A rat in the cellar, a mouse in the kitchen cabinet, scratching in the wall at 2 a.m. Pest Control TC is a family-run pest control company that clears rodents out of apartments, older homes, restaurants and office buildings across the areas we serve.
We do not drop bait and walk away. Our licensed applicators inspect the property, identify the species, seal the entry points, treat, and come back to confirm the problem is gone. That integrated pest management approach is what keeps rodents out for the long haul instead of buying you a few quiet weeks.
Same-day and emergency appointments are available during business hours, estimates are free, and we document every job for co-op boards, managing agents and health department inspections. Send us a message and we will get a technician scheduled fast.
Pests We Treat and Eliminate
Why Rats and Mice Thrive in Your Area
Dense neighborhoods hand rodents almost everything they need: aging foundations, a connected sewer network, busy restaurant corridors, and trash on the curb. The house mouse is the most common rodent found inside apartments, including high-rises, and rats settle in wherever food and shelter sit close together.
Sealed, lidded trash containers and tighter waste rules help, because they cut off the easy food supply that draws rodents in. Even so, rodents stay part of daily life in built-up areas, especially around older buildings and shared yards where colonies move between properties.
Pressure spikes in the fall as temperatures drop and rodents move indoors for warmth, and again whenever nearby construction or demolition pushes a colony into the building next door. Sealing entry points before fall is the cheapest insurance you can buy.
Signs You Have a Rat or Mouse Infestation
Most people reach out after spotting one or two of these. The earlier you catch the activity, the smaller and cheaper the job.
Droppings, Gnaw Marks and Grease Rub Marks
- Rat droppings run about three quarters of an inch and are capsule-shaped; mouse droppings are rice-grain size and scattered around.
- Fresh gnaw marks on baseboards, door corners, food packaging and electrical wiring.
- Dark, greasy rub marks along walls where rodents run the same route night after night.
Sounds, Smells and Other Clues
- Scratching or scurrying inside walls and ceilings, usually after dark.
- A musky, ammonia-like odor, or the sweet, rotting smell of a rodent that died in a wall.
- Shredded paper or insulation nests, burrow holes in yards and tree pits, and pets fixating on one wall or appliance.
Spotted a Rat or Mouse? Do This First
A few simple moves before the technician arrives will make treatment faster and keep your household safe.
- Skip the supermarket bait and glue traps. They make professional treatment harder, can poison pets, and rarely reach the nest.
- Seal food in hard containers and wipe up crumbs and grease so the rodent loses its food source.
- Note where and when you saw it, plus any holes, droppings or gnaw marks. A couple of phone photos help us a lot.
- Request an inspection. The faster we map the activity, the faster it is over.
Rats vs. Mice: How to Tell Them Apart
Rats and mice need different traps, different sealing materials and different placement, so the first step on every job is figuring out exactly what you have. In most areas that usually means the brown Norway rat at street and cellar level and the house mouse indoors.
- Norway rat: 7 to 10 inches long, burrows at ground, cellar and garden level, and can push through a gap of about half an inch.
- Roof rat: less common in many areas, but where it does turn up it is a strong climber that nests in attics, upper floors and drop ceilings.
- House mouse: rice-size droppings, nests inside walls, cabinets and appliances, and slips through a gap as small as a quarter inch.
The High-Rise Mouse Most Companies Forget
Mice infest tall apartment buildings without ever touching the street. They climb riser pipes, wall voids and utility chases from floor to floor, which is how a tenant on the 14th floor ends up with a mouse in the kitchen. The sealing and trap setup for that job look nothing like a ground-floor rat call, and treating one apartment on its own almost never holds, because the neighbors share the same voids.
Health and Property Risks of Rodents
Rodents are more than a nuisance. Rats and mice can spread leptospirosis, salmonella and other illnesses, and they foul food and surfaces with urine and droppings. Their dander and droppings are a known asthma trigger, which is one reason housing rules in many places list mice and rats among the indoor allergen hazards owners have to address.
