Rats in Amsterdam and Flevoland
Rats are not a sign that you keep a dirty house. In a country this wet, with this much water and this much old sewer, they are close to everyone. What matters is finding why they are at your property, because traps alone just move the problem two streets along.
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Three things a rat needs
Water, food and a way in. In the Netherlands the first one is a given, so we spend our time on the other two.
Food. Nine times out of ten there is something: a compost heap, a chicken run, a bird feeding spot, pet food in a shed, or a communal bin that does not close. Remove that and most of the problem goes with it.
A way in. Outside, it is a gap in the foundation or a hole under a shed. Inside, it is very often the sewer. Older Dutch housing has drain connections of the same age as the house, and a cracked stack pipe gives a rat a direct route into the crawl space. If that is the cause, we will say so, even though it means a camera inspection has to happen before anything else works.
Prices
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Rats, inspection and treatment | from € 125 per visit |
| Inspection and advice on site | € 85, waived if we start work at a fixed treatment rate |
| Proofing and prevention | Quote or time and materials |
All prices include VAT and there is no separate call-out fee. Full list on our prices page.
Flats, blocks and shared bins
If you live in an apartment building, this is almost never a one-address problem. Underground waste containers that do not close, or bags left beside them, feed an entire population. Treating one flat while the block carries on as before does not work.
We would rather deal with the VvE, the Dutch owners association, or the property manager, and look at the whole building. If you are a tenant, ask your landlord or the VvE to contact us. We can invoice them directly.
What you can do today
- Stop feeding birds until the problem is dealt with. It is the most common cause we find.
- Keep the compost heap closed, or pause it.
- Do not leave pet food or birdseed in an open shed.
- Check where your rubbish bags stand overnight.
Please do not put down poison yourself. Consumer rodenticide is heavily restricted in the Netherlands for good reason. It poisons owls, cats and hedgehogs through secondary poisoning, it drives resistance, and a rat that dies inside a wall cavity creates a smell you will not forget. We work poison-free where we can, under the IPM-K standard.
Questions
How do I know it is rats and not mice?
Size of the droppings, mainly. Rat droppings are roughly the size of an olive stone; mouse droppings are the size of a grain of rice. Rats also leave larger gnaw marks and greasy smear marks along walls. Send a photo on WhatsApp if you are not sure.
Do I have to report rats to the municipality?
Not as a private household. Municipalities do handle rats in public space, so if the source is a park, a canal bank or a public bin, report it to your gemeente as well as calling us.
How long does it take?
An inspection is one visit. Actually solving it depends on the cause. A food source you can remove today. A broken drain takes longer, because it needs repairing before anything else holds.
Do you work for businesses?
Yes, and for food businesses we work with a baseline inspection, proofing, monitoring and a digital logbook you can show during an inspection or audit. Request a quote.
Who you are dealing with
Afdeling Dierplagen is a certified Dutch pest control company, based in Biddinghuizen and working across Greater Amsterdam and Flevoland. We have been doing this since 2005. Our technician Wouter is both a certified pest controller and a beekeeper, which is exactly why we work without poison wherever we can.
Rated 9.5 out of 98 reviews on Google and Trustoo, and awarded the Trustoo Top Score in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
Deze pagina is er ook in het Nederlands: Rattenbestrijding Amsterdam en Flevoland.