Written by a Zeus Services Certified Technician
We carry out exclusion surveys and proofing works across every London borough, for homes, restaurants, offices and housing associations.
Treatment Removes Rodents. Proofing Keeps Them Out.
It's a distinction most homeowners don't realise until they've paid for a second callout: rodenticide baiting and trapping eliminate the current population inside a property, but they have no effect whatsoever on the physical gap the rats or mice used to get in. Brown rats can squeeze through gaps as small as 15mm, and mice through gaps as small as 6mm — smaller than a pencil. A single missing air brick cover, a gap around a waste pipe, or a crumbling piece of mortar at ground level is all it takes. Unless that entry point is physically closed, treatment is only ever a temporary fix.
What Proper Proofing Actually Involves
1. A Full Exclusion Survey
A certified technician checks the entire property — external brickwork, air bricks, soffits, fascias, drain covers, pipe penetrations and ground-level cracks — methodically documenting every potential entry point, not just the obvious ones.
2. The Right Material for Each Gap
Stainless steel mesh for larger gaps (rats and mice cannot gnaw through it — unlike plastic, wood or aluminium, which they can). Rodent-deterrent expanding foam for pipe and cable penetrations. Solid mortar and cement for structural gaps in brickwork and foundations.
3. Neat, Permanent Sealing
Every gap is sealed properly, not just blocked temporarily. Mortar is pointed to match existing brickwork, stainless steel vents are low-profile, and pipe penetrations are sealed flush with no visible gaps left behind.
4. A Written Certificate of Proofing
On completion, a written certificate details every proofing point sealed and the materials used — useful for landlords, letting agents, and for Environmental Health or insurance purposes in commercial properties.
London's Longest Rodent Proofing Warranty — 2 Full Years
Most pest control companies offer no warranty on proofing work at all, or cap it at 6–12 months. Zeus Services offers 2 full years, backed in writing on every single job — because we use only professional-grade materials and take the time to seal every point properly the first time. If rodents manage to re-enter through any area we've proofed within that 2-year period, we return and rectify it completely free of charge. No call-out fee, no re-quote — it's covered.
The Bottom Line
If you've had rats or mice treated before without proofing, and the problem came back, this is why. Proofing is the part of the job that actually solves the problem long term — treatment alone never will.