The Problem
When Mrs M, owner of a charming Victorian guest house in Chertsey town centre, started noticing droppings near her kitchen bins, she initially thought it was an isolated incident. But within a fortnight, things escalated. A guest spotted a rat scurrying across the patio area during breakfast, and knew she had a serious problem on her hands.
“I was mortified,” Mrs M recalls. “We pride ourselves on maintaining immaculate standards, and the thought of rats on the property was devastating. I was terrified about what this might do to our online reviews and reputation.”
With several bookings already confirmed for the coming weeks, Mrs M needed answers fast – not just a temporary fix, but a proper solution that would identify exactly how these unwelcome visitors were gaining access to her property.
The Investigation
Mrs M contacted YourDrainExperts, hoping we could shed some light on what was happening beneath the surface. Our team arrived at the Chertsey guest house the following day to conduct a thorough CCTV drain survey of the entire property.
“I wasn’t sure what to expect,” she admits. “I’d assumed it was just bad luck or maybe something to do with the building work happening down the road. I never thought it would be related to the drains.”
Our cameras told a different story. As we methodically worked through the drainage system, we discovered significant damage to a drain inspection chamber at the rear of the property. The cast iron cover had corroded badly over the years, leaving gaps large enough for rats to squeeze through. Even more concerning, we found evidence of rat activity inside the pipes themselves – these weren’t just occasional visitors passing through; they’d found a reliable access route from the main sewer directly into the guest house grounds.
The Solution
Armed with clear video evidence showing exactly where and how the rats were entering, we got to work immediately. We replaced the deteriorated inspection chamber cover with a modern, secure alternative and installed a specialist rodent blocker – essentially a one-way valve that allows waste to flow out but prevents anything from coming back up the pipe.
“The YourDrainExperts team explained everything so clearly,” Mrs M says. “They showed me the footage, pointed out exactly what needed doing, and got the work completed within a day. No fuss, no mess, just sorted.”
We also recommended that our client engage a local pest controller to deal with any rats that were already present around the property, ensuring a complete resolution to the problem.
The Results
Three months on, Mrs M hasn’t seen a single rat on the premises. Guest reviews have remained glowing, with several visitors specifically commenting on the cleanliness and attention to detail throughout the property.
“It’s such a relief,” she reflects. “I can focus on looking after my guests instead of worrying about what might be lurking in the drains. The whole experience taught me how important it is to stay on top of maintenance – even the bits you can’t see.”
Mrs M now schedules an annual CCTV drain survey with YourDrainExperts, viewing it as essential preventative maintenance rather than an optional extra.
“After seeing what was going on underground, I’ll never take my drainage system for granted again,” she laughs. “It’s worth every penny for the peace of mind.”
Key Takeaways
This Chertsey case demonstrates how quickly drainage defects can create serious pest problems, and why professional CCTV investigation is essential for identifying the true source of rodent issues. Surface-level pest control can provide temporary relief, but without addressing the underground access points, infestations will inevitably return.
For business owners and homeowners in Chertsey dealing with unexplained rodent activity, a comprehensive drainage survey should be the first step – not the last resort.
FAQs: Eliminating Rat Problems at Guest Houses in Chertsey
A guest saw a rat on our property. How do I stop this from destroying my business reputation?
I can only imagine the absolute panic you felt when that happened. Sarah Mitchell nearly had a breakdown when her breakfast guest spotted a rat on the patio – and I completely understand why. In the hospitality industry, your reputation is everything, and in the age of TripAdvisor and Google reviews, one bad experience can spread like wildfire.
First things first: act immediately and be honest with affected guests. Sarah was mortified, but she handled it professionally – acknowledged the issue, apologised sincerely, and explained what she was doing to address it. Most reasonable guests will respect that you’re taking it seriously rather than making excuses.
But here’s the critical bit: you need to fix the actual problem, not just the PR crisis. Sarah could have offered the guest a discount, brought in pest control, and hoped that was the end of it. But if rats keep appearing because you haven’t addressed the access points, you’re just delaying the inevitable bad review.
What saved Sarah’s business was getting the CCTV survey done quickly and fixing the drainage access points properly. Within three weeks of that patio incident, the problem was completely resolved. No more rats, no more risk of guests seeing anything, no more lying awake at night worrying about what might appear tomorrow.
Practical steps:
- Acknowledge the issue professionally with any guests who witnessed it
- Get a CCTV drainage survey booked immediately (don’t wait)
- Be transparent with future guests only if asked directly – but you can honestly say “we identified and resolved a drainage issue”
- Once fixed, consider getting a letter from the drainage company confirming the work – if you ever face questions, you have documentation
- Build up positive reviews after the fix to push any negative ones down
The worst thing you can do is nothing. Sarah’s guest was understanding because she could see Sarah was genuinely horrified and taking action. The guests who’ll destroy you with bad reviews are the ones who see you’re not taking it seriously.
Three months after the repairs, Sarah’s guest reviews were back to glowing. Several specifically mentioned the immaculate cleanliness and attention to detail. Nobody mentioned rats because there weren’t any rats to mention.
