Question 1

What does a pest control inspection include?

Accepted Answer

A technician covers the outside and the inside. Outside, that means the foundation and perimeter, siding and trim gaps, utility and pipe penetrations, door sweeps and window seals, the roofline where it can be seen safely, and conducive conditions like mulch against the siding, wood piles, or standing water. Inside, it means the kitchen, baths, and utility areas where activity shows first, plus the crawl space and the attic where they are accessible. We are looking for three things: what is present, how it is getting in, and what conditions are supporting it.

Question 2

Is the inspection really free?

Accepted Answer

Yes for a general pest inspection of your own home — free, no obligation, and no requirement to buy a plan afterward. The exception is a real estate transaction. A wood-destroying insect report for a closing is a different, formal inspection that produces an official document for the lender or buyer, and that one is a paid service with its own scheduling.

Question 3

How long does an inspection take?

Accepted Answer

Usually somewhere between thirty minutes and an hour. What moves it is the size of the home and how accessible the crawl space and attic are — a tight crawl space with a blocked hatch takes longer than a walk-through one. If we find something significant, expect the technician to spend extra time documenting it properly rather than rushing to a number.

Question 4

How should I prepare, and do I need to be home?

Accepted Answer

Being home helps, because most of what we learn comes from what you have noticed: where you see them, what time of day, when it started. Beyond that, clear access to the crawl space hatch and attic opening, move stored items away from the areas you want checked, empty the cabinet under the kitchen sink if that is where activity has been, and secure pets so the crew can move around safely.

Question 5

What do I get at the end of it?

Accepted Answer

The findings explained in plain language, photos of anything we found so you can see it for yourself rather than take our word for it, and a written recommendation with pricing if treatment makes sense. Nothing is charged, and you are free to take the report and think about it. If there is no pest problem to treat, we would rather tell you that and keep the relationship than sell you a plan you do not need.

Question 6

What is the difference between a pest inspection and a termite inspection?

Accepted Answer

Scope and paperwork. A general pest inspection covers the whole picture: ants, roaches, rodents, spiders, stinging insects, and the moisture and entry points behind them. A termite or wood-destroying insect inspection is focused specifically on termites and other wood-destroying organisms, examines the structural wood and crawl space in far more detail, and in a real estate transaction produces an official report for the lender. Many homes benefit from both, and our technicians will flag termite evidence during a general inspection even though it is not the primary focus.

Question 7

How often should a home be inspected?

Accepted Answer

Once a year is a reasonable baseline for a Hampton Roads home, and sooner if you are seeing activity, have had work done that opened up the structure, or have just bought the place. Ongoing service plans include inspections as part of the regular visit, so most customers on a plan are covered without scheduling anything separately.

Question 8

What happens if you find a problem?

Accepted Answer

You get options rather than a single number. We will explain what we found, what is urgent versus what can wait, and what the difference in outcome is between the choices. Ongoing quarterly protection plans start at $34 per month, one-time treatments are available for a specific problem, and for larger projects like exclusion or crawl space work, SmartPay financing offers $0 down and 0% APR for qualified homeowners. Whether you book anything is genuinely up to you.

Question 9

Can you tell me where the ants are actually getting in?

Accepted Answer

That is most of what the ant portion of an inspection is for. We follow trails back from where you are seeing them to the point of entry, which in Hampton Roads is usually a foundation crack, a utility or hose-bib penetration, a gap behind siding, or a tree limb or shrub touching the house and acting as a bridge. We also look for what is drawing them — moisture at a slab edge, mulch piled against the foundation, pet food, or a leaking line under a cabinet. Treating without knowing the entry point tends to knock the visible trail down without addressing why they came in, which is where repeat visits come from.

Question 10

Do you check the attic for rats and mice?

Accepted Answer

Yes, where the attic is safely accessible. We look for droppings, rub marks along joists and wiring, chewed insulation, nesting material, and the gaps that let them in — roofline and soffit junctions, gable vents, and the spot where utility lines enter. Rodents rarely stay in one place, so we check the crawl space and the exterior on the same visit rather than assuming the attic is the whole story.

