--- title: "Pest Control Record Keeping in the UK (Free Template)" url: "https://fieldcamp.ai/uk/pest-control-software/record-keeping/" date: "2026-10-22T13:30:00+00:00" modified: "2026-11-02T10:47:37+00:00" type: "Article" resource: "https://fieldcamp.ai/uk/pest-control-software/record-keeping/" timestamp: "2026-11-02T10:47:37+00:00" author: name: "Komal Gurbani" categories: - "Uncategorized" word_count: 3658 reading_time: "19 min read" summary: "Your pest control firm must maintain detailed, dated records of every visit, treatment, chemical used and corrective action, and be able to produce them for clients, auditors and enforcing officers..." description: "A free pest control service record template for UK firms, plus what to record on every visit, what goes in the client's folder and how long to keep each record." keywords: "Pest Control Record Keeping, Uncategorized" language: "en" schema_type: "Article" related_posts: - title: "12 Best Electrical Contractor Software Platforms in 2026" url: "https://fieldcamp.ai/electrician-software/best-software/" - title: "HVAC Profit Margins in 2026: Real Benchmarks, Real Numbers, and How to Fix Yours" url: "https://fieldcamp.ai/hvac-software/profit-margins/" - title: "Free Property Maintenance Invoice Template" url: "https://fieldcamp.ai/property-maintenance-software/invoice-template/" --- # Pest Control Record Keeping in the UK (Free Template) _Published: October 22, 2026_ _Author: Komal Gurbani_ ![Guide cover: UK pest control record keeping, covering treatment reports, retention periods and who holds each record](https://cms.fieldcamp.ai/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/record-keeping-featured-1024x572.webp) **Your pest control firm must maintain detailed, dated records of every visit, treatment, chemical used and corrective action, and be able to produce them for clients, auditors and enforcing officers.** These records are your evidence of due diligence under the Food Safety Act 1990, the Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 and the COSHH Regulations 2002. Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and BRCGS and SALSA auditors ask to see them. Paper and digital systems are both accepted. No single UK law sets a retention period for pest records. Some record types carry statutory minimums under other legislation, and best practice covers the rest. The schedule on this page shows which is which, and the template below gives you the record itself. ## What records does a UK pest control company need to keep? 1. [**A service record every visit**](#the-pest-control-service-record-template "A service record every visit"): Who attended, what was found, what was used and what the client must do next. 2. [**Six record areas**](#what-records-must-a-uk-pest-control-company-keep "Six record areas"): Treatment, chemicals and COSHH, health and safety, training, waste and tax. 3. [**The treatment report**](#what-must-a-treatment-report-contain "The treatment report"): BPCA members complete one for every visit and leave it with the customer. 4. [**The client's folder**](#what-goes-in-the-pest-control-folder-for-food-and-commercial-clients "The client's folder"): Your firm supplies most of what an EHO or auditor checks. 5. [**Retention**](#how-long-do-you-keep-pest-control-records "Retention"): No single period: COSHH, RIDDOR, waste and tax rules each set their own. ### Key facts - **COSHH:** exposure records 5 years, health surveillance 40 years. - **RIDDOR:** keep records for at least 3 years. - **Waste:** transfer notes 2 years, hazardous waste records 3 years. - **Treatment reports:** no statutory period; keeping them 6 years covers contract claims. ## The pest control service record template A pest control service record is the signed report a technician completes at every visit: who attended, what was found, what was used and where, and what the client needs to do next. The template has two parts. The first is the visit and treatment record, which is left with the client. The second is a COSHH and products-used log, which stays with your firm. Every field traces back to the BPCA report-writing code, the CRRU UK Code of Best Practice or COSHH. **Download the [pest control service record template (PDF)](#capture).** It is a two-page A4 form you can print and fill in by hand on site. ### Part 1: Visit and treatment record | Section | What to record | Why it’s there | |---|---|---| | Client and site | Client name, site name and address, site contact, the bill payer if different, contract or job number | The occupier must get the record directly, as well as the paying customer (BPCA) | | Visit | Date, time in and out, visit type (routine, call-out, follow-up) | Reports must be dated (BPCA) | | Technician | Name, signature, RSPH or BPCA qualification and certificate number, CRRU certificate date | Shows who was competent to treat; rodenticide users need CRRU proof of competence | | Pests found | Species, activity level and where it was seen | The finding behind every treatment | | Areas inspected | Every area checked, including areas with no activity | BPCA advises stating what you did and did not find | | Products used | Product name, MAPP or HSE authorisation number, active ingredient, quantity, method of application and exact location | Active ingredient, trade name, quantity and location are the BPCA minimum | | Bait points | Point number, location, activity, bait taken, replaced or removed | The CRRU Code asks for a record of every bait point and the amount of bait laid | | Warnings | Re-entry times, hazards to people, pets and non-target animals | Warnings must be discussed and recorded (BPCA) | | Recommendations | Hygiene, proofing and housekeeping actions, with who is responsible | Recommendations must be on the report (BPCA) | | Follow-up | Next visit date and any post-treatment requirements | Follow-up information must be stated (BPCA) | | Signatures | Client signature or electronic confirmation, and the technician’s signature | Shows the client received and understood the report (BPCA) | ### Part 2: COSHH and products-used log One line per product per visit, kept by your firm: | Date | Site | Product | MAPP or HSE no. | Active ingredient | Quantity | Method | COSHH assessment ref. | Safety data sheet on file | Technician | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | *Example:* 14/10 | Unit 3, kitchen store | Trade name from the label | From the label | From the label | 60 g | Tamper-resistant bait box | COSHH-07 | Yes | J. Smith | | *Example:* 14/10 | Unit 3, yard | Trade name from the label | From the label | From the label | 4 blocks | Secured in external bait station | COSHH-07 | Yes | J. Smith | | | | | | | | | | | | The log lets you answer any question about a product, across every site, without pulling individual reports. It also shows that each product has a COSHH assessment and a safety data sheet behind it. ### How to use the template 1. Fill in Part 1 on site, before you leave, and get the client’s signature then. 2. Leave a copy with the client, and with the occupier where that is a different organisation. 3. Copy each product line into the Part 2 log at the end of the day. 4. File the original against the site, not just the parent client, so one site’s records can be produced on their own. ## What records must a UK pest control company keep? A UK pest control company keeps records in six areas. The four areas below cover what you hold as the contractor. Waste and financial records, the other two areas, have their own section. The folder you supply to food and commercial clients is covered separately too. ![The six record areas of a UK pest control firm: treatment, COSHH, health and safety, training, waste, tax and accounts](https://cms.fieldcamp.ai/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/record-keeping-six-record-areas.webp) ### 1. Treatment and service records - A completed report for every visit. - Site plans and monitoring point results. - Recommendations made to the client. - Follow-up visits and the corrective actions taken. ### 2. Chemical and COSHH records - A COSHH risk assessment for each product your technicians use. - Pesticide use records: product, active ingredient, quantity and where it was applied. - Safety data for each product, held so technicians can reach it on site. The HSE enforces the COSHH Regulations 2002. Its guidance on [COSHH assessments](https://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/basics/assessment.htm) says that if you have five or more employees you must record your assessment, and that it makes sense to write it down even if you have fewer. ### 3. Health, safety and incident records - RIDDOR reports and your accident records, as the HSE sets out in [what records you need to keep](https://www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/what-must-i-keep.htm). - Incident reports made under BPCA guidance on reporting pest control incidents. ### 4. Training and competence records - Qualifications and CPD for each technician. - Proof of competence to buy and use professional rodenticides under the CRRU UK Rodenticide Stewardship Regime. Our guide to [CRRU rodenticide stewardship](https://fieldcamp.ai/uk/pest-control-software/crru-rodenticide/) covers what each technician must hold since 1 January 2026. ## What must a treatment report contain? The BPCA Codes of Best Practice, which every BPCA member must follow, require a completed treatment report for every visit. The report is left with the customer and, where different, the occupier of the premises. A verbal account on its own is not acceptable. ![The 10 items on a BPCA-standard pest treatment report, beside a real FieldCamp visit report form](https://cms.fieldcamp.ai/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/record-keeping-treatment-report-fields.webp)A BPCA-standard treatment report records these ten items: 1. Date of the visit 2. Active ingredient of each product used 3. Trade name of each product 4. Quantity applied 5. Location of each application 6. Recommendations to the client 7. Warnings, such as access restrictions or hazards to people and non-target animals 8. Follow-up action and the date of the next visit 9. Customer signature 10. Technician signature The product fields matter beyond the client relationship. BPCA’s [treatment-report guidance](https://bpca.org.uk/News-and-Blog/back-to-basics-pest-control-treatment-reports-bpca/274609) names the Biocidal Products Regulation and the Control of Pesticides Regulations 1986, through their label conditions, among the legislation the report supports. If a report leaves out the active ingredient, quantity or location, an auditor or inspector is most likely to question it. The full set of codes is on the [BPCA Codes of Best Practice](https://bpca.org.uk/codes) page. Free template ### Use the same record on every visit The service record template has a visit record and a COSHH products-used log on two printable A4 pages. ## What goes in the pest control folder for food and commercial clients? The client holds a site pest control folder, and your firm supplies most of what goes in it. The folder shows an EHO or a BRCGS or SALSA auditor that pest control on the premises is planned, monitored and acted on. For food businesses, pest control is a prerequisite