Cockroaches and refunds

[Brian311]

We have a guests staying for about 2 weeks, half way through their stay they are complaining that there are cockroaches in the house. Our properties are on an island (tropical weather), therefore a cockroach entering the house is not unheard of, although we haven't had any complaints whatsoever this year.

They called this evening, after a series of  'coincidental series of events' that I wouldn't like to go through here...

In any case I explained that we have no control over cockroaches entering the house and that I can spray the house tomorrow morning. I feel there is nothing more to do. However the guests are indicating that they will probably leave tomorrow to go to a hotel and I'm assuming that they will request a refund.

I don't feel they are entitled to any sort of refund in this case, however I wanted to get some feedback.

What are your views?

Thanks!

[Zappa0]

Maybe in oklahoma but on an island in tropical areas, they are part of life.

[Sarah977]

No Ashley, they may be caused by the things you mention IN OKLAHOMA but not in the tropics.

Homes in the tropics are generally not sealed units unless they always have AC on. Doors and windows tend to be left open during the day when people are home. That's part of the appeal of living in the tropics. We can't put a sign on the doorstep saying "No cockroaches allowed past this point". Even fumigation only works to a point. My neighbor had her whole house fumigated and a week later her 2 friends who were visiting each got a scorpion sting.

[Sarah977]

The guests did not get "run off" by cockroaches, nor is there any indication that it was an "infestation". They are freaked out by bugs and should never have gone to the tropics. Or they could have booked the penthouse suite at the Four Seasons.

[Melanie1063]

I’d like to know a little more about the coincidences. Did they contribute to the guests dissatisfaction or were they part of the bug complaint? 
   We also host in a subtropical zone and bugs are part of life here as much as we try to keep them at bay. 
  We have had guests comments and some guests have gone out and bought bug poison and deterrents.
Asking for money back is a bit extreme and I don’t think warranted  

[Kelly149]

@Brian311 please let us know what happens. I would expect from past experience with CS & forum notices that CS will refund them 100% of nights they don't stay and possibly even partial amounts for the days they have stayed. 

Would love to know what is actually offered to your guests.  You will likely not be the one to decide

[Elena540]

Hello, this message is coming from a person on the "other side" - the guest 🙂 

What if your guest saw one cockroach in the living room and sprayed the area this roach came out from and gradually- within 2,5 hours - 65 roaches came out from this area (cupboards as part of the wall).

Would you refund them in this case ? I totally understand there is no control over roaches 1 -2 - 3 -5 randomly passing by.

But if your guest found their nest in the house ( not in kitchen /bathroom) - what would you do? I am having a problem getting a refund for 2 nights and thus asking your opinion.

Can you imagine killing huge roaches one by one within 2,5 hours - after midnight - and then cleaning up their intestants and everything from the floor. Would you feel you wanted your money back? 

I live in an apartment where I see them from time to time. Our building preforms disinsectisation once a year. Sould owners of RBNB do this with their apartments ? I need some help with what to do and this aksing on this thread 🙂 

[Paul154]

@Elena540

Why do you need to get a refund for the 2 nights you stayed there?

Did you enjoy the apartment before your discovery? Did you have shelter? A safe place to be? Convenience?

After your unfortunate discovery, did the cockroaches calm down and stop being a nuisance? Could you have continued to enjoy the apartment?

Elena, you are not a powerless victim.  You could have left. That is in your right and reasonable. You would have gotten your money back for the remaining days. Why dramatize events and elevate your discomfort just for some cash?

In some places, cockroaches are normal (especially NYC). They needn't be a sign of cleanliness or level of care. They are a natural part of the enviroment.

Please also take the host's view. You are asking him to give you back all your money. Yet, you still will probably review him poorly. 

Why should he pay for your bad review? 

It is reasonable to leave a place if it is not up to your standard. You can leave a bad review and get your remaining money back.

It is not reasonable to stay in a place that is not up to your standards, leave a bad review and then expect to get all your money back.

[Ashley215]

Scenario: you have no other place to book and have to stay another night. You should get minimum the cleaning fee refunded if the place isnt clean, ideally one night if you chose to stay (even if you have no options and the host was untruthful before you rented when asking about roaches), that would be the happy medium to spare each other terribly bad reviews and grief.

