Rat & Mouse Control in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs
Rodents in the roof, scratching in the walls, droppings in the pantry. We find how they are getting in, remove them, and seal the gaps so they do not come back. Family owned, licensed, and treating Sydney homes and businesses for over 20 years.
How do I get rid of rats and mice in my home?
Getting rid of rats and mice takes three things done together: remove the rodents already inside, cut off the food and water keeping them there, and seal the gaps they are using to get in. Baiting alone almost never ends an infestation, because a sealed building with no food is what stops the next one arriving.
Most rodent jobs that come back were baiting jobs. The bait removed the animals that were there on the day, nobody found the entry point, and six weeks later a new pair moved in through the same gap. That is why a PestOz rodent job starts with an inspection of the roof void, sub-floor and exterior rather than with a bait box.
- Inspection. Roof void, sub-floor, kitchen, laundry, garage and the full building exterior. We are looking for droppings, grease marks along runs, gnawing, nesting material and the gaps that let them in.
- Identification. Rat or mouse changes the bait, the station placement and the gap size we need to seal. See the comparison below.
- Treatment. Tamper-resistant bait stations and trapping, placed where the rodents actually run rather than where it is convenient.
- Proofing. Sealing entry points is the part that ends the problem. Weep holes, pipe penetrations, eaves gaps, sub-floor vents, garage door seals.
- Follow-up. A return visit to check activity, remove carcasses and adjust placement.
If you are in Bondi Junction, our local page covers why the area has a persistent rodent problem: pest control in Bondi Junction.
How much does rat and mouse control cost in Sydney?
A rodent treatment with PestOz costs $218.90 including GST ($199 plus GST), which covers baiting and trapping inside and outside the property. If the job needs lockable bait stations they are $65.95 each including GST ($59.95 plus GST), and how many depends on the size of the property and where the activity is. Termite and general pest work is priced separately.
We quote the bait stations separately rather than bundling them into a headline price, because the number genuinely varies. A single terrace with activity in one roof void is a different job to a block of units with a bin room and a shared sub-floor, and pretending otherwise just means one of those two customers is overpaying.
If you have cockroaches, ants or spiders as well, a general pest treatment covers those and starts at $218.90 including GST for a one bedroom apartment. It is a separate treatment to the rodent work, but we will normally do both on the one visit.
Rats or mice? Why it changes the treatment
Bait, station placement and the gaps we seal all depend on which one you have, so this is the first thing we work out. For photos and the full comparison, see our rat and mouse identification guide.
| What differs | Rats | Mice |
|---|---|---|
| Droppings | About 12 to 20 mm, capsule or spindle shaped. Fewer of them. | About 3 to 6 mm, roughly a grain of rice. Many more of them, scattered widely. |
| Gap they need | About 12 mm for a young rat, roughly the width of a little finger. | About 6 to 8 mm, roughly the width of a pencil. |
| Where they nest | Roof voids, sub-floors, wall cavities, garden sheds, compost, dense vegetation near the house. | Inside the building. Behind appliances, in cupboards, in insulation, inside stored boxes. |
What does rodent proofing involve?
Rodent proofing means finding and closing the gaps rats and mice use to get in, and cutting off the food and water that keep them there. A mouse can pass through a gap of 6 to 8 mm and a young rat through about 12 mm, so the openings that matter are far smaller than most people expect.
In the Eastern Suburbs the building stock does a lot of the work against us. Federation semis and terraces have open sub-floor vents and generous eaves gaps, double brick has weep holes at the base of every wall, and the mature figs and palms that make these streets look the way they do put branches within jumping distance of the roofline.
Roofline and eaves
Gaps where the roof meets the wall, broken tiles, and any tree branch within about a metre of the roof. Rats climb, and a palm frond touching the gutter is a ladder.
Rat highwayWeep holes and vents
The small openings at the base of double brick walls, and sub-floor vents on older homes. Both are needed for airflow, so they get screened rather than blocked.
