The 5 Most Common Places Bats Get Into Houses
Where bats actually enter—and why finding one opening does not always mean you have found the whole problem
By Benjamin Vaughan, Bat Control Specialists
Based on 38 years of specialized bat-control work in Ontario, Quebec, other parts of Canada and consulting with United States, along with consultations on difficult bat problems across North America.
I can state categorically that bats regularly choose the same 5 places to get into houses, If they are available. Now the average house has thousands of potential entry points, that the bats could use to get into your home. But they always choose these 5 places because they are the path of least resistance.
And just like us humans they would rather walk in the front door than go thru a second story window. So here are 5 most common bat entry points used by the two Ontario bat species that live in our houses. The big brown bat and the little brown bat.
Bats do not need a large or obvious hole to get into a house.
After 38 years of doing specialized bat-control work, I find that most established residential colonies enter through one of five general areas around the roofline. Individual houses are different, but the same basic construction details appear repeatedly throughout Canada and the United States.
The photographs in this article come primarily from our Canadian field work, but these roof designs and construction gaps are common across North America.
Most established residential bat colonies enter through small construction gaps around the roofline—not through the basement, foundation or front door.
The quick answer: Bats most commonly enter houses through small openings around soffits, intersecting rooflines, improperly protected roof edges, chimneys and roof vents. Finding the active hole is only part of the job because similar secondary openings may exist around the rest of the house.
Bats Usually Enter Around the Roofline
Homeowners naturally start looking where they found the bat.
If a bat appeared in the basement, they look at basement windows and foundation vents. If it appeared in a bedroom, they look at the bedroom window. If it flew through the living room, they wonder whether someone left the front door open.
That is normally the wrong place to begin.
An established colony is usually using one or more structural openings around the roof. After entering, a bat can move through the attic, down wall cavities, beside a chimney, along plumbing and utility chases, and eventually into the living space.
The room where the bat appeared may be several storeys away from the exterior opening.
1. Soffit-to-Brick Intersections
One of the most common bat entry points occurs where aluminum soffit terminates against a brick wall.
These intersections commonly appear beside:
- Chimneys
- Second-storey brick walls
- Garage and porch roofs
- Additions
- Exterior corners
- Changes in roof elevation
The real problem is the J-channel used to finish the soffit against the masonry. It comes in long, straight lengths and cannot be shaped to follow every rise, dip and uneven mortar joint in a brick or stone wall.
Masonry is rarely perfectly straight along the soffit line. Standard brick can leave gaps where the courses or mortar joints vary, but the problem is even worse with rough-faced brick, fieldstone and other irregular masonry. The surface may project outward in some places and fall back deeply in others, while the rigid J-channel remains straight. It may touch the wall at a few high points while leaving surprisingly large openings behind it elsewhere.
The soffit itself cannot realistically be cut to match every irregular brick, stone and mortar joint. The practical solution is to seal the entire soffit-to-masonry intersection after installation, but builders rarely do this. They are usually installing the soffit as an exterior finish and are not thinking about bats or mice getting behind it.
From the ground, the joint may look reasonably tight because the visible edge of the J-channel hides the deeper opening behind it. Bats can land on the masonry, crawl behind the trim and enter the roof cavity without ever being visible. Proper bat-proofing requires inspecting and sealing the full depth of the intersection—not simply smearing caulking across the easiest part of the joint.
Here is How You Fix it.
2. Soffit-to-Shingle Gaps at Dormers and Roof Junctions
The second major category occurs where a soffit meets the shingles of another roof section.
These junctions are especially common around:
- Dormers
- Roof additions
- Garage roofs
- Porch roofs
- Split-level houses
- Inside roof corners
- Changes in roof height
- Complicated multi-roof designs
Soffit-to-shingle intersections are one of the most common places bats enter and leave a house. They also attract mice and can be forced open by larger animals such as squirrels and raccoons, so the repair has to do more than simply cover a visible gap.
