Guest says there are bed bugs in the homestay? Do not argue first. Move the guest or offer a refund for the remaining nights, ask for photos, block the unit from new bookings and call a pest control company. At Antlerzone a unit is not sold again until treatment is finished.
This article is for homestay owners who want to know what should happen when a guest reports bed bugs, and who pays for it. It describes a type of incident that happens in the accommodation business, not a story about a particular guest of ours. We also do not label any group of people: bed bugs travel in anyone's luggage, including our own.
Why is a bed bug report different from a "not clean" complaint?
In our article on handling a cleanliness complaint we wrote one line about this: once a guest mentions insects, bed bugs or mould, it stops being an ordinary cleanliness complaint. It becomes a health issue.
There are three reasons:
- The guest cannot sleep there tonight. Hair in the sink takes five minutes to fix. Bed bugs do not.
- The problem can move. Bed bugs hide in the seams of luggage and clothes. If nothing is done, they can go home with the guest or come in with the next one.
- The platforms treat it as a health risk. Airbnb's help centre lists bed bugs alongside mould and allergens as issues that pose an immediate health risk.
So we do not start with "are there really bed bugs?". We start with "where is the guest sleeping tonight?".
Do bed bugs mean the unit is dirty?
Not necessarily. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says bed bugs are not attracted to dirt or grime. They are attracted to warmth, blood and carbon dioxide. A clean unit can still get bed bugs if someone carries them in.
That matters to owners in two ways. Bed bugs are not proof that the cleaner was lazy. But they are also not a reason to dismiss the complaint. A clean unit with bed bugs still cannot be sold until it is treated.
How do you tell whether it really is bed bugs?
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists signs you can see. We ask the guest for photos or a video where possible, and our team checks the same things once the guest has been moved.
| Sign | What to look for | How strong is the evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Live or dead bugs | Small reddish-brown insects in mattress seams, pillowcases, headboard | Strong |
| Eggs or shed skins | Pale empty shells in mattress folds or bed frame joints | Strong |
| Rusty or dark spots | Marks like rust or ink dots on sheets and mattress | Medium |
| Sweet, musty smell | An odd smell around the bed | Weak, needs other signs |
| Bites on the skin only | Red marks, sometimes in a line | Weak: the CDC says bed bug bites look like mosquito or flea bites and can take 1 to 14 days to appear |
That last row matters. Bites that show up on day two do not prove the bugs came from our unit. Bites a guest picked up somewhere else can also appear while they are staying with us. That is why we look for the bugs themselves, not only the bites.
What do we do in the first hour?
This is the order we follow when a guest reports bed bugs:
- Reply straight away and do not argue. The first message is "thank you for telling us, we are handling it now", not "our unit is clean".
- Ask for photos or video. Of the bug, where it was found, and the mattress seams if possible.
- Offer options for tonight. A move to another empty unit if one is available, or a refund for the remaining nights if the guest prefers to leave. We do not ask anyone to sleep in that bed "just one more night".
- Advise on their belongings. Do not put bags on the beds or sofa in that unit, and carry clothes in a closed bag. Clothes can be washed and dried on heat at home.
- Block the unit's calendar. No new bookings until the pest control company gives a result. If the next guest has already booked, we tell them early and offer another unit or a refund.
- Tell the owner the same day. With the photos, what was offered to the guest, and when pest control is coming.
If the guest booked on Airbnb, they have 72 hours from discovering the problem to report it to Airbnb. Airbnb may give a full or partial refund, or find another place. We prefer to sort it out directly with the guest first, which is also what Airbnb asks guests to do.
Why don't we just spray it ourselves?
Because it rarely works. The EPA says pesticides alone do not easily get rid of bed bugs: control needs several methods together plus monitoring, and some populations are resistant. Their advice is to use a qualified pest management professional.
Bed bugs can also live for several months without feeding (CDC). So "leave the unit empty for a week" does not solve anything.
For owners this means treatment is done by a registered pest control company, with a written report and usually a follow-up visit. We do not put a cost figure in this article, because the price depends on the unit size and treatment method and we did not find a reliable price list. Ask for a written quote before work starts.
