying they had actually tried to contact me a couple of days ago. Never got the message, but okay. The message came after I had given up on a response this week and retrieved the dead rat myself to put out for the weekly garbage pickup. Nasty, but oh well. Garland just came by and ended up picking up a rather desiccated additional carcass from the attic. He rechecked the perimeter, sealed up some potential new entry points, and also apologized for the delay in response (which I appreciated very much) as they are currently being flooded with calls. (Apparently, as the season gets colder, tree rats become more intent on finding shelter indoors). I should say that Garland was great during his first visit as well. He provided thorough explanations of what he was doing and why. His services are in high demand though.Initially, the earliest booking we could get was over a month out. However, somebody canceled at the last minute so we were able to take their slot. We chose Rat Patrol initially based off of the good reviews and the 2-year guarantee. Turns out we needed that guarantee. Further updates to come as we see how this all turns out. Stay tuned... read more

We've been using Garland and Rat Patrol for at least 15 years. It is a rare pleasure to hire someone who is honest, straight-forward, thorough, competent, and understands his business so well. It is no thrill when the rats infest, but it is always a pleasure to watch Garland do his work. read more

First, I wish this was five stars. Garland and Teresa are great people. Garland knows his critters. I like working with them both. Here are my concerns: 1. After the initial visit, they only come when called. Call me traditional, but when I pay $500, I'd like for someone to check in on progress. Maybe even clean out the dead, rotten critters when the traps occasionally work. 2. For 8 months, the rats won. Garland set traps, but I still had rat parties in the basement and if I did not cover the dog bowl, in the kitchen at night. I could be reading nearby and they would come out, grab dog food, and give me a "what you lookin' at?" glance as they took off. After seven months, I finally trapped a few of the stupid ones, but traps only work if the rats cannot get in and out and get hungry enough to take some risk. These dudes were fat and very, very happy. Oh, forget cheese or peanut butter -- they kill for high quality dog food. 3. Garland was sure he had sealed the house and thought we should call the county for a smoke test to see if we had an abandoned sewer line (in fairness, we might). The county blamed my dog door. I had replaced the old one, which had a hole in it made by the rats, with one with super magnets that no one pound rat can get through). The rats stopped coming in through the door, but it was party time in the basement and they could scamper up to the kitchen if the dog food was out. 4. Last Saturday, I spotted the hole. It was massive and frankly, pretty obvious. An unused 3" PVC furnace pipe from the basement to the bushes provided a veritable rat freeway in and out of the basement. They could have run two lanes each way through a hole that size. A large pile of leaves in the basement was the giveaway -- they don't wipe their feet and I think wind was blowing stuff in. It was a big hole, with a thin and thoroughly chewed up vent on the outside. Rats chew through damned near anything. Note that the County Vector Control guy also missed the hole. And Garland patched other cracks, even though he missed the onramp. But still.... I called them, left a message about the hole. No call back. So overall, I hope I'm done. We shall see. I will call Garland out again for ideas and might even renew if I need to. But progress was nonexistent for 8 months. if you have smart rats and they have access to your house that is not obvious, set your expectations accordingly. read more

Garland is very knowledgeable but is a one man show and stretched too thin. He doesn't have time to finish my job. He originally came out and found one entry way for the rats and set traps. Can't get him to do more exclusion. I still have rats in the attic. Now looking for another company. read more

Professional. Effective. Responsive. We have had Garland getting rid of rodents around our house for years. Pesky critters like our neighborhood, but we know who to call! read more