They wreck property too. Rodents have to gnaw constantly to keep their teeth down, and chewed electrical wiring is a real fire risk in older buildings. After a heavy infestation we can line up disinfecting services so contaminated areas get cleaned properly instead of just wiped over.
Rodent Exclusion, Proofing and Prevention
Bait on its own does not solve a rodent problem. Kill the rats inside and more move in through the same holes within weeks. Exclusion, which means physically sealing every way in, is the part that makes the fix stick.
We close gaps with materials rodents cannot chew through: steel wool, copper mesh, sheet metal, hardware cloth, door sweeps and brushes, escutcheon plates around pipes, plus caulk and cement. The usual entry points are foundation cracks, gaps around pipe and utility penetrations, worn door sweeps, vents, roof lines, sewer access and the riser chases that run between floors.
- Tenants: keep food in sealed containers, take trash out at night, clear cardboard and clutter, and report any holes or droppings to building management right away.
- Owners and managers: use containerized trash, keep compactor rooms sealed and clean, clear yards and tree pits, cover drains and grates, and stick to a routine service schedule.
Rodent Control by Building Type
The right fix depends on the building you live in or manage. Here is how we handle the four we see most.
Older Homes and Townhouses
Connected rear yards act as rodent highways, and rats push in at the cellar and garden level through old foundations and shared walls. We treat burrows directly, seal ground-level entry, and get the best results when neighboring buildings treat at the same time, since the colony belongs to the whole block. For single-home plans, see our residential pest control.
Apartment Buildings, Co-ops and Condos
For a whole building we inspect the cellar, compactor room, risers, common areas and shared yards, run a route of exterior bait stations, seal shared entry points, and treat individual units as needed. Because mice travel the risers between floors, spot-treating one apartment rarely holds. We hand over written documentation for the board, managing agent or to clear a housing code violation, and can pair the work with compactor and chute cleaning.
Restaurants and Food Service
We run discreet, documented commercial programs with a service logbook, dated records for interior and exterior stations, and exclusion of entry points and harborage. Visits can be scheduled after hours, and our reporting supports your health inspection grade and trims the pest points an inspector can write up.
Offices, Retail and Warehouses
Loading docks, stockrooms, drop ceilings and break rooms are the usual trouble spots, and pallets parked against a wall hand rodents instant harborage. We set up scheduled service routes with reporting so activity gets caught and shut down before it reaches your merchandise or shows up on an inspection.
Rodent Responsibilities and Local Rules
Rodent control comes with legal duties and waste rules in most communities. Knowing them protects tenants and keeps owners out of trouble.
Landlord vs. Tenant Responsibility
In multi-unit rentals the building owner usually carries the responsibility. Housing codes in most areas require owners to keep the premises free of rodents and to apply continuous control, and many local rules require regular inspection and remediation of pest and allergen hazards. A tenant who cannot get a fix can report the conditions to local housing and health authorities for inspection. Treatments in multi-unit and commercial buildings have to be applied by a certified pesticide applicator, which all of ours are.
How Trash Rules and Composting Help
Many communities now require sealed, lidded trash containers, later set-out times for waste, and curbside composting of food scraps, and these rules help because they cut off the easy food supply that draws rodents in. Keeping trash in sealed, lidded containers and sealing entry points cuts off food and access. Still, rats already nesting in the walls or the yard need exclusion and treatment before they leave, so waste rules work best paired with hands-on control.
Why DIY and Store-Bought Bait Fail
We hear every week from people who ran supermarket bait for a month first. It rarely works. Rats can build resistance to the anticoagulant poisons sold over the counter, so the bait can end up feeding them instead of killing them. The poisons that do work move up the food chain and can harm the hawks, owls and other wildlife that eat poisoned rodents, which is why limits on second-generation rodenticides keep gaining ground. Glue traps are inhumane and increasingly restricted.
The bigger problem is that bait alone never seals the building, so the rodents come right back. Professional IPM pairs targeted, contained treatment with exclusion, and exclusion is the part that actually ends the cycle.
What Rat and Mouse Control Costs
Every property is different, so the only firm number is a free estimate after we see the site. As general guidance, an inspection usually runs about $100 to $200, a one-time baiting about $200 to $500, full exclusion that pairs baiting with sealing entry points about $400 to $900, and ongoing monthly monitoring about $100 to $200 a month.
