As August turns to September, thousands of students are moving into shared houses across Radford, Lenton and Forest Fields ahead of the new term at the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent, while families across Wollaton, Bilborough and Aspley are settling into new lets and purchases of their own. It’s one of the busiest times of year for us at NestBusters — because changeover season is also when pest problems that built up quietly over the summer suddenly become someone else’s.
Why changeover season causes pest flare-ups
A property that’s stood empty, or had a fast turnaround between tenants, is exactly the environment pests prefer. No one’s been in the loft to notice a wasp nest forming under the eaves. No one’s spotted the gap under the back door where mice have been slipping in as the weather cools. And when secondhand furniture, mattresses or sofas arrive from a house clearance, a charity shop or a Facebook Marketplace pickup, there’s a real risk they’re bringing bed bugs with them — a problem we see spike every year in the first few weeks of student term.
Radford, Lenton & Forest Fields: Nottingham’s student housing heartland
NG7 has one of the highest concentrations of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) in the city, and older Victorian terraces here are particularly prone to mice finding their way in through worn airbricks, gaps around pipework and unsealed suspended floors. Shared kitchens with rotating occupants and communal bins also make cockroach and mouse activity harder to spot early, because no single tenant is watching the property the way an owner-occupier would. If you’re a landlord with several HMOs in Lenton or Radford, a changeover week is the ideal moment to have the property checked before new tenants move their belongings in, not after the first complaint.
Wollaton, Bilborough & Aspley: family homes meet campus life
NG8 is a mix of settled family housing and properties let to postgraduate and staff tenants close to University Park campus. Semi-detached homes in Aspley and Bilborough with garages, sheds and lofts that go unused over the summer holidays are a favourite spot for wasps to build undisturbed nests, which is why we’re still called out to sizeable nests here well into September even as the weather starts to cool. Meanwhile, gardens that haven’t been maintained over a long summer let can develop ant trails and rodent burrows that are easy to miss during a quick move-in inspection.
A simple pre-move-in checklist
- Check the loft and eaves for wasp or bird nest activity before anyone starts unpacking
- Look for mouse droppings in kitchen cupboards, under the sink and along skirting boards
- Inspect any secondhand furniture, especially mattresses and sofa seams, for bed bug signs before bringing it indoors
- Seal obvious gaps around pipework, airbricks and door thresholds
- Clear overgrown gardens and check sheds or garages for nesting activity
When it’s worth calling a professional
A quick visual check catches the obvious problems, but a professional inspection catches the ones that aren’t obvious yet. Our standard call-out and treatment starts at £80, and for landlords managing several properties across NG7 and NG8, our quarterly inspection contracts (from £135 per quarter) mean every property gets checked proactively between tenancies, with online access to inspection reports and a call-out included if anything’s spotted between visits.
Do I need to treat a property for pests every time tenants change over?
Not every time, but an inspection is always worth it — especially after a property has stood empty over summer or before secondhand furniture is brought in, since early signs of wasps, mice or bed bugs are far cheaper and quicker to deal with than an established infestation.
How can I tell if secondhand furniture has bed bugs?
Check seams, piping and the underside of mattresses and sofa cushions for small dark spotting (droppings), shed skins, or the bugs themselves, which are reddish-brown and about the size of an apple seed. If in doubt, have it inspected before it goes indoors.
Are wasp nests still a risk this late in the year?
Yes — nests built earlier in summer are often at their largest and most defensive by late August and September, and disturbing one while moving belongings into a loft or garage can be genuinely dangerous without the right protective equipment.
If you’re moving into — or letting out — a property in Radford, Lenton, Forest Fields, Wollaton, Bilborough or Aspley this changeover season, get in touch with NestBusters on 0742 984 9483 or visit nottinghampest.co.uk to book an inspection before the new tenants move their boxes in.
