Does Airbnb offer any support for bed bug remediation?

[Erika123]

Hi all,

We have a high-end rental. It's our family house where we live, so we rent it only rarely. Last weekend, we rented the house to a large group. Then this past week I found what I am pretty sure is a bed bug on my bed. Since we have so few guests, I am fairly certain the bed bugs came from my last guests. Does Airbnb offer any support on this issue? Has anyone had luck getting Airbnb to help pay for bed bug remediation? What about linking it to the last guests?

Thank you in advance for your advice. 

Erika

If anyone from Airbnb customer service is reading this message--this is an issue you cannot ignore. Hosts and guests need protection. Hosts could pay insurance and receive a payout for remediation if they get bed bugs. Airbnb could also deploy bed bug sniffing dogs to help hosts identify if they have bed bugs. Airbnb shoul do quality control of their hosts to be sure bed bugs aren't getting spread. Getting rid of bed bugs can cost thousands of dollars. If we do have an infestation (I am now taking steps to find out) we will absolutely shut down our listing. It is not worth the risk.

[Gerry-And-Rashid0]

@Erika123

It's unfortunate - but you are unlikely to have any success with AirBnB under any of their policies. THere are certain risks we all accept as hosts - and bed bugs is one of them. Also you have no proof which guest may have brought the bed bugs in to your property. In addition, you are not even sure if it is a bed bug. Personally I would be grateful that no guests have put in a complaint about being bitten by beg bugs and I would use a specialist company to check if it is in fact a bed bug, and get them to treat the bed.

It's a growing problem (reported in papers and online) due to people travelling more - however I am not aware of any insurance company that insures for that sort of risk. Others may have different information....

[Erika123]

Thank you!

Now I am realizing I should cancel upcoming reservations since I do not want to expose anyone or further spread this problem. Ugh.

[Jann3]

If you DO cancel, do it right. Call AirBnB, explain that they last guest left bedbugs and while you do not expect them (AirBnB or guest) to pay to be remidiated, can AirBnB help you reaccomodate future guests while you take care of the issue? MAKE SURE you ask AirBnB that this not be a "host cancel" that affects your future standing or numbers...

[Erika123]

Updates! An Airbnb customer service person was able to look at the picture I took and confirmed that it was indeed a bed bug. I worked with Airbnb to cancel my next guest. Now the next guest is requesting a refund, which of course I will grant, but I am confused--am I actually paying this guest $ that I have not yet received from Airbnb?

Now wish me luck in eliminating bed bugs in a 4 bedroom house.

[Fred13]

No you are not, it is being deducted; their message on this is a bit confusing. You are not paying guests for money YOU have not been paid. Airbnb has their money.

As to the bed bug issue, I would get very well versed on how to ~prevent it~, easier than reacting to it and have to cancel future guests.

[David126]

Not sure I would rely on a AirBnB CS rep to make such a call.

[Becky105]

I am going through this as we speak. Airbnb does absolutely nothing to assist hosts from preventing bed bugs or with remediation after. I have to pay for the removal of the bugs - that were brought in by an Airbnb guest, of course - and will also lose quite a bit of income because of this. Airbnb pulls your listing and cancels all future reservations until you have proof that you are bed bug free. This is very very costly to hosts. Really not even worth renting through Airbnb because of the reality that any host could go through this over and over. 

[Bryan-and-Monica0]

Hello Fellow Airbnbers! My wife and I are super hosts and also own/operate a bed bug remediation business (heat treatments only, no chemicals). We have approached Airbnb multiple times in an effort to partner with them (via Host-Assist) in order to help other Airbnb hosts with this growing problem. Of course, we can only help the hosts in our area (New England), but it is a start and would help hosts get ahead of the problem instead of reacting to it. Even though we know what to look for and can treat our own home, we still worry about a guest introducing them into our home and potentially impacting other guests. One bad review would be devastating to our currently strong reviews.

[Franny4]

I’ve just encountered the same issue! We found one dead bug after our renters. I’m pregnant and was preparing for a nursery in the room when I discovered the bug a few months after our last Airbnb stay. @Bryan-and-Monica0 I’d love to speak with you about your treatment - am so weary about having to pay out of pocket and that Airbnb won’t cover any of these expenses even though they supposedly have insurance to cover hosts! Hoping that one of the responses on here is correct and that at least they’ll reimburse for a bed bug dog...

[Pete69]

In the future make sure and have a bed bug proof mattress cover.

[Mark1644]

That just protects the mattress itself. It doesn't prevent an infestation. 

[Mark1644]

Hi Erika, I host in Oakland and I just had one bedbug from a recent--apparently. I had a canine inspection and they confirmed that it was a bedbug but could find no further evidence of an infestation. It was a wake up call for me. I am so angry at Airbnb at how HOPELESS their response has been. You would think they would at least have some tips for hosts who encounter this. And some kind of prevention assistance, but they are cowardly trying to pretend it's not an issue. For every host like us that is aware and stops doing it, they know they can find five new hosts that aren't aware of the risks. Also they claim to have $1,000,000 insurance policies to protect your property but this is also a manipulative claim. 

[Erika123]

Mark I am so sorry you are going through this! I hope you indeed had a lone bug. Amazingly that's what happened to us, but it gave me nightmares. We also had a canine inspection and the inspector said it's very rare that there's only one male bug but apparently that's what we had since that was the end of it. I've pushed that experience out of my mind and haven't had any incidents since that one, but we only have 5-6 stays per year. Good luck and I hope your saga is short-lived too. I talked to someone nice at Airbnb when I called about it and they said they would pay for the canine inspection. I can't remember if I followed through on getting reimbursed, but it could be worth trying if you decide to pursue it.