Building-wide programs, garden burrows and restaurants get quoted after a visit, because size, access and health department requirements vary so much. Price tracks the size of the infestation, how many entry points need sealing, the building type, and whether you want a one-time treatment or a recurring program. The estimate is free, and the work is backed by follow-up monitoring and a warranty.
Our Step-by-Step Approach
- 1
Inspect and Identify
We pin down the species, entry points, harborage and food sources inside and out, then map runways and burrows before anything gets treated. No guessing, no blanket spraying.
- 2
Bait and Trap
Tamper-resistant, locked bait stations outside and snap traps in occupied or sensitive areas inside, placed where kids and pets cannot reach them. Expect the population to drop over two to four weeks.
- 3
Burrow Treatment
For burrows in yards, tree pits and garden beds we use dry ice (carbon dioxide) or a carbon monoxide treatment that fills the tunnel and leaves no residue, so it will not poison pets, hawks, owls or other wildlife.
- 4
Exclusion and Sealing
We close every entry point with steel wool, copper mesh, sheet metal, door sweeps, escutcheon plates, caulk and cement. This is the step that keeps rodents from coming back.
- 5
Dead-Rodent Removal and Odor Control
If a rodent died in a wall, ceiling or vent, we locate the carcass, remove it where access allows, then clean and deodorize and seal the gap that let it in.
- 6
Monitor and Follow-Up
We come back to check and restock stations and confirm there is no new activity over four to six weeks. High-pressure properties do best on an ongoing monthly program, backed by our warranty.
Frequently Asked Questions
Costs vary by property, so we give free estimates. As a rough guide, an inspection runs about $100 to $200, one-time baiting $200 to $500, full exclusion with sealing $400 to $900, and monthly monitoring $100 to $200. Building-wide and restaurant jobs are quoted after a site visit.
Baiting usually knocks a population down over two to four weeks. Sealing and exclusion can often be done in one visit, followed by four to six weeks of monitoring to confirm there is no new activity. A stray mouse or two clears faster; an established building colony takes longer.
Often, yes. During business hours we offer same-day and next-day appointments across the areas we serve, and we treat active infestations, restaurant inspections and dead-rodent odors as a priority. We confirm your time window when you book.
In multi-unit rentals the building owner is responsible. Housing codes in most areas require owners to keep the building rodent-free and apply continuous control, and many local rules require regular inspection and remediation of pest and allergen hazards. A tenant who cannot get a fix can report the conditions to local housing and health authorities for an inspection.
Rat droppings are about three quarters of an inch and capsule-shaped; mouse droppings are rice-grain size. A mouse fits through a quarter-inch gap, a rat needs about half an inch. Norway rats burrow at ground and cellar level, while house mice nest in walls, cabinets and appliances and reach high-rise apartments by traveling riser pipes. The sealing materials and trap setup differ for each.
Yes. Any rodenticide goes inside tamper-resistant, locked bait stations placed where children and pets cannot reach it. In occupied homes we lean on exclusion and snap-trapping first, and for outdoor burrows we can use dry ice (carbon dioxide) or a carbon monoxide treatment that leaves no toxic residue.
Yes. A sweet, rotting smell that comes and goes usually means a rodent died inside a wall, ceiling or vent. We locate the carcass, often near runways or warm pipe chases, remove it where access allows, then clean and deodorize, seal the entry point, and can coordinate disinfection of the contaminated spot.
Yes. We coordinate a whole-building program: full inspection of the cellar, compactor room, risers and shared yards, a route of exterior bait stations, exclusion of common entry points, unit-by-unit treatment where needed, and written documentation for the board, managing agent or to clear a housing code violation.
They help. Sealed, lidded containers take away a major food source, and tighter waste rules plus curbside composting cut off the scraps rodents feed on. Keeping trash in sealed, lidded containers and sealing entry points cuts off food and access. Bins make a real dent, but rats already nesting inside or in the yard still need exclusion and treatment before they leave.