I've had similar experiences with the other 1 star reviews. And they seem to have several rat patrol businesses on yelp- with the others getting less stars. As other yelpers have said... trying to get in touch with them, return calls, and get them to come back has been a struggle. Per his claim and contract they said he will come out every couple of weeks for a few months to make sure nothing is in the traps. He only came out once. When I said I saw rat poop in my garage and saw rats running on the deck, they said they won't come out unless they are INSIDE the house. All I wanted was for them to check the traps. Oh- and he didn't put any traps in the roof even though I had rat poop up there and heard them chewing. So now I'm wary of signing any more contracts b/c of companies like this. Even if their excuse is that he's too busy (it's one guy running all over the bay area to get the jobs done) then hire someone else like most well-run businesses do. Oh- and they said I got the 8-9AM slot. Which I interpreted to mean he arrives at 8 and leaves at 9. No- he got there at 9:10. They never said BETWEEN 8-9AM. Which meant I was late to my appointment after that. And then never apologized for the mix-up. Not a "customer-oriented" business. read more

Shockingly bad service. Wants $500 to start a new service after not removing the rats/traps after the last service ($500). Would not recommend to anyone. read more

Save your money, call contra costa county vector control (free). Do not throw away money to Rat Patrol. I highly recommend giving contra costa county vector control 925-771-0172 before calling anyone including Rat Patrol. Vector control is a free service and they come out to your house and do a thorough inspection. They even trimmed trees for me that they thought were problematic, found out where the rats were hanging out and set traps and made recommendations for preventing intrusion. You will be much more informed when you start calling rat proofing companies. They do not recommend getting someone who just sets traps or exterminates. I can honestly say, when I had Rat Patrol come out, I was thoroughly unimpressed based on the knowledge given to me and the detailed work done by the county vector control people. read more

Garland and the folks at Rat Patrol are awesome! About a year ago, I was mortified to discover that I had rats in my house, having come face to face with a critter in my basement. Garland took care of everything over a couple of visits for a single price, sealed off the access, and gave me an education on rat behavior while he was at it. No more rats. About a year later, I found rat droppings inside the house and called Rat Patrol again. Turns out, the hills are crawling with them. I thought I might have to twist their arm to stand by their guarantee, but that was not the case - they honored their policy and did the work for free without me having to say anything. Turns out, this new critter had nothing to do with the previous job; an enterprising rat had just chewed its way in through a new entry point. After that first visit from Garland, I was rat-free again and have been since. Top marks - highly recommended. I love that you can trust the work and that the guarantee is the real deal. EDIT: For those of you wondering...once rats have made their way into your home, the likelihood of having a rat issue again at some point is higher. Because there's a trail of pheromones leading to your house that tells other rats, "THIS is where you want to be! Here's a safe and lovely rat palace!". And rats, if they persist, can chew through metal. This is why the guarantee matters. read more

Garland did a great job rat-proofing the house we are renting. The property management company had initially sent an exterminator who used poison, which I wasn't too happy about. After several months of the rats simply eating all the poison and continuing to reproduce and nest in our attic, they called Rat Patrol. Garland spent over an hour checking every inch of the house to see where the rats were getting in. He blocked off multiple entry points on the roof and we haven't heard any rats since. I hear their prices are higher than the regular exterminators, but for the detailed work and guarantee, it definitely seems worth it. Garland obviously cares a lot about his work and getting the job done right. read more

This is just to add my voice to the chorus of praise for Rat Patrol! I had been trying to take care of a relatively low-level but persistent roof (attic) rat issue myself, thinking I could seal the entry holes and set and monitor traps. (Please don't use poison. In addition to the other unpleasantness it leads to it also kills any owl, hawk, or other raptor that eats the poisoned rats). When it got to the point that I realized I had to get rid of all the insulation in the attic I knew it was well past time to call Rat Patrol. Removing soiled insulation has got to be one of the nastier jobs there is, and it took me four very unpleasant days to get it done. Take it from me, you want to call Rat Patrol before it gets to that point! Garland left a few minutes ago. He did a thorough investigation, found points of entry that I hadn't been aware of, sealed up everything, set additional traps, gave me some tips, and I've now got a 2-year warranty. I wasn't afraid to try the work myself, but in addition to paying for Garland's labor, more importantly you're paying for his knowledge and expertise. It's a small thing, but I also appreciated that Garland didn't tromp through and destroy any plants in the yard, something that many contractors don't seem to be able to avoid. Bottom line, make the call sooner rather than later! Chris read more