Guests brought cockroaches into the house - will Airbnb cover the exterminator cost?

[Jason525]

We have rented rooms out of our home through Airbnb since 2014, averaging 60 reservations a year over the past two years.  We have lived in our home since 2009.  We have never had cockroaches.

A family checked in three days ago.  Yesterday, while cleaning their bathroom, I found an adult cockroach.  Will Airbnb cover the cost of an exterminator if it is likely that guests brought cockroaches or other insects with them, such as bedbugs, and they infest the room/house?

[Rowena29]

Hi @Jason525 

I think it is unlikely, as it would be almost impossible to prove that a guest brought the insects with them - especially cockroaches.  Also I think you might be panicking a bit   -  it's a bit of a leap to go from one adult cockroach to presuming your guests have brought bedbugs

Adult cockroaches can usually fly, so this bug could have come from anywhere.  Acutally an adult cockroach is much better to have than babies  -the presence of  babies implies they are breeding somewhere in your home.

There are usually cockroach bombs that you can buy form most supermarkets quite cheaply. They are very effective if you follow the directions.

Good luck!

[Jason525]

Hi, Rowena.  Thank you for your reply.  I am not presuming they brought bedbugs - I just included that as an example of what could end up in a host's house.  I agree, also, that you could never prove a guest brought something into the house: everyone in today's world moves around so much... I could have brought something back from my last stay in a hotel.  I was pondering that last night as I went for a walk, and saw a cockroach on the sidewalk, first time I ever observed that in this town.  Might be because we have had an especially warm and wet summer.

Insect control is something I decided I will start planning for and budgeting for, as being in the hospitality business with a steady stream of visitors from all over the world means 'when' vs 'if' something happens.