Rodent Control and Rat Removal in Van Nuys, CA

About 19,800 of the 30,300 homes in ZIP codes 91405 and 91411 are in buildings with five or more units, and about 12,300 are in buildings of 20 or more. Buildings like these gather trash, food and storage in shared spaces such as enclosures, carports and laundry rooms.

UC researchers describe two different rats. The stocky Norway rat burrows along foundations and under trash piles and usually stays low. The roof rat climbs, nests in trees, ivy and attics, and travels along fences and utility lines. A Van Nuys apartment building may need a plan for both, from burrows at the trash enclosure to gaps at the roofline. [1] [2] [26]

Not all of Van Nuys is apartments. About 8,200 homes in the two ZIP codes are detached houses. Roughly 3,600 homes predate 1950, and about 6,000 more went up in the 1950s. Houses that old have usually been reroofed, replumbed and remodeled, and each job can leave a gap at a vent, eave or pipe.

For houses, we inspect the attic, garage, foundation vents and roofline, then seal with galvanized mesh, sheet metal and door sweeps rather than foam a rat can chew through. Where fruit trees or ivy touch the house, we recommend trimming them back so roof rats lose their bridge. [1] [2]

Van Nuys Airport's roughly 730 acres run from Roscoe Boulevard south to Vanowen Street, between Woodley Avenue and Balboa Boulevard. Southwest of the neighborhood, the Sepulveda flood control basin holds the Los Angeles River and two creeks that the US Geological Survey monitors near Van Nuys.

UC researchers note that roof rats find good habitat in mature landscaping and in vegetation along rivers and streams. Blocks along the airport fence and on the basin side of the neighborhood are therefore likely to see rodents moving in from open ground. There, we rely on sealing and on snap traps in locked stations, keeping poison away from pets and birds of prey. [4] [5] [26]

In October 2018, neighbors on the 16600 block of Wyandotte Street described rats on roofs, in trees and on power lines. Outlets first called the block Van Nuys; NBC later placed it in Lake Balboa. A county Public Health inspector counted more than 20 droppings in a driveway, and the council office said the city would rely on the county.

For rats coming from another property, the vector control district still refers residents to the county's Vector Management Program, (626) 430-5450. Fleas on rats, opossums and stray cats spread flea-borne typhus, which reached a record 220 cases county-wide in 2025, with 109 more by late September 2026. Sealing buildings against rodents is one of the county's own prevention steps. [18] [19] [13] [24] [25]

Three rodents account for nearly every call in Van Nuys, and they live differently. Roof rats climb into attics, trees, ivy and fence tops and eat backyard citrus and avocados on the tree. Norway rats burrow along foundations and under sheds. House mice live indoors, rarely more than about 30 feet from the nest.

Mild winters mean none of them hibernate, and the first cool nights and autumn rains push rats indoors. Older housing supplies the openings: any gap wider than a quarter inch at a vent screen, eave board, utility line or door threshold is enough.

The inspection covers attic, crawl space, garage, kitchen and yard, reading droppings, rub marks, gnawing and burrows to confirm which species is active and where it travels. Traps go on those routes: fastened to beams for roof rats, tight against walls for Norway rats, closely spaced for mice.

Indoors the program leans on snap traps rather than poison, following LA County guidance, because a poisoned rodent that dies inside a wall leaves odor and flies. Monitoring visits reset traps, remove what was caught and compare activity with the last visit so placements move as the rodents do. Sealing openings is Rodent Exclusion, a separate add-on.

Before the technician arrives at your Van Nuys address, clear access to the attic hatch, under-sink cabinets and garage walls, and raise stored boxes so runways show. Pick up fallen fruit and bring pet food in at night. Do not set out poison first: it hides evidence and risks a dead rat in the wall.

Rats are wary of new objects and may ignore traps for days or weeks, so early visits leave traps baited but unset until the bait disappears. Catches and quieter nights follow; monitoring continues because new rats replace caught ones while fruit, ivy and open gaps remain. Never sweep droppings dry: glove up, soak with disinfectant, wipe, double-bag.

Every PesPro service carries a 30-day guarantee, and rodents sit in the strongest tier with bed bugs and cockroaches: if rats or mice reappear within 30 days of a service, PesPro returns for a third visit at no extra cost, where other pests would pay 30% of the original price for a return visit.

The quote is free and written after the inspection. Rodent control is priced by property size, activity found and how often visits are needed; exclusion is priced separately by the number and type of openings to seal. Trapping alone or sealing: the inspection says which.

Same-day service is available for an extra fee. It makes sense when rats are inside the living space, when wiring has been gnawed, when a Van Nuys food business has an inspection pending, or when a tenant complaint has started a habitability clock. Call (323) 472-5329 any hour, or the office and WhatsApp line, (323) 303-3522, in business hours.

The LA County Department of Public Health reported record flea-borne typhus cases in 2025, ties the fleas to rats, free-roaming cats and opossums, and recommends controlling fleas before or alongside trapping where typhus is a concern. For landlords, California Civil Code 1941.1 lists vermin-free premises among habitability duties, so dated service records matter.

PesPro's program keeps digital service logs that Van Nuys owners, HOA boards and inspectors can open any time, same-day compliance documentation when a citation is at stake, tenant-notification templates and consolidated invoicing for multi-site portfolios. Over 15 years the company has protected more than 10,000 properties, more than 500 of them multi-unit.