under retained Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and part of the HACCP-based food safety system, and the FSA’s [HACCP guidance](https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/hazard-analysis-and-critical-control-point-haccp) expects food businesses to keep records as evidence. The folder is the client’s evidence of due diligence under the Food Safety Act 1990. A complete folder contains: - The contractor’s risk assessment for the site - A site plan with numbered monitoring points - Visit and treatment reports, in date order - Trend analysis of pest activity over time - Corrective actions raised, with the date each was closed - COSHH data for every product used on site - Training and competence records for the technicians who attend The client keeps the folder on site and must show it on request. The quality of your record keeping therefore decides how their audit goes. The contract usually sets out what the folder must hold, as in our [commercial pest control contract template](https://fieldcamp.ai/uk/pest-control-software/contract-template/). ## How long do you keep pest control records? UK law does not mandate a single fixed retention period for pest control records. Some record types fall under statutory minimums set by health and safety law, COSHH, waste law and tax law. Best practice and your clients’ audit standards set the period for the rest. ![Chart of UK pest control record retention: waste notes 2 years, RIDDOR 3, COSHH 5 and 40, tax 6; treatment reports none set](https://cms.fieldcamp.ai/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/record-keeping-retention-schedule.webp)The schedule below gives each record type its period, its basis, who holds it and its source: | Record type | Keep for | Statutory or best practice | Who holds it | Source | |---|---|---|---|---| | Visit and treatment reports | No statutory minimum. Keep them long enough to defend a claim: in England and Wales most contract claims can be brought up to 6 years after the breach | Best practice | Your firm holds the original. A copy is left with the customer and, where different, the occupier. | BPCA report-writing code; [Limitation Act 1980, s5](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/58/section/5) | | Rodenticide treatment and bait point records | No period set in the Code; keep them with the treatment reports | Best practice | Your firm. A copy, with the site map of bait points, is left with the person responsible for the site. | CRRU UK Code of Best Practice (2024), s6.4 | | Site pest control folder at a BRCGS-certified food site | Kept current and accessible. Your client’s audit standard sets how long the site keeps them | Audit standard | The site occupier, with your firm supplying most of the contents | BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9, clauses 4.14 and 3.3 | | COSHH assessments | Kept current and reviewed when anything changes; a written record is required with 5 or more employees | Statutory | Your firm, as employer | HSE | | COSHH exposure monitoring records | At least 5 years, or 40 years where the record shows the personal exposure of identifiable employees | Statutory | Your firm, as employer | [COSHH Regulations 2002, reg 10](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/2677/regulation/10) | | COSHH health surveillance records | At least 40 years | Statutory | Your firm, as employer | HSE [health surveillance records](https://www.hse.gov.uk/health-surveillance/record-keeping.htm) | | RIDDOR records | At least 3 years | Statutory | Your firm, for its own employees | [RIDDOR 2013, reg 12](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1471/regulation/12) | | Waste transfer notes | 2 years | Statutory | Your firm, as waste producer | GOV.UK | | Hazardous waste records (England) | 3 years, at the premises that produced or stored the waste | Statutory | Your firm, as producer or holder | GOV.UK | | Accounting records, including invoices | Limited companies: 6 years from the end of the last company financial year they relate to. Sole traders and partnerships: at least 5 years after the 31 January submission deadline. | Statutory | Your firm. Invoices go to the bill payer where that differs from the site. | GOV.UK (HMRC) | The BRCGS figure is from [BRCGS Food Safety](https://www.brcgs.com/certification-listing/food-safety/) Issue 9, which BRCGS is revising for Issue 10. Check the current issue your client is audited against. ### Where do the periods overlap? Industry guides quote 2 or 3 years for treatment reports, but neither figure comes from legislation. Some records fall under more than one rule: - **Treatment reports:** a report for a food client is part of that client’s BRCGS records, and also your own evidence if a claim is made against you. Keep it for whichever period is longer. - **COSHH records:** an assessment, a monitoring record and a health record are different documents with different periods: from “kept current” for the assessment, through 5 years for monitoring, to 40 years for health surveillance. The simple rule is to keep a record for the longer period whenever two figures apply. Storage costs little, and a missing report cannot be recreated. ### Who holds each record when the site, owner and bill payer differ? On commercial contracts, the organisation that occupies the site is often not the one that owns it or pays the invoice. Each record has a natural home, and the sources say where: ![Who holds which pest control record when the contractor, site occupier and bill payer are different organisations](https://cms.fieldcamp.ai/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/record-keeping-who-holds-which-record.webp)- **Your