Pest Control in Adjoining Commercial Units: Coordinating Shared Routes

Whose problem is it when droppings turn up in a café stockroom, the pharmacy next door reports gnawed packaging, and the shared bin store has a chewed lid? Every occupier has their own lease, their own staff, and often their own pest contractor. The pests, though, are using the building, not the unit numbers.

That’s the practical challenge behind pest control in adjoining units. A rear yard, service duct, roof void, or drainage run can connect businesses that otherwise have nothing to do with each other. If each unit is inspected in isolation, nobody sees the whole route. This guide is for managing agents, landlords, and occupiers in shared commercial buildings, and it sets out how to turn separate complaints into one coordinated plan.

Map what the units share

Start with a simple plan of the building. Mark the unit boundaries, common entrances, the bin store, external service routes, and any spaces the landlord manages directly, such as a plant room or loading area. Where a route above a ceiling or behind a party wall isn’t known, label it as unknown rather than drawing in a connection you’ve assumed.

Then note who controls each space. An occupier holds the keys to their stockroom, the managing agent may control the roof and risers, and a separate contractor might maintain the drainage. Knowing who can open a door is often more useful at this stage than knowing who will eventually pay for a repair.

Older parades and converted buildings deserve extra care. The original drawings may show a solid wall where a later fit-out created a void or a shared ceiling space. Share whatever plans, previous pest reports, and known alterations you have before the survey, and treat them as a starting point rather than a final answer.

One set of observations

Ask each occupier for the same basic information: what was seen, exactly where, when, and anything relevant happening nearby at the time. A photograph taken safely helps with identification. A message saying there are mice everywhere doesn’t tell anyone where to look.

Use one location reference that everybody understands. Unit 3’s rear stockroom, north wall, is far more useful than the room next to the café. Keep reports about different pests separate until they’ve been assessed, because flies around one unit’s drainage may have nothing to do with rodent signs two doors along.

Resist the temptation to name a source early. The first business to report activity isn’t necessarily where it began, and a quiet unit isn’t evidence that its concealed spaces are clear. Our rodent control service looks at activity and building routes together for exactly this reason: sightings alone can’t show the direction of travel through a hidden void.

A named coordinator

Agree who will coordinate the shared investigation. It might be the managing agent, a facilities manager for the building, or an occupier the others are happy to delegate to. Their job is to gather information and arrange access, not to make technical decisions on pest control or building work.

The HSE’s guidance on shared workplaces explains that employers sharing premises should cooperate, coordinate, and share information about the risks their work creates. That principle supports sensible communication between neighbours. It doesn’t override a lease, and it doesn’t give one occupier permission to enter another’s unit.

The coordinator also keeps the contact list current. A short list of names, roles, and access hours saves a wasted visit.

Access to every connected space

Arrange access through whoever controls each area. Cover keys, alarm codes, restricted stock areas, and the times someone can accompany the technician. If a unit can’t be entered on the day, record that clearly and agree the next step.

A survey that covered four units out of five should say so. Describing the building as checked when part of it wasn’t creates a false sense of security and makes the next decision harder. An honest record of the gaps is more useful than a report that looks complete.

Empty units need the same attention. A vacant shop next door can hold activity that nobody sees until it spreads, and our article on preparing vacant commercial units for reoccupation covers what to check before a new occupier moves in.

Contractors on the same route

Neighbouring businesses often use different pest contractors, and that’s workable. What matters is that each contractor knows what the others have found and what they’re planning around the shared routes.

Share the relevant parts of each scope: which areas are covered, what monitoring is in place near the boundary, and any treatment planned close to a shared duct or void. Occupiers shouldn’t move, borrow, or add to another business’s monitoring points or products, even with good intentions. If two programmes need aligning, the contractors can agree that between them.

Building work needs the same openness. If one occupier is planning a repair or refit around a shared service route, the pest contractors on both sides should hear about it before the work starts, not at their next routine visit.

Proofing across the boundary

A gap at the base of a party wall or around a shared service penetration can’t be fixed from one side only. Proofing needs to be planned with whoever controls the structure, usually the landlord or managing agent, and with the occupiers on both sides.

Shared routes often carry other services too: ventilation, wiring, fire protection, and drainage. Any closure has to suit its location and not compromise those functions. The BPCA’s guide to the fundamentals of pest-proofing points out that unsuitable materials can create new problems. Occupiers shouldn’t improvise barriers inside shared ducts or alter a neighbour’s building fabric.

Our guide to commercial pest proofing before winter covers the common entry points in more detail. In a shared building, the extra step is agreeing who owns each repair and who confirms it has been completed.

The shared yard and bins

Rear yards often have several users and no clear routine. Agree which bins belong to which business, who deals with overspill, and who reports a damaged container or a missed collection.

Keep the yard clear enough for inspection and cleaning. Pallets stacked against a wall or cardboard left by a back door give pests cover and make it harder for the technician to see what’s changed since the last visit.

Share only what the investigation needs. A common action list can record a broken bin lid or an inaccessible inspection point without circulating stock details, customer information, or comments about another business.

Keeping the action list honest

Use one shared list for actions that cross the boundary, alongside each business’s own pest records. Give every item a location, an owner, the next step, and a status. Separate “repair booked” from “repair completed”, and a completed repair from a follow-up check on pest activity.

At each review, ask what has changed in the connected spaces and what is still unknown. Fewer sightings in one unit is useful information, but it doesn’t confirm the condition of a neighbour that hasn’t been inspected. Our overview of commercial pest control compliance in the North West explains why clear records matter when an auditor or inspector asks what happened.

When a tenancy changes, pass any open shared actions to the incoming occupier through the managing agent. A defect shouldn’t lose its owner just because a business has moved out.

Questions about adjoining units

Who pays when pest activity affects several units?

That depends on the leases, the service charge arrangements, and what the survey finds. A pest report can describe activity and recommend work, but it doesn’t settle legal liability. Ask the landlord or managing agent to confirm the arrangements, and take appropriate advice if responsibility is disputed.

What if a neighbouring business won’t give access?

Record which areas couldn’t be inspected and raise access through the landlord or managing agent’s usual route. Carry on with the work you’re authorised to do in the meantime. Don’t enter without permission, and don’t treat a refusal as proof of where the problem started.

Do all the occupiers need the same pest contractor?

No. Different contractors can work well alongside each other if they share relevant findings and planned work around the shared routes. Some landlords choose a single building-wide contract for common areas, which can help, but it’s a decision for the building, not a condition of coordination.

Can one unit be treated while the others wait?

Each business can act on its own premises, and should if there’s a food safety or hygiene concern. Treating one unit while a shared route stays unchecked may only move activity along, though, so make sure the wider investigation keeps going in parallel.

What changes when one of the units handles food?

The food business still needs to follow its own food safety procedures for affected food, surfaces, and equipment, including the pest control section of the FSA’s Safer Food, Better Business pack. The shared investigation runs alongside that, and it may need to prioritise routes that lead towards food areas.

How often should the shared action list be reviewed?

Agree a rhythm that suits the building and the level of activity, and add a review whenever a repair is completed, an occupier changes, or new signs are reported. A list that nobody looks at between pest visits won’t keep shared actions moving.