[Michael956]

You are not listening to the hosts who live in the tropics.  Roaches in tropical climates do NOT mean the house is dirty.  They are part of the environment and will appear the moment food or drink is spilled.   Don't be so judgemental.  

[Ashley215]

Did the cockroaches calm down? 😂 are you talking about  a pet schnauzer or a cockroach. They dont "calm down" and you can't enjoy a home with cockroaches everywhere because its a direcy reflection of the condition and cleanliness of the property. Its not safe as they carry disease and cause allergies. So your questions are irrelevant. No person should be required to pay to stay in a space infested by cockroaches. No justification unless it was in tbe listing "May have cockroaches. Insecticide spray is supplied. You will find it in the hall closet." Otherwise if the host has knowledge and the guest doesnt and suffers an adverse quality of stay, the host needs to respect that problem and resolve it correctly instead of blowing it off.

[Sarah977]

Actually Ashley, the homes of those of us who live in the tropics are probably way cleaner than homes in places where there is not a large natural population of insects. If we don't clean thoroughly, and often, the bugs will take up residence in a few days or even hours. Everything gets moved and cleaned behind, under and around, we can't have cluttered spaces, or leave piles of clothes or bedding around. Food has to be put away, counters wiped down immediately after food prep. An empty cookie wrapper can be crawling with ants within 15 min. Garbage removed daily, compost buried. My maid comes every week for 4 hours (and I clean constantly)- she always lifts off the couch cushions, checks behind the pictures on the wall, etc. I open out the curtains fully once a week to check if something has hidden itself in the folds. One day she found a nest of huge ants, complete with thousands of eggs, under the couch cushion on the concrete bench. She had just cleaned there the week before. Another day she found a mouse nest in my living room game drawer. You really don't know what you're talking about when it comes to the tropics.

[David1567]

I have a property in Hawaii and 2 of the last 3 guests said they had a roach problem. In 4+ years these are the only complanits I've received. The property is treated by a pest company quarterly, after the 2nd complaint I had a pest inspection and they found no roach activity. I'm wondering if it's a case of guests trying to gain a discount or free vacation. They didin't push the issue, if they had I would offer a refund of the cleaning fee. 

I'm confident in the conditon and upkeep of my property so I'm not really apt to offer refunds.

[Ashley215]

Roaches dont always come out until its late at night and lights are off and a little water in the sink or a dirty counter is left unclean. They wont come out during the afternoon inspection done by the exterminator. If they find activity thats just more work for them. So they're inclined to call it good. Most renters dont go back to the kitchen after lights are out and will never see the roach problem that is brewing.

[Paul154]

You are in a hard spot.  You are stressed because you don't know the intentions of the guests.

Are they scammers? Are they squemish? Are they unrealistic? Are they merely bored? Did they find a better place for less?

Will a discount quell their discomfort?

The fear of the unknown is usually worse than reality.

To compound these problems, Airbnb has an anti-host policy of treating all "bug" problems as a reason to give your money away.

We all feel your pain. I live in Seattle, where we have few bugs. No cockroaches, no mosquitoes, very few flies. Yet we do get small ants and spiders sometimes. All non-venemous. They come regardless of cleanliness or availability of food. Yet, I cringe when Airbnb's computer scolds me about a guest complaining about "bugs".  Airbnb paints this Biblical picture of hoards of cockroaches, flies and pestilence.

In light of Airbnb's anti-host policy, you will reduce your financial risk and stress by limiting the length of your guest stays.

Why risk 2 weeks of income? Longer stays should be administered outside of Airbnb.

I hope this turns out well for you.

[Fred13]

@Paul Exceptional post, very well reasoned.

@Ashley215I am in total agreement with you. However, keep in mind you are in Oklahoma, @Brian311 is in Malta in the middle of the sub-tropical Mediterranean, where the cockroaches are a lot more aggressive and a more formidable enemy. There they not only visit your kitchen, but may take it and all the food away altogether to start their own cooking. 😉