firm** keeps the originals of every report, the products-used log, COSHH assessments and training records. Health surveillance and RIDDOR records are employer records about your staff, and they stay in your files, not in the client’s folder. - **The occupier** keeps the site folder and its copy of each report. The BPCA report-writing code says the occupier must get details of the actions taken and pesticides used directly, in addition to the paying customer. The CRRU Code (section 6.4) says to leave a copy of the rodenticide record and bait point map with the person responsible for the site. For a food business, the folder supports the due-diligence defence under section 21 of the Food Safety Act 1990, and BRCGS clause 4.14 expects the site to hold its pest management records. - **The bill payer** receives the invoices. It does not need the treatment detail unless the contract says so. Getting this wrong is how reports end up with the wrong party. Check the split against the terms of each commercial contract. ## Paper or digital: which do EHOs and auditors accept? EHOs and auditors accept both paper and digital pest control records, provided they are current, complete and can be produced quickly on request. The FSA’s own [Safer Food, Better Business](https://www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/safer-food-better-business) pack is itself a paper system with daily records in a diary. Whichever format you use, check three things: 1. **Current:** every visit report is filed before the next visit. 2. **Accessible:** the client can hand the folder or file to an inspector without calling you first. 3. **Signed and dated:** every report carries customer and technician signatures, as the BPCA fields require. A paper folder on site is a perfectly acceptable system, provided someone updates it after every visit. A spreadsheet also works, as long as it matches the signed reports it summarises. A digital system mainly saves the re-keying. It does not replace the discipline of filing every report. ## Which waste and tax records apply? Your firm keeps waste records alongside its treatment records. That means waste transfer notes for non-hazardous waste and consignment documentation for hazardous waste, such as pesticide waste and contaminated containers. In England, GOV.UK says to keep [waste transfer notes](https://www.gov.uk/managing-your-waste-an-overview/waste-transfer-notes) for 2 years, and [hazardous waste records](https://www.gov.uk/dispose-hazardous-waste/producers-and-holders) for 3 years at the premises that produced or stored the waste. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own rules, so confirm them with SEPA, Natural Resources Wales or DAERA for sites there. Tax and accounting records, including every invoice and quote, stay with your firm for the period your business structure requires: 6 years for a [limited company](https://www.gov.uk/running-a-limited-company/company-and-accounting-records), or at least 5 years after the 31 January deadline if you are [self-employed](https://www.gov.uk/self-employed-records/how-long-to-keep-your-records). HMRC can ask to see them. When the site and the bill payer differ, check that each invoice names the paying organisation, not the occupier. ## How FieldCamp holds these records on one job record FieldCamp keeps the visit, the report, the client’s documents and the invoice on one record. Here is how that maps to the requirements on this page: - **Treatment and inspection reports:** each report is a [custom job form](https://docs.fieldcamp.ai/job-management/job-forms-complete-digital-checklist-system), so the template’s fields, from active ingredient through to both signatures, can be set up as its fields, with photo, checkbox, number and table fields. The technician emails it from the form on site, and it arrives in the email body with a link to view and print the visit. - **Products used:** each product goes on the job from your [products and services catalogue](https://docs.fieldcamp.ai/products-services/managing-products-and-services), with the quantity used. - **Client, site and bill payer:** each is its own record, and one parent client can carry many sites with separate contacts and billing. That keeps the occupier’s copy of a report apart from the paying organisation’s invoice, as the retention schedule assumes. - **Client documents:** risk assessments, COSHH sheets, safety data sheets and the signed site plan are uploaded to [the site’s files](https://docs.fieldcamp.ai/clients/client-files-documents-and-drive-fieldcamp) and shared with the client through the [customer portal](https://docs.fieldcamp.ai/online-booking/how-to-set-up-your-customer-portal-for-self-service-scheduling-and-documents), ready for an audit. - **Invoicing:** an invoice can be raised automatically when conditions you set are met. For a residential job, that can be the first visit marked complete. Commercial contracts follow their own billing terms. [Xero, QuickBooks and Wave](https://docs.fieldcamp.ai/integrations/connect-quickbooks-xero-and-wave-to-fieldcamp) connections carry each invoice into the accounting records HMRC can ask to see. PreventiPest, a Cornwall BPCA member, ran 75 visits and 109.5 field hours through a single FieldCamp calendar in one month without raising a residential invoice by hand. See how the rest of the setup works on the [FieldCamp pest control software](https://fieldcamp.ai/uk/pest-control-software/) page. ### What FieldCamp does not do Compliance still comes down to your technicians: what they capture, and how promptly, decides it, not the