The junction creates an ideal landing area for bats. They can land on the shingles, crawl behind the soffit and disappear into several small openings around the roof framing. It is also a common location for an active exit, but the opening usually faces outward and sits nearly level with the roof. That makes an ordinary straight tube excluder difficult or impossible to use.
We normally begin by custom-fabricating a metal soffit box that closes and reinforces the entire intersection. This prevents raccoons and squirrels from pushing their way back in and removes the smaller gaps bats and mice could use. An L-shaped soffit excluder can then be attached to the box so the bats can leave safely without returning.

These repairs must be made from metal because mice will chew through weaker materials. The flashing has to be formed on a brake, fitted to the individual roof and installed with roof-grade sealant, exterior roof screws and neoprene washers. It must also be designed so water can continue to drain properly and moisture is not trapped behind the repair.
The finished work should look clean and match the surrounding shingles or metal trim as closely as possible. These areas are high, awkward and technically difficult to reach, but they are among the most important parts of a complete bat-proofing job. Learning how to repair them properly takes years of experience and careful custom fabrication.
3. Builder’s Gaps Beneath Missing or Poorly Installed Drip Edge
A builder’s gap is an opening along the roof edge where the roof deck, fascia and soffit construction meet.
The precise shape varies from one building to another. On many houses, the roof decking stops short of the fascia or leaves an accessible space behind the fascia covering.
Properly fitted drip edge protects this vulnerable junction.
The metal extends beneath the first row of shingles, overlaps the roof edge and covers the gap between the roof deck and fascia. It serves two important purposes:
- It prevents bats from crawling into the roof edge.
- It helps direct rainwater away from exposed wood and framing.
Problems occur when drip edge is:
- Completely missing
- Too short
- Installed too high
- Poorly aligned
- Not extended far enough beneath the shingles
- Installed without covering the builder’s gap
- Left incomplete around corners and roof transitions
INFOGRAPHIC — WITH DRIP EDGE VS. WITHOUT DRIP EDGE
Bats can crawl beneath the shingle overhang and enter behind the fascia or into the roof cavity.
Water creates another problem.
As rain runs down the roof, surface tension can pull some runoff underneath the edge of the shingles. Proper drip edge provides a metal surface beneath that overhang and redirects the water away from the roof-edge framing.
Without correctly installed drip edge, water may soak into the edge of the roof deck, fascia and connected framing.
The same defect can therefore create both a bat entry point and a moisture problem.
Gable-End Roof Edges
Builder’s gaps are also common along gable ends.
The aluminum fascia covering may stop too low, leaving the edge of the plywood roof deck exposed beneath the shingles. Over time, that exposed decking can warp, separate or rot.
A bat needs only one accessible section.
Covering the opening with coarse wire mesh is not the same as repairing the roof edge. Mesh may leave the wood exposed, interfere with appearance and eventually loosen or deteriorate.
The proper repair must protect the structural gap and maintain correct water drainage.
4. Chimneys & Chimney Flashings.
Chimneys create some of the most complicated entry areas on a house.
The bats are not necessarily entering through the open flue. They are often using construction gaps around the outside of the chimney.
Common chimney entry points include:
- Gaps between the chimney and the exterior wall
- Openings beneath step flashing
- Loose or separated counter-flashing
- Failed caulking around flashing
- Missing or deteriorated mortar
- Open chimney-chase tops
- Gaps where siding or soffit meets the chimney
- Unprotected flue openings
- Damaged chimney caps
- Openings around prefabricated chimney systems
A chimney can also create a hidden travel route through the house.
There is often a continuous space between the masonry or chimney enclosure and the surrounding wood framing. A bat entering near the roof may follow this chase downward into wall cavities, furnace rooms, finished basements or other parts of the building.
That is why finding a bat in a basement does not prove that it entered at ground level.
It may have entered at the chimney flashing several storeys above and travelled down the building beside the chimney.
Sealing one visible crack near the bottom of the chimney will not fix an opening at the roof.
The complete chimney area must be inspected from the roofline upward, including the flashing, masonry, soffit intersections, cap and flue openings.
