How to hire a pest control company in Ontario

To hire a pest control company in Ontario, make sure the business holds an operator licence and the person treating your home holds an exterminator licence from the province. Ask which product they will use, where, and what you need to do before and after. Get two or three written quotes for the same treatment, and put the price, the number of visits and any guarantee in writing. For raccoons, squirrels and other wildlife, the rules are different: most wildlife agents don't need a licence, so check their insurance and references.

Know the pest first

Before you call anyone, write down what you see: droppings, chewed wiring, bites, wings near a window, noises in the attic at dawn. A photo helps. Mice, bed bugs, cockroaches and ants are handled by an exterminator. Raccoons, squirrels, skunks and bats are wildlife, and the rules for removing them are different (see Raccoons, squirrels and other wildlife, below).

Shortlist and read the reviews

Start with companies that list your pest, work in your town, and can come when you need them.

When you read reviews:

• Look for recent reviews that name the pest, how many visits it took and whether it came back. "Great service" tells you little.
• Read the low ratings. If the business answered a complaint fairly, that's a good sign. Watch for the same problem coming up again and again: pests back within weeks, a guarantee that wasn't honoured, pressure to sign a yearly plan.
• Check the count and the dates. A handful of recent reviews says more than many from years ago.
• On Zulma Atlas, each business's page shows the services they publish and the towns they serve, and has reviews from homeowners.

Check the licence

In Ontario, anyone who performs extermination with pesticides for pay needs an exterminator licence from the province, and a business that offers it needs an operator licence. An exterminator licence is valid for five years. Ask for both numbers, and ask which class the exterminator holds: there are separate licences for structural pests, for lawns and gardens, and others.

There is no public online search for these licences. To confirm one, call the province's Client Services and Permissions Branch at 416-314-8001 or 1-800-461-6290.

You can treat your own home with products sold for home use. If you pay someone else to apply a pesticide, they must be licensed.

iSources: Government of Ontario, "Guide to pesticide licensing" (updated 1 February 2024) and "Pesticide licences and permits".

Ask the right questions

• What's your operator licence number, and who will do the treatment?
• What product will you use, and where in the house?
• Do we need to leave, and for how long? When can children and pets come back?
• What do I need to do before you come (empty cupboards, wash bedding, move furniture)?
• How many visits does the price include?
• What's your guarantee, and what happens if the pest comes back?
• Will you show me how they're getting in, and can you seal it?

A note on lawns and gardens: Ontario bans many pesticides for cosmetic use on lawns, gardens, patios and driveways. They are still allowed to protect health or safety: indoor pests, rodents, pests that can damage your home, wasps, mosquitoes, and fleas or ticks on pets.

iSource: Government of Ontario, "Pesticides (home lawns and gardens)".

Raccoons, squirrels and other wildlife

Most wildlife control agents don't need a licence in Ontario. They need one only if they use body-gripping traps, firearms or pesticides. So you have to do the checking yourself:

• Get estimates from several agents.
• Ask for references, and call them.
• Ask for proof of liability insurance.
• Ask how they will remove the animal, and whether they will seal the entry point so it can't come back.

An animal caught alive must be released within 1 kilometre of where it was caught, within 24 hours, and on someone else's land only with the owner's permission. An agent who offers to drive a raccoon far out of town is offering to break that rule, and the animal or its young often die. In spring, ask how they will make sure no babies are left behind.

Some cities don't remove wildlife from private property, so check yours before you assume the city will come.

iSources: Government of Ontario, "Hire a wildlife control agent" (updated 2 March 2026) and "Harass, capture or kill a wild animal damaging private property".

Compare quotes on the same treatment

• Ask each company to quote the same work, in writing: the pest, the rooms, the product and the number of visits.
• Compare the total, including HST.
• A quote far below the others can be a single visit where the others include follow-ups. Ask what's included.
• Be careful with a yearly plan on the first visit. Ask for the price of the one treatment you need.

Your rights on price and contracts

• A home repair contract worth more than $50 must be in writing.
• If a written estimate is part of the contract, the final price can't be more than 10% over it unless you agree to new work or a new price.
• Keep the deposit to no more than 10%, and never pay the full amount before the work is done.
• If you sign at home, you have 10 days to cancel for any reason.

iSource: Government of Ontario, "Your rights when starting home renovations or repairs" (updated 6 August 2026).

After you hire: keep track of the job

• Before work starts: keep the written quote, the contract and the product name.
• During the job: note the date of each visit and what was treated.
• At the end: ask for an itemized invoice and the guarantee in writing. For wildlife, ask for photos of the sealed entry point.
• Keep it all together: the invoice and guarantee are what you'll need if the pest comes back, and a record of treatments helps when you sell.

Red flags

• They can't give an operator licence number, or say none is needed to spray inside your home.
• They won't name the product they're using.
• They push a yearly contract before they've seen the problem.
• They offer to take a trapped animal far away.
• They want full payment up front, or cash only with no receipt.
• They won't put the price, the visits and the guarantee in writing.