Screen, do not sealPipe penetrations
Where water, gas, air conditioning and cabling enter the building. The hole is almost always bigger than the pipe, and that difference is usually more than 6 mm.
Most missedGarage and door seals
Perished rubber at the base of a roller door, or a gap at the corner where the seal has lifted. Garages connect straight to the rest of the house in most homes.
Easy fixBins and compost
Food waste within a few metres of the building keeps a population fed through the year. Bin lids that do not close, and open compost, are the two big ones.
Food sourceWater
Leaking taps, blocked gutters, pet water bowls left out overnight, and air conditioning condensate. Rodents need a water source and will settle near one.
Often overlookedWhy autumn is the time to book rodent work
Rodents move indoors as the weather cools, so the work that prevents a winter problem needs doing in autumn, before they are already in the roof. Get the inspection and the proofing done from about March and you are sealing the building ahead of the move rather than reacting to it in July. A single pair that moves in during April has all winter to breed undisturbed.
For what you can do yourself, see how to prevent rats and mice in your Sydney home this winter, and the Sydney pest calendar for what turns up when.
How the 2026 bait rules shape a rodent job
On 24 March 2026 the APVMA suspended the registrations of five second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides for one year. It is a suspension of product registrations, not a ban and not a new law, and it comes with enforceable instructions that change how these baits may be placed and monitored. What that means in practice on a domestic job:
- No outdoor use of domestic products at all. Household products carry a plain "DO NOT use this product outdoors".
- Tamper-resistant stations. Domestic baits must not be used unless secured in a tamper-resistant bait station, fixed to the ground or a structure where possible.
- Not directly into burrows. A specific prohibition, and one most competitor summaries leave out.
- Carcass search every visit. Dead rodents, and slugs and snails, must be searched for and disposed of to prevent secondary poisoning of wildlife.
- 35-day evaluation. The product must not be used continuously beyond 35 days without an evaluation of the infestation and of how well the treatment is working.
If you have been told that monthly servicing is now a legal requirement, it is not. The actual rule is the 35-day evaluation above, and our rodent baiting rules for commercial property page sets out what the instrument does and does not say. For the household version, see rat bait rules for homeowners.
What a PestOz rodent job actually involves
Five steps, in this order. The proofing step is the one that decides whether you see us again.
Inspection
Roof void, sub-floor, interior and full exterior. We map the runs and find the entry points before anything is placed.
Identification
Rat or mouse, how many, how long they have been there, and what is feeding them.
Treatment
Tamper-resistant stations and trapping placed on the active runs, kept away from children and pets.
Proofing
Sealing and screening the gaps. Weep holes, vents, pipe penetrations, eaves and door seals.
Follow-up
Return visit to check activity, remove carcasses and adjust. Evaluation inside the 35-day window.
A local team that finds the hole, not just the rodent
Genuinely local
Based in Bondi and working across the Eastern Suburbs and Sydney. We know the building stock, because we have been in the roof voids.
Family owned, 20+ years
The same people every visit. Not a call centre and not a franchise territory.
Proofing included in the thinking
We will tell you what needs sealing whether or not we are the ones sealing it. Baiting without proofing is a repeat visit waiting to happen.
Safe placement around kids and pets
Tamper-resistant stations, correct placement, and carcass removal at every visit, which is what the current rules require.
Homes and businesses
From a single terrace to strata buildings, restaurants and warehouses, with the documentation commercial sites need.
Straight answers on the rules
We will tell you what the 2026 bait changes actually require, including where the industry is overstating it.
Rat and mouse removal across the Eastern Suburbs
Based in Bondi, servicing homes across the Eastern Suburbs and commercial sites across Sydney.
Rat and mouse control, answered
How much does rat and mouse control cost in Sydney?
A rodent treatment with PestOz costs $218.90 including GST ($199 plus GST), which covers baiting and trapping inside and outside the property. If the job needs lockable bait stations they are $65.95 each including GST ($59.95 plus GST), and how many depends on the size of the property and where the activity is. Termite and general pest work is priced separately.