5. Ridge Vents, Box Vents, Turbine Vents and Gable Vents
Roof vents are intended to move air through the attic.
Unfortunately, roof vents are not designed to be bat-proof.
The vent may look solid from the ground while the accessible gaps are not visible.
Ridge Vents
Ridge vents run along the peak of the roof above a continuous opening cut into the roof deck. The main problem is that many plastic ridge vents warp in the sun. Years of heat and temperature changes can distort the vent, loosen the nails and lift sections away from the shingles.
Once the outside edge rises, bats can crawl underneath the vent and enter through the opening in the roof deck below. Rodents may also chew through damaged plastic, creating additional access points that bats can later exploit.
From the ground, the ridge vent may still look properly installed. The entire vent must be examined closely for lifted edges, popped nails, separated sections, damaged end caps and chewed plastic. Any repair must close these openings without blocking the airflow the ridge vent was designed to provide.
Box Vents
BoxBox vents sit over rectangular openings cut directly through the roof deck. The problem is that most modern box vents are made of plastic, and many of them are not bat-proof on their own.
Heat from the sun can warp the plastic, loosen the nails and lift the edges away from the shingles. Rodents and larger animals—including mice, chipmunks, squirrels and raccoons—will also chew or tear thru the vent. Once that happens, bats can enter the attic through the openings.
For that reason, we normally protect box vents with a properly fitted box screen made from half-inch metal mesh. The screen must be durable, mechanically secured and installed so animals cannot tear it loose or chew through the vent behind it. It also has to preserve the airflow the roof vent was designed to provide.

A loose piece of screening laid underneath the vent is not dependable bat-proofing.
The entire vent needs to be protected against all wildlife, because damage caused by one animal often creates the opening bats use later.
Turbine Vents
Turbine vents contain moving components and large openings beneath the rotating head.
The turbine itself may discourage some entry while it is spinning, but it is not automatically a bat-proof device.
The supporting throat and roof opening must be inspected and protected without interfering with the turbine’s operation.
Finding One Entry Point Does Not Mean You Found the Whole Problem
The opening bats are currently using is called the active entry point.
That does not mean it is the only opening they can use.
A house may have one active soffit-to-brick intersection and several similar gaps around the other sides of the building. Once the active opening is closed, the bats may begin testing the surrounding roofline and enter through the next available gap.
This is why proper bat control must be completed in the correct order.
The Correct Bat-Control Process
1. Inspect the complete roofline
Every soffit, fascia joint, roof intersection, chimney, vent, dormer and roof edge must be examined.
2. Seal secondary and potential entry points
Openings the bats are not currently using must be closed before exclusion begins.
3. Leave the active exit temporarily available
The bats still need a controlled way to leave the building.
4. Install a properly designed one-way excluder
The excluder allows the bats to exit while preventing them from returning through the same opening.
5. Allow the colony to leave
The timing must account for weather, season and the possibility of flightless young.
Can Bat Entry Points Be Found From the Ground?
Sometimes an active opening is visible from the ground.
Signs may include:
- Dark staining around an opening
- Droppings stuck to brick or siding
- Guano beneath the exit
- A visible structural gap
- Bats emerging around sunset
- Repeated activity around one roof junction

However, many important openings are concealed:
- Behind aluminum soffit trim
- Beneath shingles
- Under chimney flashing
- Along the underside of ridge vents
- Behind gable-vent louvers
- Inside complicated roof intersections
- Beneath improperly fitted fascia covering
Ground-level photographs can help identify obvious construction problems, but they do not replace a close inspection of the complete roofline.
A homeowner may find one obvious opening while overlooking many less visible gaps around the rest of the house.
Do Bats Enter Through Open Doors and Windows?
A bat can physically fly through an open door or window. But bats do not randomly wander into houses.
That does not explain an established residential colony or repeated bats appearing inside a house.
When bats repeatedly show up indoors, the underlying issue is a colony using structural openings around the roofline and moving through connected attics, walls and chases.
