The message rarely comes at a good time: a weekend evening, or early in the morning just before check-out. The urge to reassure straight away is as risky as the urge to dispute. If the insects really are there, the next guest will meet them; if they aren't, you'll have nothing to show it.
This guide splits the day into four moments, suggests wording to reuse in your own words and shows management companies how to protect the other properties in their portfolio while the situation becomes clear.
First moment: acknowledge in writing
Reply through the platform's messaging: the exchange is dated and kept. Your message should show that you take the report seriously, without drawing any conclusion.
Example to adapt: "Thank you for letting us know so quickly. We are arranging for a professional to check the property. Could you send us a few photos of what you saw?"
- Ask for clear photos of the insect, ideally kept in a bag or stuck to a piece of tape.
- Ask for photos of the sheets too and, if the guest agrees, of the marks on the skin.
- Suggest washing clothes at 60 °C or putting them in a hot tumble dryer on returning home, so no insects travel with them.
Second moment: close the calendar and freeze the property
Block every night until the inspection result is in. Reletting a possibly affected property means risking a second report, harder to explain than the first. If someone is due to arrive that day, let them know and rely on the assistance procedures the platform provides.
Ask the cleaning team to keep to the bare minimum: no vacuuming the bed, no washing the covers, linen left sealed in a bag. The evidence must stay in place for the technician.
Third moment: get it confirmed
The inspection answers a simple question: is there insect activity in this property, and of what kind? The technician examines the bedding, bed frame, skirting boards, sockets, upholstered furniture and surroundings (landing, ducts, adjoining flat if access is possible).
This is the first stage of the Sentinel Protocol: inspect. The findings are photographed and dated in a report emailed on the day of the visit.
Fourth moment: decide, then inform
The decision is based on the report, not on the worry of the moment.
- No sign found: keep the report, let the guest know tactfully and reopen the calendar. The marks may come from another insect or from a previous accommodation.
- Activity confirmed: treatment is scheduled. Dry steam and heat treatment often allow a quick return; an insecticide requires a re-entry time given in writing.
- Either way, send the guest a factual message describing what was done, without unnecessary technical detail.
- The file is only closed after the check visit set out in the protocol.
If you manage several properties
For a management company, the stakes go beyond the property concerned. Keep that property's linen and cleaning equipment separate, put it last on the round of whoever cleans it, and inspect first the properties that share its team, its linen store or a wall.
Then gather the documents: messages, photos, inspection and treatment reports, invoices, reopening date. Check your insurance policy too: pest cover is often limited, or excluded altogether.
The day after a report, in 6 actions
In this order, even if the report seems unlikely to you.
- 1
Move 1
Reply
Dated message via the platform, neither admitting nor disputing.
- 2
Move 2
Ask for evidence
Photos of the insect, the sheets and the marks; where the previous nights were spent.
- 3
Move 3
Close the nights
Calendar blocked until the inspection report.
- 4
Move 4
Freeze the cleaning
Minimal cleaning, linen sealed away, evidence left in place.
- 5
Move 5
Have it inspected
Slot booked, photo report received on the day of the visit.
- 6
Move 6
Decide and write
Treat or reopen according to the report, then inform the guest with the facts.
The tick list
A guest report: the first dayTick on screen or print the page: the list fits on a single sheet.
Your questions
The guest wants a refund: what should I say?
Don't commit to anything before you have the inspection report. The platform has its own claims procedures, set out in the terms available from your host account; the dated report lets you respond on concrete evidence.
The guest may have brought the insects: does that change anything?
It is almost impossible to prove, and it doesn't change the priority: if the property is affected, it must be treated. The guest's previous nights mainly help you assess the risk to your other properties.
Can I spray an insecticide while waiting for the technician?
Better not. Aerosols scatter bed bugs into neighbouring rooms and flats, complicate the inspection and lengthen the treatment.
How long should the file be kept?
At least until any claim is settled. Keeping it afterwards in the property's history shows, if the question comes up again, that you reacted methodically.
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.
