Rat control in Northcliff means dealing with two rats at once: roof rats that climb the ridge's big trees into ceilings, and brown rats that burrow behind rockeries and retaining walls. We find where they live and how they enter, bait outside in lockable stations, trap inside the roof, and show you which gaps to close.
Why the ridge suits rats
A hillside suburb gives rats far more shelter than a flat one. Every terrace has a retaining wall, and many of those walls are dry-packed stone or have gaps at the base where water has washed soil away. Rock gardens, dense shrubs and creepers cover the slopes. Mature trees overhang roofs, and split-level homes often have several roof sections at different heights, each with its own eaves and its own joins where an older roof meets a newer one.
Add the food that comes with big gardens, such as fruit trees, compost, bird seed and dog bowls on the patio, and you have rats living comfortably outside all summer. When the cold nights arrive from about May, they move indoors.
Which rat is in your house?
The roof rat
Slim, agile and a strong climber. It travels along branches, cables and the tops of walls and gets in under the eaves, through gaps around roof sheeting or where a creeper reaches the gutter. You hear it at night: running, scratching, sometimes gnawing. On Northcliff properties this is the rat we deal with most often.
The brown rat
Heavier and a digger. It burrows into the soft soil behind retaining walls, under paving and beneath garden sheds, and enters at ground level through drains, gaps under doors and holes around pipes. You see its burrows, its runs through the flowerbeds and the gnawing on irrigation pipes and plastic bins.
Many properties have both: brown rats in the garden and roof rats in the ceiling. Treating one and ignoring the other is a common reason a problem drags on.
What gives them away
- Noise in the ceiling between dusk and the early hours
- Raisin-sized droppings in the roof space, garage or along a kitchen wall
- Dark grease marks along beams, pipes or the top of a wall
- Chewed pool pipes, irrigation lines, wiring or soap
- Smooth-edged burrows at the base of retaining walls or under the compost
- Fruit hollowed out on the tree, and dogs fixated on one corner of the garden
If you're trying to work out what's making the noise above you, our article on recognising rat activity in a roof covers the signs in detail.
How we clear rats from a ridge property
We walk the whole stand first, top terrace to bottom, and the roof space if there's access. On a sloping site that often turns up the source a long way from the noise: a burrow system under the lowest rockery, or a branch bridging the gap from a neighbour's tree. Lockable, tamper-resistant bait stations go along the runs outside, placed where children, pets and wildlife can't get at the bait. Inside the roof, we generally trap rather than bait, so a rat doesn't die where you can't reach it.
Once activity drops, the proofing begins. We'll show you the gaps to seal: the eaves, the join between roof sections, broken air bricks, holes where pipes enter, and the gaps under garage doors. Your 3-month guarantee covers the treatment, and if rats return within that time, we come back.
The mistake that keeps rats coming back
Many people bait the ceiling and never look at the garden. On the ridge, the colony that supplies the roof often lives outside, in the rockery or behind a wall, and as long as it's there, new rats will keep climbing up. The opposite also happens: garden baiting with no attention to the branch touching the roof.
A Northcliff tip
Trim trees and creepers back at least a metre from every roof section, not just the main one. On split-level homes the lower roofs are easy to forget, and they're often the ones rats use first.
What rat control costs, and why
The price depends on the size of the property, how many stations and traps it needs, whether we're working in the roof, and how many follow-up visits it takes. A house with a few rats in one roof section is a straightforward job; a large terraced stand with activity in the garden and the ceiling takes more. The guide prices on our prices page show where rat control starts, and we confirm the cost once we've seen the site.
For more on rats across the city, see rat control in Johannesburg. Rats in the older, tree-lined streets east of here are covered under rat control in Rosebank, and if you're near the dam, read our page on Emmarentia pest control. All our local services are on the Northcliff pest control page.
Jason van Heerden owns and runs Combat Pest Control, with 25 years in pest control, SAPCA registration and registration with the Department of Agriculture under Act 36. We offer service within 24 hours. Call 084 200 2700, or WhatsApp us a photo of the droppings or the damage.
Questions we get asked
Why do the rats only start at night?
Rats are nocturnal and move most when the house is quiet. Roof rats run along the ceiling and the tops of walls after dark, so the noise usually begins around bedtime.
How much does rat control cost in Northcliff?
It depends on property size, the number of stations and traps, roof access and follow-ups. Our price guide shows the starting price, and we confirm after seeing the property.
Is rat bait dangerous for my dog?
Not when it's inside a lockable bait station. The bait can't be reached without a key, and we place stations away from where pets play and sleep.
Will there be a smell?
Trapping in the roof keeps that risk low. The smell problem usually comes from loose poison thrown into a ceiling, which is why we don't work that way.
Do I need to cut down my trees?
No. Trim branches and creepers so they're at least a metre from every part of the roof. That removes the bridge without losing the tree.
What should I do before you come?
Clear access to the roof hatch and garage, keep pets inside for the visit, and don't put poison down yourself. Tell us where you've heard or seen activity.