A bat found near a window may have flown toward the light after emerging from inside the wall. That does not mean the window was its original entry point.
Repeated indoor appearances should not be dismissed as a series of unrelated accidents.
Why Some Houses Are Harder to Bat-Proof
A modern brick house with stable aluminum soffit, fascia and properly installed drip edge is generally easier to protect than a rustic wooden building.
Difficult buildings often contain:
- Warped wood fascia
- Tongue-and-groove soffits
- Exposed roof decking
- Multiple additions
- Complicated roof intersections
- Older chimneys
- Board-and-batten siding
- Open channels beneath metal roofing
- Decades of repairs completed by different contractors
The more transitions a building has, the more potential entry points must be inspected.

The repair materials also matter.
A permanent repair must survive heat, cold, rain, snow, ice, wind and seasonal building movement. Temporary mesh, loose screening, expanding foam and oversized smears of caulking are not substitutes for fitted and mechanically secured bat-proofing materials.
The Five Most Common Bat Entry Points at a Glance
The five roofline areas we inspect most carefully are:
- Soffit-to-brick intersections
- Soffit-to-shingle gaps at dormers and intersecting rooflines
- Builder’s gaps beneath missing or poorly installed drip edge
- Chimneys, chimney flashing and chimney chases
- Ridge vents, box vents, turbine vents and gable vents
The exact active opening is different on every house.
The larger lesson is always the same:
Bats are a structural problem. The solution is to identify and physically close the openings in the building.
Sprays do not repair roof edges.
Ultrasonic devices do not close soffit gaps.
Mothballs do not fix chimney flashing.
Bat houses do not seal roof vents.
Complete bat-proofing does.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do bats most commonly get into houses?
In our field experience, the most common entry areas are soffit-to-brick intersections, soffit-to-shingle roof junctions, builder’s gaps along roof edges, chimney and flashing openings, and unprotected roof vents.
Can bats enter through soffits?
Yes. Bats frequently enter behind loose soffit trim or through gaps where soffits meet brick walls, shingles, fascia, chimneys and dormers.
Can bats enter beneath shingles?
Yes. Bats can exploit openings beneath shingle overhangs, particularly where drip edge is missing, too short or improperly installed.
Does drip edge help prevent bats?
Properly fitted drip edge can cover the builder’s gap between the roof deck and fascia. Missing or poorly installed drip edge may leave the gap accessible.
Can bats enter through ridge vents?
Yes. Certain ridge-vent designs and poorly installed or damaged vents can leave openings beneath the edges, at the ends or along the roof peak.
Can bats enter through a chimney?
Bats may enter an open flue, but they also commonly use openings around chimney flashing, masonry, caps, soffit intersections and chimney chases.
Is sealing the active hole enough?
Usually not. If similar roofline openings remain available, the bats may move to another part of the building. Secondary openings should be sealed before the active exit is fitted with a one-way excluder.
Can every bat entry point be found from the ground?
No. Many entry points are hidden beneath shingles, flashing and aluminum trim or behind vent louvers. A close inspection of the roofline is often necessary.
Why did bats return after a wildlife company sealed the entry point?
The company may have closed only the active opening while leaving secondary gaps available. The bats can then relocate to another opening on the same building.
Will a bat house encourage bats to leave my attic?
No. A bat house does not close any openings in the house. Bats may use the bat house while continuing to occupy the building.
Need Help Identifying Bat Entry Points?
Bat Control Specialists provides complete bat-proofing throughout our Ontario service areas.
We have also completed bat work in Quebec, elsewhere in Canada and in parts of the United States, and we provide consultations on difficult bat problems across North America.
Contact Bat Control Specialists
For a telephone assessment and an honest discussion about what will be required to permanently bat-proof the building.
About Benjamin Vaughan
Benjamin Vaughan has spent 38 years specializing in bat control. His work has included residential houses, cottages, commercial buildings and large historic bat infestations throughout Ontario and Quebec, elsewhere in Canada and in parts of the United States. He also consults on difficult bat-control problems throughout North America.












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