How Much Does a Mice Exterminator Cost in Quebec?

You hear scratching in the bedroom wall at night, or you found droppings under the kitchen sink. On the South Shore and in Montreal, this is the classic October story, and the next question comes right away: how much does a mice exterminator cost in Quebec? Search "mice exterminator cost" and you mostly get pages telling you to call for a quote.

Here is the short answer. In Quebec, a basic mouse treatment for a house or apartment typically runs $300 to $500. Add minor sealing of the entry points and you are looking at $500 to $700. A full-home treatment with complete exclusion lands between $750 and $1,200 and up. Duplexes, triplexes and larger buildings cost more because there are more units to inspect and treat.

Here is where those numbers come from, what pushes the bill up, why the cheapest quote usually ends up costing the most, and who pays when you rent.

What does a mice exterminator cost on the South Shore and in Montreal?

The ranges below reflect what is currently being charged in Quebec, and the South Shore and Montreal market sits squarely inside them. Treat them as benchmarks for judging a quote, not as guaranteed prices. Every house has its weak points and every infestation has its age.

The inspection: often free with the treatment

Some companies charge for the inspection on its own, then credit it if you go ahead with the treatment. Others include it from the start. At Extermination BETA, the first inspection is free. Whoever you call, the inspection should cover the outside of the foundation, the basement, the attic and the kitchen, and end with a written plan and a price.

Basic mouse treatment, house or apartment: $300 to $500

This is the most common package. It includes the inspection, locked bait stations or traps placed where the mice actually travel, and at least one follow-up visit to check activity and adjust the setup. In Quebec you typically pay $300 to $500 for this in a single-family home or a normal-sized apartment. This package removes the mice that are there now. It does not stop the next ones from coming in.

Treatment plus minor sealing: $500 to $700

Here the technician also closes the two or three obvious entry points found during the inspection: the gap around the gas line, the corner of the garage door, the crack under the back door threshold. Steel wool, hardware cloth, quality sealant. Expect $500 to $700. For a house in decent shape with one or two weak spots, this is often the best value.

Full-home treatment plus full exclusion: $750 to $1,200 and up

Full exclusion means going around the entire house, from the bottom of the foundation to the roofline: every opening wider than 6 mm gets sealed, vents get screened, door sweeps get replaced where needed. Combined with the treatment, this work runs $750 to $1,200, and more for a large house, a stone foundation or a tight crawl space. It is the package that ends the problem for good, and the one that normally comes with the strongest warranty.

Duplex, triplex and apartment buildings: $600 to $2,000 and up

As soon as there is more than one unit, the price climbs, because mice move between apartments through the walls and ceilings and treating a single unit never holds for long. In Quebec, the usual ranges look like this:

• Duplex: $600 to $800 and up.
• Triplex: $800 to $1,100 and up.
• 4 to 6 unit building: $1,100 to $2,000 and up.

The exact figure depends on how many units are actually affected, access to common areas and the condition of the building. The plexes of Old Longueuil, Saint-Lambert and central Montreal neighbourhoods, with their older foundations and rear additions, usually need more sealing than a Brossard bungalow.

Commercial: $600 to $2,500 and up

For a restaurant, warehouse or retail space, the initial treatment generally runs $600 to $2,500, and more for large floor areas. Most businesses then move to a monthly or seasonal maintenance contract, because one mouse spotted by a customer or an inspector costs far more than the program does. Our commercial services page explains how that works for buildings and businesses.

What about rats?

Rats generally cost more than mice. They dig burrows along foundations, their entry points are bigger and harder to seal, and the protocol takes more visits. If the inspection turns up rats instead of mice, expect a quote above the ranges listed here.

These figures are benchmarks. For an exact price, call and describe the situation: a serious quote takes a few minutes on the phone.

What makes the price of mouse extermination go up or down?

Two houses on the same street can get quotes of $350 and $900 for "mice." Here is what explains the gap.

• How far along the infestation is. One mouse seen once in the garage means a few stations and a follow-up. Droppings in three rooms, a urine smell in the pantry and noises in two walls means an established population and a much bigger setup.
• Number of units. Every extra apartment adds inspection time, materials and visits. A plex gets treated as one building.
• Whether sealing is included. This is the biggest variable. A quote without sealing is always cheaper, and that is usually why it is cheaper.
• Number of follow-up visits. An honest protocol includes at least one return visit, sometimes two. Check how many are built into the price.
• Access to the attic and crawl space. A low attic full of blown-in insulation, or a crawl space you cannot stand up in, doubles the time spent inspecting and sealing.
• The season. From October to December, schedules fill up fast on the South Shore and in Montreal. Some companies add a surcharge for same-evening or weekend calls.

What is included in a professional mouse control visit?

When you compare two quotes, make sure you are comparing the same service. A complete professional job normally includes these steps.

1. The inspection. The technician walks the outside and inside, identifies the species (mice and rats are not treated the same way), follows the rub marks and droppings, and locates the entry points. If you want a head start, our article on the 10 signs of mice in your house tells you where to look before they arrive.
2. Locked, tamper-resistant bait stations. Child- and pet-resistant boxes, anchored in place, loaded with Health Canada approved products that only a permit holder can use. The technician tells you where every station is.
3. Trapping. Mechanical traps along the travel routes, mostly in the kitchen and basement, to knock the population down quickly.
4. Sealing. Depending on the package, the main entry points or every entry point gets closed with materials mice cannot chew through.
5. The follow-up. A visit one to three weeks later to check activity, empty and reset the traps, and confirm it is over.

