What a rodent exclusion warranty actually is
A rodent exclusion warranty is a service guarantee that covers re-entry through sealed points within a defined window after the exclusion work is completed. The standard in the Savannah rodent control market is a 90-day warranty on sealed entry points.
In concrete terms: if a point that was sealed during your exclusion program shows evidence of rodent re-entry within 90 days — fresh gnawing around the seal, a disturbed copper mesh installation, or a sealant gap that has opened — the provider returns and re-seals that point at no charge.
This is a meaningful commitment because it puts the cost of re-sealing on the provider rather than the homeowner in the first 90 days. It incentivizes thorough initial work (incomplete sealing leads to warranty calls, which are costly for the provider) and provides the homeowner with recourse if the initial work was inadequate.
What the warranty covers — and what it doesn’t
The warranty covers: re-entry through a point that was sealed in the scope of work. If a roof rat enters the attic through a soffit return that was sealed during your program, and it happens within 90 days, the provider returns and fixes the seal.
The warranty does NOT cover: new entry points that open after the exclusion work from settling, contractor work, storm damage, or normal aging. If a tree branch falls on your roof and creates a new gap, or if an HVAC contractor runs a new line through the exterior wall and leaves a gap, those are new openings that weren’t part of the original scope. They’re covered by a new service call, not by the original warranty.
The warranty also does NOT cover re-infestation that occurs through gaps that were present but not identified during the original inspection. If the inspection missed an entry point and a new population establishes through that gap, the warranty doesn’t cover re-sealing an unmapped gap — that’s a scope issue, not a warranty issue. This is why inspection thoroughness matters: a comprehensive inspection that finds all the entry points produces a warranty that actually protects you.
How 90 days was settled on as the standard warranty period
The 90-day window corresponds to roughly one full roof rat reproductive cycle and one full seasonal pressure peak in Savannah’s climate. If exclusion sealing is holding through a full October–November roof rat surge (the highest-pressure period), it has been tested against the most demanding conditions Savannah produces. 90 days from late August exclusion work covers through early December — the full fall surge window.
The 90-day window also corresponds to the typical duration of a treatment program. Initial treatment plus two follow-up visits over 90 days confirms that the active population was cleared AND that the exclusion is holding. If re-entry occurs before the 90-day program is complete, it’s caught during a scheduled follow-up rather than discovered months later by the homeowner.
Questions to ask before signing a rodent control agreement
What specifically is covered? The warranty should specify: which entry points are covered (all sealed points, or only the ones listed in the scope?), what evidence triggers a warranty claim (fresh evidence at a sealed point, or any evidence of activity?), and whether the re-seal service includes follow-up inspection or just seals the specific point.
What voids the warranty? Common voidance conditions: structural modification of the property after exclusion (removing and replacing sealed material), contractor work that disturbs sealed penetrations, or infestation introduced through means other than the entry points (e.g., a rodent transported in a moving box). These are legitimate exclusions. A warranty voided by ‘normal settling’ or ‘any new evidence’ is overly restrictive.
Is the warranty in writing? A verbal warranty is worth nothing in a dispute. The warranty terms — duration, what’s covered, what’s excluded, how to make a claim, and who to contact — should be in the written service agreement signed before work begins.
What does the claims process look like? How do you notify the provider of a potential warranty situation? What’s the response time commitment? Is there a cost for the warranty service call, or is it truly no-charge?
When to consider an extended monitoring program after the warranty period
The 90-day warranty is the minimum protection period, not the maximum. For some Savannah properties, the external rodent pressure is sustained enough that the post-warranty period has meaningfully higher re-entry risk than the warranty period covers.
Properties that benefit most from extended post-warranty monitoring: those adjacent to Forsyth Park or the historic squares canopy (year-round roof rat pressure source), those near restaurant corridors in the Historic District (continuous Norway rat exterior pressure), waterfront and marsh-adjacent properties (continuous Norway rat corridor pressure), and any property that has had multiple prior infestations.
Extended monitoring programs typically run quarterly — four inspection visits per year — that check for new entry points and any early evidence of activity. The cost is substantially lower than a new treatment program and protects against the compounding damage that results from discovering a new infestation after it has been active for a full season.
Our exclusion warranty — what we commit to
Our 90-day exclusion warranty covers all entry points sealed in the scope of work. If rodents re-enter through any sealed point within 90 days, we return and re-seal at no charge — with a follow-up inspection to confirm the re-seal is holding. We don’t charge for warranty calls, and we don’t require you to have maintained a service contract to make a warranty claim.
What we document: the sealed points are photographed and recorded in your service file at the time of sealing. If a warranty claim arises, we use that documentation to confirm the point was sealed in scope before authorizing the warranty service. This protects both parties and makes the claims process straightforward.
The best outcome is that you never need the warranty — that the initial sealing holds and the problem stays solved. The warranty exists as a backstop for the cases where settling, weather, or missed minor gaps allow re-entry before the full building-envelope integrity is established.