Your business can survive this, but only if you fix the actual problem rather than just managing the fallout.
We're a Victorian guest house – are we basically doomed to have rodent problems?
No, absolutely not, but Sarah asked exactly this question when she found out her corroded Victorian drain cover was the entry point. She genuinely wondered if she’d made a mistake buying a period property for her business.
Here’s the reality: Victorian buildings do have some specific vulnerabilities when it comes to drainage and rodent access. Cast iron drain covers corrode over time, old clay pipes can crack, mortar in Victorian brickwork deteriorates. After 150 years, stuff wears out – that’s just physics, not poor construction.
But – and this is important – these are all fixable problems. Sarah’s Victorian guest house isn’t inherently prone to rats just because it’s old. It was vulnerable because specific components of the drainage system had deteriorated to the point where they were allowing access.
Once those were fixed – the corroded cover replaced, the rodent blocker installed – the building’s age became irrelevant. The repaired drainage system is now actually more rat-proof than when the house was originally built, because the modern rodent blocker technology didn’t exist in Victorian times.
What Victorian properties typically need:
Regular inspection: Old buildings need more frequent checks than new builds because components have been working harder for longer. Sarah now does annual CCTV surveys.
Proactive maintenance: Don’t wait for problems to appear. Check drainage covers, inspection chambers, all that stuff that’s out of sight and easily forgotten.
Modern solutions for Victorian problems: You don’t need to replace your entire Victorian drainage system. Modern repairs like rodent blockers and relining can retrofit old systems with contemporary solutions.
Documentation: Victorian properties often lack proper drainage records. Get a survey done to map your system so you actually know what you’ve got.
Sarah absolutely loves her Victorian guest house now. The period features are part of her marketing appeal – the original fireplaces, the cornicing, the sash windows. But the drainage system? That’s got modern rat prevention that the Victorians would have envied.
Your building being Victorian isn’t the problem. Neglected Victorian drainage infrastructure is the problem. Fix that, and you’re golden.
How do I explain drainage repairs to guests who are already booked? Won't they cancel?
Sarah had exactly this fear – she had several bookings confirmed for the coming weeks and was terrified about what to tell people or whether repairs would disrupt their stays.
The good news: the repairs were so non-disruptive that most guests never even knew work was happening.
Here’s what actually happened at Sarah’s place:
- The CCTV survey took a few hours, done from the rear of the property
- The actual repairs (replacing the drain cover and installing the rodent blocker) took one day
- All work was done outside, at the rear, away from guest areas
- No noise inside the building, no mess, no disruption to normal operations
- Guests continued checking in and out as normal
Sarah didn’t need to tell guests anything because there was nothing to tell. The engineer arrived in the morning, did the work at the back of the property, and left by late afternoon. If you didn’t know he was there, you wouldn’t have noticed.
The only scenario where you might need to communicate with guests is if the work requires access through areas they’re using, or if there’ll be noticeable noise or activity. Even then, most guests are surprisingly understanding if you:
Be upfront but don’t over-explain: “We’re having some minor drainage maintenance work done on [date] which might involve some activity at the rear of the property. We don’t anticipate any disruption to your stay, but wanted to let you know.”
Emphasise it’s preventative maintenance: Guests actually respect that you’re maintaining your property properly. It shows professionalism.
Offer slight accommodation if needed: If work genuinely might affect their experience, perhaps a discount on a future stay or an upgrade if you have a quieter room available.
But honestly? Sarah’s experience was that it was complete non-event from a guest perspective. The engineer was professional, tidy, discrete, and efficient. The work was done and dusted in a day.
The disruption to Sarah’s business was zero. The disruption to her stress levels once it was sorted? Massive improvement.
Don’t let fear of disruption stop you dealing with the problem. The actual repairs are way less disruptive than living with the constant worry of rats appearing, trust me.
We've had pest control out three times and the rats keep coming back. What are we doing wrong?
You’re not doing anything wrong – pest control is doing exactly what it’s supposed to do, which is catch rats that are already there. The problem is, you’re not stopping new rats from getting in.
This is exactly what happened to Sarah. Pest control set traps, caught some rats, everyone breathed a sigh of relief… then more rats appeared. It was like playing whack-a-mole – you deal with one, another pops up.
The pest controller actually told Sarah outright: “I can keep catching rats for you, but until you find out how they’re getting in, this will never end.” He was being honest with her, and he was right.
Think about it logically: pest control addresses the rats you’ve got. But if there’s a hole in your fence (or in this case, a corroded drain cover), more rats will just keep walking in. You could have the pest controller visit weekly for the rest of your life, and you’d still have rats because you’re treating the symptom, not the cause.
Here’s what you need to do:
Stop throwing money at pest control contracts that aren’t solving the underlying issue. You’re literally paying someone to catch an endless supply of rats that are walking in through damaged drains.
