Expert Dératisation
Tourist accommodation · Airbnb

Short-term rentals: keep your place pest-free from one booking to the next

Whether you let your flat for a few weeks a year or run a portfolio of properties as a management company, we inspect, treat and document between stays.

Who it's forPrivate short-term letting hosts and property management companies

Bright living room of a furnished flat let by the night

The 4 spots to check

  1. 1Mattress piping and corners
  2. 2Rear of the headboard
  3. 3Skirting and sockets by the bed
  4. 4Suitcase stand and wardrobe

At every changeover, mattress bare, torch held at a low angle.

Key point

In a flat let by the night, pests mostly arrive with luggage and deliveries, however clean the place is. What limits the damage is a regular check during each clean and a professional inspection at the first sign, before the calendar reopens.

Why it's different

A studio let all year round sees dozens of suitcases, shopping bags and parcels within a few months. For a bed bug, a cockroach or a mouse, every changeover is an open door: the insect travels in the seam of a bag, the mouse slips through a cellar door left ajar.

We follow the Sentinel Protocol: inspect the property and its surroundings, treat only what needs treating, sanitise and seal entry points, then follow up with a check visit and advice. The visit fits into a gap in your schedule and the photo report reaches you by email on the day, whether you let your own home or manage properties for several owners.

Sentinel Protocol

Four stages, always in the same order

Diagnosis first, the right treatment next, then a written record of everything that was done.

  1. 1

    Inspect

    A full tour of the property or rooms, signs recorded, entry points and risk areas identified.

  2. 2

    Treat

    A proportionate treatment chosen from the inspection: dry steam, heat treatment, gel or secured bait stations.

  3. 3

    Sanitise

    Gaps sealed and proofed, cleaning where needed, advice on storage and hygiene.

  4. 4

    Follow up

    Check visit under the protocol, photo report and active vigilance between visits.

If nothing is done

What an untreated infestation costs you

  • A frozen calendar

    Until the property has been treated and checked, it cannot host guests. The later the detection, the longer the closure.

  • A review anyone can read

    A comment mentioning bites or an insect in the kitchen stays readable by every future guest.

  • A whole portfolio exposed

    Linen, cleaning bags and trolleys move from one flat to the next: one affected property can contaminate another.

  • An infestation next door

    Cockroaches and bed bugs travel through ducts and partition walls. If the building isn't treated at the same time, they come back.

What we bring in practice

  • A slot between two stays

    We look at your calendar with you and estimate in advance how many nights to close, depending on the technique chosen.

  • Remote access

    Key safe, caretaker or management company: you don't need to travel, the report reaches you by email.

  • The way in identified

    Suitcase, party wall, water riser or bin store: the inspection looks for how the pest got in so that route can be sealed.

  • Certified technicians

    Holders of the French Certibiocide licence, they use approved products and give you in writing the waiting time before you relet.

What every visit includes

An illustrated report

Photos of the findings, areas treated, products used and instructions for reletting, sent the same day.

Price shown, paid before the visit

You choose a 2-hour slot, 7 days a week from 8 am to 8 pm, and pay online: nothing to negotiate on site.

Follow-up planned from the outset

The protocol includes a check visit. The technician adapts the next steps to what they observe and leaves you written advice.

Pests we deal with

  • Bed bugs
  • German cockroaches
  • House mice and rats
  • Fleas (pet-friendly properties)
  • Ants
  • Food and fabric moths

Your questions

Answers to the questions we are asked most often before a visit.

How long does the property stay closed?

It depends on the technique and on how far the infestation has spread. After dry steam or heat treatment, guests can often return quickly; an insecticide requires an airing period stated on the sheet the technician leaves. We give you an estimate before you book.

Do reported bites necessarily mean bed bugs?

No. Mosquitoes, fleas, harvest mites or simple irritation can leave similar marks. Only physical evidence (insects, droppings, shed skins) allows a conclusion, and that is what the inspection looks for.

I let my main home for a few weeks a year: does this apply to me?

Yes, as much as to a professional manager. The same suitcases pass through your home, and an infestation affects you outside the letting periods too. The approach is the same: a check at each clean, an inspection at the slightest doubt.

Can you come when I'm not there?

Yes, as soon as access is arranged. The photo report is emailed to you the same day and you can forward it to the owner or the management company.

Spotted a sign at the last clean?

Close the next few nights and book an inspection in a 2-hour slot: the photo report helps you decide on the day whether to treat or reopen.

Do you also run another type of accommodation? B&Bs, gîtes, hotels and residences →

Airbnb and Booking.com are trademarks of their respective owners, mentioned only to set the context. Expert Dératisation has no partnership or affiliation with these platforms.