Question 11

Will the inspection catch termites too?

Accepted Answer

The technician looks for termite evidence during a general inspection — mud tubes on foundation walls and piers, damaged or hollow-sounding wood, discarded swarmer wings around windows in spring — and will tell you if anything turns up. What a general pest inspection is not is the detailed wood-destroying-insect inspection, which examines structural wood and the crawl space in far more depth and, in a real estate transaction, produces a formal report. If we see evidence, we will recommend that as the next step rather than treating from a guess.

Question 12

Does the inspection include the crawl space?

Accepted Answer

It includes the crawl space wherever the hatch is accessible and it is safe to enter, because in this region that is where the answer usually is — standing water, a torn vapor barrier, wet or fallen insulation, rodent runs, and the moisture conditions behind most recurring pest problems. What we do there during a general pest inspection is an assessment, not the full moisture and structural survey our dedicated crawl space inspection performs. If what we find warrants that, we will say so and quote it separately.

Question 13

Do you seal the entry points you find, or just report them?

Accepted Answer

Both are available, but they are separate. The inspection itself identifies and documents the openings — gaps at the foundation, unsealed penetrations, failed door sweeps, damaged crawl space vents and screening, roofline and soffit gaps. Physically closing them is exclusion work, quoted on its own because the labor and materials vary enormously between a handful of pipe collars and a full crawl space seal-out. Plenty of homeowners take the report and handle the simple gaps themselves, which is fine by us.

What to compare	Universal Pest Control	Most pest control companies
UniGuard ProgramExclusive	Universal Pest Control Termite protection and full pest control combined in one membership for one low monthly payment — from $59/month, with the termite warranty and quarterly pest service included together.	Most pest control companies Termite protection and pest control are usually sold as two separate agreements, with two renewals and two bills to keep track of.
SmartPay financingExclusive	Universal Pest Control $0-down payment options on termite treatments, baiting systems, and repairs, so the work can start before payday. Simple, predictable monthly payments.	Most pest control companies Financing, where it is offered, is commonly arranged separately through a third-party lender.
Pest Guard Attic Insulation™Exclusive	Universal Pest Control Hampton Roads' only licensed Pest Guard Insulation™ installer, through our sister company Universal Insulation Doctor — insulation manufactured with an EPA-registered pest preventative, so the replacement itself resists the insects that ruined the original.	Most pest control companies Attic insulation is typically referred out, and standard fiberglass has no pest deterrent built into the material.
Total Home Health Network	Universal Pest Control Pest and termite control, attic insulation, and duct cleaning coordinated under one roof through the Universal family of companies — one point of contact for the whole job, done in the right order.	Most pest control companies Pest control only. Insulation and duct work are usually booked with separate vendors on separate timelines.
A+ BBB rating	Universal Pest Control BBB accredited since 2007 with an A+ rating, earned through consistent, honest work in the same community.	Most pest control companies Accreditation and ratings vary by company — worth checking before you book anyone.
26+ years in business	Universal Pest Control Protecting Hampton Roads homes since 2000 — more than 26 years in the same market, with over 100,000+ homes serviced.	Most pest control companies Tenure in the area varies widely; newer branches and recently opened franchises are common.
Family owned & operated	Universal Pest Control Owned and run by a family that has lived in Hampton Roads their whole lives. The people who answer the phone and the crews at your door are your neighbors.	Most pest control companies Ownership varies — many local branches are franchises of national brands, with crews dispatched from outside the area.
Guarantees in writing	Universal Pest Control Pest-Free Guarantee and Termite-Free Guarantee: if pests come back between scheduled visits, so do we, at no extra charge. Free inspections, plus same-day and next-day service.	Most pest control companies Retreatment terms, callback windows, and what counts as covered differ from contract to contract.

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