How long does it take to get rid of rats or mice?
Most rodent activity in a home settles within two to three weeks of the first treatment, with a follow-up visit inside that period. Mice usually clear faster than rats because they breed in place and stay close to the bait, while rats are more cautious and can take longer to feed. The timeline depends far more on whether the entry points get sealed than on the bait itself, because an open gap simply lets the next rodent in.
Is rodent bait safe around children and pets?
Rodent bait is safe when it is secured in a tamper-resistant station and placed correctly, which is what the current APVMA instructions require. Domestic products must not be used outdoors at all, and must be secured in a tamper-resistant station fixed in place where possible. We place stations in roof voids, sub-floors and behind appliances where children and pets cannot reach them, and we search for and remove carcasses at every visit to prevent secondary poisoning of pets and wildlife.
Do I have to leave the house during rodent treatment?
No. Rodent treatment does not require you to leave the property. Unlike a general pest spray, rodent work is bait stations, traps and proofing rather than a broadcast application, so there is nothing to stay away from. Your technician will point out where every station has been placed so you know which areas to keep pets away from, and all stations are tamper-resistant.
Why do the rats keep coming back after baiting?
Rats come back after baiting because the entry point was never sealed. Bait removes the animals present on the day, but it does nothing about the gap in the eaves or the unscreened weep hole that let them in, so a new pair moves into the same warm roof void within weeks. Proofing the building is what ends a rodent problem. Baiting on its own manages the symptom.
Can rodents in the roof cause a fire?
Yes, and it is the most serious reason not to leave rodents in a roof void. Rats and mice gnaw constantly to keep their incisors worn down, and electrical cabling is a common target because it is the right diameter to chew. Stripped insulation on live cabling in a roof full of dust and nesting material is a genuine ignition risk, which is why roof void activity should be dealt with promptly rather than waiting to see if it settles.
Do you treat rodents in strata buildings and apartments?
Yes. Rodents in apartment buildings move between lots through wall cavities, ceiling voids, risers and service ducts, so treating one apartment on its own rarely holds. We work with owners corporations and strata managers on building-wide programs, and we already service strata portfolios for managers including Waratah, Netstrata and Jamesons. If you are a lot owner, we can treat your apartment and tell you what needs raising with the building manager.
What is the difference between rodent control and a general pest treatment?
A general pest treatment targets crawling insects such as cockroaches, spiders and ants with a surface application, and it does nothing for rodents. Rodent control is a separate job: inspection of roof and sub-floor, bait stations and trapping on the active runs, entry-point proofing and a follow-up visit. If you have both problems we will usually do them together on the one visit, but they are priced and performed separately.
Last reviewed 8 September 2026 by Dave Spero, licensed pest technician (licence no. 5074721) and founder of PestOz Pest Control. Rodenticide information checked against APVMA primary sources on 26 August 2026. The product suspension described above runs for one year from 24 March 2026 and this page will be reviewed before it lapses.
Sources
- APVMA Gazette No 5, 10 March 2026, Attachment 2, "Instructions for possession, custody, and use of suspended chemical products". apvma.gov.au
- APVMA, "FAQs: Anticoagulant rodenticides and actions by the APVMA". apvma.gov.au
- APVMA, "Anticoagulant rodenticides chemical review". apvma.gov.au
- University of California Statewide IPM Program. Pest Notes: Rats ("Rats of either species, especially young rats, can squeeze beneath a door with only a 1/2-inch gap"; "All holes larger than 1/4 inch should be sealed to exclude both rats and mice"). ipm.ucanr.edu
- University of California Statewide IPM Program. Pest Notes: House Mouse ("Mice can enter through openings as small as 1/4 inch"). ipm.ucanr.edu
- Victorian Department of Health. Rodents: pest control (mice "are able to squeeze into gaps as small as 8 mm"; droppings shapes by species). Updated 3 July 2025. health.vic.gov.au
Hearing something in the roof?
Book a rodent inspection and we will find where they are getting in, not just what they are eating.