software. FieldCamp is cloud-based. The app copes with brief signal drops, but there is no offline mode. It doesn’t generate a PDF of the report automatically, and the client tracking page isn’t a library of every report. Switching from your current system starts with a [CSV import of your clients](https://docs.fieldcamp.ai/clients/import-clients-into-fieldcamp-csv-and-excel-import-guide). Do your clients face BRCGS or SALSA audits, or EHO inspections? Bring one visit report and see it running in FieldCamp: [book a demo](https://calendly.com/jeel-fieldcamp/fieldcamp-x-uk-field-service-operators). [FieldCamp UK pricing](https://fieldcamp.ai/uk/pricing/) has the plan details. ## Frequently asked questions ** ### Do the record keeping rules differ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland? ** A pest control record holds much the same content across the UK. The regulations behind it differ by nation. The Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013 apply in England. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each have their own equivalent food hygiene regulations, and their own waste rules. Check which nation a site is in before you cite the legislation in a client’s folder. ** ### Does a residential call-out need the same paperwork as a commercial contract? ** Every visit needs a completed treatment report, whether the customer is a household or a food factory. A commercial contract adds the site folder: site plan, trend analysis, corrective actions and the rest of the audit evidence. The residential report is still your record of which product went where, so keep it for the same period. ** ### Are RIDDOR and training records part of the client’s pest control folder? ** Training and competence records belong in the folder, because they show the client who is qualified to treat their site. RIDDOR reports are your firm’s own health and safety records as an employer, and they stay in your files. BPCA’s guidance on reporting pest control incidents sets out how to report one. ** ### Where does CRRU rodenticide stewardship fit into record keeping? ** CRRU stewardship adds proof of competence to your training records, because only people who hold that proof can buy and use professional rodenticides. Keep the certificate for each technician who carries out rodent work alongside their other qualifications. It belongs in the client’s folder whenever that technician attends the site. ** ### What should a pest control service report include? ** At minimum: the date, the technician’s name and signature, the areas inspected and pests found, each product’s trade name, active ingredient, quantity and location, any warnings, recommendations, the follow-up date and the customer’s signature. Those are the BPCA report-writing code’s minimum items. Add the bait point checks for rodent work, as the CRRU Code asks. ** ### Is there a free pest control report template? ** Yes. The service record template on this page is free to download as a PDF and print. It has a visit and treatment record to leave with the client and a COSHH and products-used log for your own files. BPCA members can also download BPCA’s own treatment report templates from its member library. ** ### How long should a food business keep pest control records? ** No UK law sets one period for a food business’s pest records. For a BRCGS-certified site, the client’s audit standard sets the period, so ask the site which retention rule its auditor applies. Outside BRCGS, agree the period in the pest control contract, keep the folder current, and keep older reports at least as long as your audit standard requires. ** ### Do I need a written risk assessment for every pest control job? ** You need a COSHH assessment for the hazardous substances you use, and if you have five or more employees it must be recorded. Many firms add a site-specific risk assessment to the visit report, so each job shows the hazards and the controls in place. For outdoor rodenticide work, the CRRU Code also expects an environmental risk assessment. ** ### What is a pest control audit report? ** It is the summary a client or auditor reviews to check that pest control on a site is working: the visit reports, monitoring results, trend analysis and the status of each corrective action over a period. BRCGS food sites also need an in-depth assessment by a pest management expert at least once a year. The individual service records on this page are what an audit report is built from. ** ### What is a pest control log, and who fills it in? ** A pest control log is a running record kept on site, often by the client’s staff, of pest sightings and the action taken between contractor visits. It complements the technician’s service records rather than replacing them. Keep it in the site folder so the technician can review it at each visit. ### Get the pest control service record template A two-page A4 visit record and COSHH products-used log you can print and fill in on site. No call required. We’ll email you the PDF. See our [privacy policy](/privacy-policy/ "FieldCamp privacy policy") for how we handle your email. ### See every visit record on one job Bring your current service report and see how it works as a FieldCamp job form your technicians complete and sign on site. [Book a demo](https://calendly.com/jeel-fieldcamp/fieldcamp-x-uk-field-service-operators "Book a demo") --- _View the original post at: [https://fieldcamp.ai/uk/pest-control-software/record-keeping/](https://fieldcamp.ai/uk/pest-control-software/record-keeping/)_ _Served as markdown by [Third Audience](https://github.com/third-audience) v3.6.1.1_ _Generated: 2026-11-02 10:47:38 UTC_