A guest complained about bugs. How should I respond?

Reply quickly, kindly, and without arguing about whether it happened. How you handle the first hour shapes the review more than the bug does. Then find out what it actually was, fix it before the next guest, and keep a record. If the complaint turns out to be wrong, your records make that case for you. An angry message never does.

Bugs turn up in well-run places too. Ants find a crumb, cockroaches come up drains in warm places, and bed bugs ride in on luggage, sometimes the luggage of the guest before. Guests judge what you do next.

Reply in the first hour

1. Thank them and say you are on it. Skip “that has never happened before” and “are you sure?”. Try: “Thank you for telling me straight away. I’m sorry, and I want to fix this today.”
2. Ask for photos. The bug itself, where they found it, and any bites if they are happy to share. Photos help you identify it, and they are part of your record.
3. Offer a fix they can choose. For ants or a single cockroach, a same day visit and treatment may be enough. For suspected bed bugs, offer another unit if you have one, or follow the platform’s rebooking and refund rules. Never ask someone to sleep in a bed they think has bed bugs.
4. Keep it all in the platform’s messages. If it ends in a refund claim or a dispute, that thread is the record. A phone call leaves you nothing to show.

Find out what it actually was

• Ants are a nuisance, not a crisis. Wipe the trail, bait it rather than spraying, and close the gap they came through. See ants.
• A small, tan cockroach with two dark stripes behind the head is likely a German cockroach. It breeds indoors, so it needs a proper plan, not a quick spray.
• A large, reddish cockroach in a warm place is often an American cockroach in from a drain or outside. Covers on drains and sealed gaps matter most.
• Bed bugs leave dark spots, pale shed skins and sometimes live bugs in mattress seams, the headboard and the bed frame. If you find any, call a pest professional. The bed bug guide shows what to look for.

Bites on their own do not prove which bug it was, or that it was in your place. Mosquitoes, fleas and bed bugs can all look alike on skin. More on that in something bites me at night.

If you think the complaint is not genuine

You may be right. You may not. Either way, do not accuse anyone in writing. Get the room inspected, ideally by a pest professional who gives you a dated, written report. If they find nothing, send that report to the platform through its resolution process, with your turnover records.

Keep in mind that a clean inspection is a snapshot. Bed bugs are hard to spot early on, so put interceptor cups under the bed legs and keep checking for a few weeks before you treat it as closed.

Whose fault is it? With bed bugs, it is very hard for anyone to prove. Any guest can bring them in. What you owe the guest depends on the platform’s policy and local consumer law, which varies by country. Read the platform’s host terms first, and if money is at stake, ask a local consumer advice body or a host association.

Fix it before the next guest

Block the next stay in that room until you know what you are dealing with. For bed bugs, follow the professional’s advice on when the room is ready again. Then set up a routine so you catch the next one early: how to stop bed bugs between guests has the turnover check.

Kids and pets: guests bring both. Keep any bait or traps behind appliances or in cupboards a visiting child cannot open, as the label says, and leave out anything the label says is unsuitable around children or animals.

Writing the reviews

Replying to theirs. Short, factual, no argument. Thank them, say what happened and what you did. For example: “Thank you for reporting the ants on your second day. The kitchen was treated that afternoon, and we have since sealed the gap they came in through.” Future guests read your reply as closely as the complaint. A true review with a calm fix underneath it often reads better than no review at all.

Reviewing the guest. Review them on what you would review anyone on: communication, how they left the place, the house rules. Leave the bugs and the refund out. If you believe a claim was false, take it to the platform with your evidence, not to a public review.

Keep a record

• The date and time of the complaint, and the guest’s photos.
• What you offered, and when.
• The pest professional’s report and invoice.
• Your turnover checklist for the stays before and after.