How to deal with insects & pests in your holiday home
Learn more about the pest control measures you can take in case you discover insects & pests in your holiday home.
May 2025
It’s every landlord’s nightmare: an insect infestation in your holiday home. Creepy crawlies & bugs aren’t just unpleasant —they can also be extremely detrimental to your business, as they lead to bad reviews, cancellations, and your property lying empty. Here’s the lowdown on what pest control measures you can take in case you find any insects or pests in your holiday home.
What kind of pests infest holiday homes?
This can depend a lot on the region where your property is located. In particular, if you’re an owner of a holiday home in a warm area, pests & insects may be a recurring problem. Here are some of the most common species that you may find:
- Ants: No landlord wants to find ants in their flat. These tiny creatures are common all over the world and are particularly active in warm weather. They tend to head for the kitchen in search of food, but if there are crumbs in other rooms, they’ll go there, too. Guests may love breakfast in bed, but it can lead to ants in the bedroom.
- Cockroaches: Cockroaches are notoriously hard to get rid of, as they can live for months without food. They’re also very large, so they are particularly unpleasant and could scare guests.
- Bed bugs: At the opposite end of the size spectrum from cockroaches, bed bugs are tiny but extremely annoying. It’s very hard to get rid of an infestation, and they will colonise soft furnishings, luggage and clothes.
- Mice and rats: These rodents may enter your property in search of food. They are some of the worst creatures to find in a holiday home, as they can transmit diseases and contaminate food.
- Fleas: Fleas are a particular issue if your guests bring their pets with them. Unfortunately, these tiny bugs don’t just stick to animals —they can also hop onto humans.
- Silverfish: These small bugs are not harmful, but they are still quite disgusting. They are often found in kitchens and bedrooms.
In fact, many of these pests won’t actually harm humans —but you still wouldn’t want to find one in your bed! Guests who discover pests and bugs in your holiday home are likely to worry about your standards of hygiene and may leave negative reviews.
How to keep pests and insects out of your holiday home
They say that prevention is better than the cure, and that’s certainly the case when it comes to pests in your holiday home. Before you rent your holiday apartment out, it’s important to develop a pest control strategy. If you can stop them from appearing in the first place, your life will be a lot easier.
Remove anything edible between guests, and clean the property from top to bottom. If you use the services of a professional cleaner, look for a company with experience dealing with pests like cockroaches, bedbugs, silverfish larvae, etc.
It’s worth considering where pests like silverfish come from. If they’re not in your property already, they need to find a way in. Although bugs are very small, they can’t move through walls —they need a gap or hole somewhere to act as an entry point.
Keep in mind that the longer a property stands empty, the more likely it is to develop a pest infestation. If your holiday home only tends to be occupied on a seasonal basis, it could turn into a pest hotspot. Before you lock it up at the end of the season, clean it thoroughly. Use caps or screens to close any potential pest entry points. That includes chimneys, kitchen and bathroom vents, and gaps around doors.
Think about the nature of your property, too. A log cabin is a beautiful, romantic choice for a holiday rental — but those logs are very hard to keep pest-free. If you have a holiday home made of wood, then you’ll want someone to clean it regularly, even during the off-season.
How to deal with a pest and insect infestation
The worst thing has happened: a guest has found a cockroach in the bed! If your guests write a letter to the landlord about pests, it’s essential you act fast.
Identifying bedroom pests is a key skill for a landlord in this situation. There’s a big difference between bedbugs and silverfish larvae; the former are extremely difficult to deal with, while the latter are harmless and quite easy to kill. Once you know what you’re dealing with, you can act.
You might be able to use sprays and similar products to get rid of ants and silverfish. Just make sure to clean thoroughly afterwards, as dead insects are not a pleasant sight for your guests. In the case of bedbugs, you’ll need to call in the professionals, as they are extremely stubborn and hard to remove from a property.
When it comes to mice and rats, some landlords like to use poison. However, there are some dangers here. Firstly, dogs, cats and small children might accidentally eat it. Secondly, if you don’t know where exactly the rats or mice are, this is an ineffective method. You might kill them, but their bodies will rot in some hidden place, causing a foul smell to circulate throughout your entire property. It’s better to contact a professional to help.
How to stop a pest infestation from destroying your holiday rental business
If you have a serious pest infestation, the first step should be to log onto your holiday rental portal. Now is not the time to advertise your holiday home, as you can’t risk guests coming. Take down your advertisements temporarily from your holiday rental website.
You may already have guests booked to stay. Advise them that the property will not be available. Ideally, you’ll have an alternative property, either your own or through a partnership with another local landlord. You may or may not want to tell the guests what has happened. Some landlords prefer to keep it quiet, as guests may immediately think the worst about your hygiene and refuse to rent your holiday home in the future.
To keep guests happy, offer them alternative accommodation of the same or a higher standard, available at no extra cost. This may end up costing you money out of pocket. For this reason, check your holiday rental’s insurance. Some insurers offer protection against pest infestations.
In the worst-case scenario, a guest may already be staying at the property when the infestation happens. Whatever you do, do not accuse the guest of bringing bugs into your home. Try to offer them alternative accommodation, as above. You may also want to present them with special deals, vouchers, free meals, and so on as an apology. Remember, you may not be able to control pests coming into your property, but you can always control your reaction.