Any professional company will have no problem proving to you that they hold all the licenses required of them by state law. In addition to that, they should be able to verify that each of their techs is also licensed. If you’re dealing with a particularly complex pest problem, such as bed bugs or roaches, you can also check to make sure the company is certified to handle it. You can do this by calling the California Pesticide Regulatory Office.
Pest control is an industry that changes often. State requirements, regulations, tools and methods change all the time. Ask the pest control company you’re considering if they require their techs to continue training. If they don’t, keep looking around for a company that does. Techs absolutely need to be up to date on their education in the field.
One of the great things about living in this age is the ability to connect with other people who have experience working with companies that you’re considering. Read through some online reviews on Google or Yelp and see what the company’s previous customers have to say about them. This will give you a good idea of how good their customer service is, how informative their techs were, and whether or not they’re dependable in an emergency situation. Keep in mind that people are more likely to leave bad reviews than good, but even so, you should be able to get a pretty accurate depiction of the way the company does business. If you read a review that concerns you, you can always ask the company rep about what happened as well.
I probably don’t have to tell you this but checking pricing beforehand is essential. Even if the company you’re considering checks all the boxes, it’s always a good idea to compare prices to some of the other pest control companies in the area. If the price is much higher than the rest of its competitors, you might want to go with someone else.