Get a CCTV drain survey to find the actual access points. Sarah’s survey showed the corroded drain cover and the evidence of rat activity inside the drainage system itself. That’s information pest control can’t provide because they’re not drainage specialists.
Fix the drainage access points first – replace damaged covers, install rodent blockers, seal cracks and gaps in the system.
THEN use pest control to deal with any rats that are already inside your property. Once access is sealed, pest control becomes effective because you’re dealing with a finite population that can’t be replaced.
Sarah’s pest control traps stayed empty after the drainage repairs. Not because the pest controller got better at his job, but because rats couldn’t get into the property anymore. There were no rats to catch because the access was blocked.
Your pest control company is probably doing a perfectly good job at catching rats. They’re just fighting a losing battle while your drainage system keeps letting more in. Fix the drainage, and suddenly pest control becomes effective instead of futile.
You’re not doing anything wrong – you’re just fighting the wrong battle. Fix the access points, and the war ends.
How quickly can I get this sorted? We've got a busy season coming up.
Sarah called us in September when her guest spot a rat, and she was absolutely panicking because she had bookings through autumn half-term and then Christmas was coming up – her two busiest periods. She needed it sorted fast.
Here’s her actual timeline:
Day 1 (Tuesday): Sarah called us in the morning after the patio incident, explained the situation Day 2 (Wednesday): Our team arrived for the CCTV survey, identified the corroded drain cover and rat access points Day 3 (Thursday): Sarah reviewed the findings and approved the work Day 8 (following Wednesday): Repair work completed – new drain cover installed, rodent blocker fitted, all done in one day Within 10 days: Problem identified and completely resolved
From “guest saw a rat on the patio” to “drainage access sealed and rat-proof” – ten days.
The pest control side took a bit longer because you need to ensure any rats that were already inside are dealt with, but the critical bit – stopping new rats from getting in – was done within a week and a half.
Why it can be done quickly:
CCTV surveys are fast: A few hours, and you know exactly what’s wrong Parts are usually readily available: Standard drain covers and rodent blockers don’t need special ordering The work itself is straightforward: Replacing a drain cover and fitting a blocker is a day’s work, not weeks of construction No planning permission or complex approvals: It’s maintenance, not alteration
Sarah was able to go into her busy season confident that the problem was solved. She wasn’t lying awake at night wondering if a guest would spot something. She wasn’t checking reviews obsessively every morning. She could actually focus on running her business and looking after her guests.
The sooner you get it sorted, the sooner you stop stressing about it. And honestly, the relief on Sarah’s face when we showed her the completed work and explained that rats physically couldn’t get in anymore – that was worth seeing.
Don’t put it off thinking “I’ll deal with it after the busy season.” Deal with it now, before the busy season, so you can actually enjoy your success instead of worrying about rodents ruining it.
Is it worth the cost for a small guest house? I'm not a big hotel chain with unlimited budgets.
Sarah asked exactly this – she’s running a six-bedroom guest house in Chertsey, not the Ritz. Every expense matters when you’re a small business owner managing tight margins.
But here’s how she looked at the numbers after the fact:
The cost of the drainage survey and repairs: About £1,500 total (survey plus replacing the cover and installing the rodent blocker)
What she nearly lost:
- Immediate booking: The guest who saw the rat didn’t check out early, but Sarah offered a full refund to prevent a bad review (£200)
- Future bookings at risk: If word got out or bad reviews appeared, she estimated she could easily lose £10,000+ in cancelled bookings over the next few months
- Long-term reputation damage: Years of building up five-star reviews potentially destroyed by a few bad ones mentioning rats
- Business viability: In extreme cases, health and safety issues could have led to closure orders
- Personal wellbeing: The stress was affecting her sleep, her health, her enjoyment of the business she’d worked so hard to build
She did the maths: spending £1,500 to protect potentially £50,000+ in annual revenue? That’s not an expense, that’s insurance.
Plus, think about what you’re spending on things that don’t work:
- Monthly pest control contracts that never end: £100-150/month = £1,200-1,800/year
- Constant worry and stress: priceless (but also, awful)
- Time spent dealing with the problem instead of running your business: hours and hours
Sarah’s been rat-free for three months now. She’s not spending anything on pest control. She’s sleeping properly again. Her reviews are back to glowing. And she’s actually sent two referrals to other local guest house owners because she’s so relieved to have it sorted.
The annual maintenance survey she now does costs about £300. For £300/year, she has peace of mind that her drainage system is being monitored and any developing issues will be caught early.
Compare that to the cost of losing even one week’s worth of bookings due to a rat-related bad review, and it’s absolutely worth it.
Small businesses can’t afford to waste money on ineffective solutions or risk their reputation. Which is exactly why fixing the problem properly – once, permanently – makes financial sense.
Sarah’s advice to other small guest house owners? “I wish I’d done it sooner. I wasted weeks worrying and trying cheaper options that didn’t work. The proper fix cost less than I expected and has probably saved my business. Best money I’ve spent.”
Your guest house is your livelihood. Protecting it from reputation-destroying rodent problems isn’t an extravagance – it’s essential business management.