What happens when a report is not handled?
Two Malaysian cases reported in the media show the risk:
- Melaka, 2020. The Star reported that health officers, MOTAC and the city council inspected a hotel after guest complaints. Close to a dozen bed bugs were found in a 30-minute inspection. The hotel got a warning letter and was ordered to deal with it immediately, with possible temporary closure if it did not.
- Putrajaya, 2025. SAYS reported on a couple who found bed bugs and eggs on a hotel pillow. Their video passed a million views. According to the guest, staff gave them a new room key without an apology; later the manager contacted them and gave a full refund.
The lesson for a homestay: the real cost is not only the treatment. It is the bad review, the viral video and the empty nights during treatment. A polite answer in the first hour is much cheaper than all of that.
Who pays for the treatment, the refund and the lost nights?
This is the part owners will not enjoy, so we say it plainly.
| Cost | Who usually carries it | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Refund of remaining nights to the guest | The unit's revenue (lower on the owner statement) | The guest could not use what they paid for |
| Pest control treatment | The owner, as unit maintenance | It is almost impossible to prove which guest brought the bugs in |
| Sheets, pillowcases or a mattress that must be replaced | The owner | They belong to the unit |
| Nights blocked during treatment | Nobody: it is lost income | The unit cannot be sold |
| Deduction from the guest's deposit | Usually none | See below |
Can we deduct from the guest's deposit? Our default direct-booking deposit is RM200, and every deduction needs photos and has to be tied to a booking that checked out within 7 days of the reference date (the same rules as in our deposit deduction article). With bed bugs it is almost impossible to show which guest brought them in. So we do not deduct from the guest who reported them, and we do not accuse earlier guests without evidence. RM200 would not cover a full treatment anyway.
Insurance? We do not buy insurance for owners. Whether an owner's policy covers bed bugs is a question for your agent; many home policies exclude pests. See our homestay insurance article.
One more thing: on plans where we take a percentage of gross revenue, a refund lowers our income too. But the treatment and the blocked nights fall mostly on the owner. That is a conflict of interest you should know about, and it is why each cost appears as its own line on the monthly statement.
What is fair to the guest?
A guest who finds real bed bugs usually does not ask for much: a safe bed tonight, and their money back for the nights they did not use. That is what we offer first.
If the guest asks for a full refund including nights they used comfortably, we assess it the way we describe in guest demands a full refund: is there evidence, when was the problem found, and what was already offered. If a guest uses the complaint to threaten a bad review, we follow how we handle review threats.
But if there are real bed bugs in the photo, we do not haggle for long. Bed bugs in a viral video cost more than one night.
How do you lower the risk of bed bugs?
Nothing guarantees bed bugs will never arrive, because they travel in guests' luggage. What helps:
- Cleaners check mattress seams and the headboard when changing sheets, not only empty the bins.
- White or light sheets and pillowcases, so spots and bugs are easier to see.
- Zipped mattress encasements in units that are booked most nights.
- Less clutter under the beds. The EPA notes clutter gives bed bugs more places to hide.
- A luggage rack so guests do not put bags on the bed.
- Every report is logged even when nothing is found, so a repeat at the same unit is noticed early.
Questions to ask a management company
Ask every company you are considering, including us:
- If a guest finds bed bugs at midnight, who answers and how fast?
- Is the unit blocked until treatment is finished, or does it keep selling?
- Who chooses the pest control company, and does the owner see the quote before work starts?
- How do the refund and the treatment cost appear on the monthly statement?
The other layers of protection (deposit, guest score, eKYC) are in problem guests: deposit, guest score and eKYC.
Summary
Bed bugs are not proof that a unit is dirty, and they are not something to argue about with a guest. Move the guest, block the unit, call a professional, and write every cost down clearly. We manage more than 100 units in Johor Bahru and Desaru, and we cannot promise bed bugs will never appear. What we can promise is how we act when they do.
If you own a unit and want to know how we handle complaints, treatment and statements for your unit, contact us through the owner enquiry form.