Pest control left a dead animal in my loft: who helps?

Summary

A pest control company must do the job with reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. If it said the loft was clear but a dead animal was left behind, causing smell and maggots, you can ask the firm to put it right free of charge or give you money back, plus reasonable costs the mistake caused (cleaning, a second firm). Complain to the firm in writing first, then use Citizens Advice templates, the firm's trade association if it is a member, and small claims as a last step.

Key information

• Poor service: if the work was not done with reasonable care, your first remedies are repeat performance (they come back and fix it properly) or a price reduction, which can be a full refund.
• Extra costs: cleaning, odour treatment, ceiling repairs or a second contractor can be claimed as losses caused by the poor work. Keep every receipt.
• Keep a dated timeline: each visit, what the technician said (including blaming pets), when the smell and maggots started.
• Photograph or video the loft and the carcass before it is removed. Ask any second firm for a short written note of what they found and where.
• Health first: remove the source quickly. Your local council environmental health team can advise on infestations and hygiene.
• The pest control firm can: return to remove the carcass and treat the area if you ask in writing; consider a refund or contribution to costs once you set out the evidence. They will not usually admit fault on the phone. Put it in writing.
• A trade association can: if the firm is a member of the British Pest Control Association, take a complaint about how a member did the job. They will not help if the firm is not a member. Do not expect them to order compensation: that is for the firm or a court.
• Citizens Advice can: explain your rights for poor service, and point you to the letter to complain about the poor standard of a service; pass your report to Trading Standards if the firm shows a pattern. They will not contact the firm or start a claim for you.

Practical guidance

• Photograph the loft, the carcass, maggots and any staining. Keep invoices.
• Write to the pest control firm: the job was not done with reasonable care, ask them to remove and clean free, and to refund or contribute to costs. Give 7 days given the health risk.
• If they refuse or do not come, use another firm and keep their invoice and note.
• Send the CA poor service letter with a final deadline (14 days) for a refund and costs.
• Check whether the firm is a trade association member and complain there too.
• Stuck? Call the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.
• Last resort: a money claim online.
• Ask the Shaman to order the steps for your case.

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