If a quote skips one of these steps, the price should be lower, and you should know which one is missing.

Treating or excluding mice: what is the difference?

This is the distinction that matters most on the bill, and most people only learn it after paying twice.

Treating means eliminating the mice that are in the house right now. Bait, traps, follow-up. It works, and it works fast: within two to three weeks the activity stops. But the house is still open.

Excluding means closing the house so the next mice cannot get in. On the South Shore the entry points are almost always the same ones: the joint between the foundation and the siding, the hole around the dryer vent or the air conditioner line, the bottom corner of the garage door, roof vents with no screen. We go through them one by one in how mice get into your house.

Paying to treat without excluding is renting a solution. Paying to exclude is buying it. For a house that has had mice two falls in a row, full exclusion is almost always the cheaper choice over three years.

Want to know which range your house falls into? Extermination BETA is based in Brossard and serves Longueuil, Saint-Hubert, Saint-Lambert, Greenfield Park, La Prairie, Chambly, Montreal and Greater Montreal. Call 438-253-3000, describe what you have seen and heard, and you get a clear price in five minutes. The first inspection is free, and you can also reach us through the contact page.

Why is the cheapest quote often the most expensive?

A $200 quote for mice is tempting. In almost every case it is treatment only: bait, maybe one follow-up, no sealing. The mice that are there die. Next November, the next ones walk in through the same gap around the gas line, and you call again.

Run the numbers over three years. Three treatments at $200 or $300 come to $600 to $900, and you still have mice every fall. One treatment with sealing at $500 to $700 in year one ends the problem, and the following years cost nothing. The "expensive" package is the cheap one.

The other hidden cost is what the mice do while you wait: chewed wiring, contaminated food, and a female that can have a litter every month. Every week of delay makes the job bigger.

The right questions before you accept a quote: is sealing included, how many visits are built in, is the warranty in writing and how long does it last, and does the company hold a Quebec pesticide application permit?

Are mouse traps enough, or do you need an exterminator?

Honestly, you do not always need a professional. If you saw one mouse in the garage in October, there are no droppings inside the house, and you catch one or two in traps over a week and then nothing, you have probably solved it. Plug the hole you found with steel wool and sealant, and keep an eye out.

The math changes in three situations.

• Noises in the walls or ceiling. The mice are already nesting inside the structure, where your traps cannot reach.
• Droppings in several rooms. This is no longer a passing mouse. A population has settled in and has its routes.
• You have been catching them for three weeks and it keeps going. Traps remove individuals while the nest produces replacements, and the entry is still open.

In those cases, hardware store traps are doing surface work. The real job is finding the nest, cutting off access, and using baits strong enough to reach the mice that never come out into the open. Our mouse and rat control page explains how we go about it.

Tenant or landlord: who pays for the mice exterminator?

In most cases, the landlord. The Civil Code of Quebec requires landlords to deliver and maintain a dwelling in good habitable condition, and the Tribunal administratif du logement generally takes the view that a unit with vermin does not meet that standard. Mice fall into that category.

If you are a tenant, notify the landlord in writing as soon as you find droppings, and keep a copy. If nothing happens within a reasonable time, you can turn to the Tribunal administratif du logement, and in Montreal you can file a complaint through 311. Avoid paying an exterminator out of pocket before taking that step, unless you have a clear agreement with the landlord.

One nuance: if the mice are clearly drawn by conditions inside the unit itself, piled-up garbage for example, responsibility can be argued. But the starting point, in the great majority of cases, is that the landlord has to act and pay.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a mouse inspection cost?

In Quebec, an inspection on its own is often billed at $50 to $125, and most companies credit it toward the treatment. Many waive it entirely when you go ahead. At Extermination BETA, the first inspection is free.

How many visits does it take to get rid of mice?

For a typical infestation, two to three visits over two to three weeks: the initial treatment, then one or two follow-ups to check activity and reset the traps. Rats and larger buildings can take more. An honest protocol tells you the number of visits up front.

Does the price include a warranty?

Not always. Packages with sealing normally come with a written warranty of several months: if activity returns during the covered period, the technician comes back at no charge. Treatment alone, with no sealing, is rarely guaranteed for long, because the house is still open. Get the warranty in writing before you sign.

Is it more expensive in the fall?

Often a little. From October to December, mice are looking for warmth and the calls pile up on the South Shore and in Montreal. Schedules fill, and some companies charge a surcharge for urgent calls. The base price usually does not change, but the wait can be longer if you put it off.

A clear price, one call away

In Quebec, a mice exterminator typically costs $300 to $500 for a basic treatment, $500 to $700 with minor sealing, and $750 to $1,200 and up for full exclusion. Plexes and commercial spaces start around $600. The package that includes sealing is almost always the one that costs the least over three years. To compare with bed bugs, ants and cockroaches, our general guide to exterminator costs in Quebec gives the ranges for each pest.

Extermination BETA is based in Brossard and serves the South Shore, Montreal and Greater Montreal, with same-day response and a real 24/7 emergency line. Our certified technicians hold the Quebec CD pesticide permit. Call 438-253-3000 or write to us through the contact page: the first inspection is free, you get 15 percent off your first service, and you have a clear price in five minutes.