Bedbug Control Greenwich

Why a Short Let Is Different

Greenwich draws a lot of visitors to the Royal Observatory, the Cutty Sark and the riverside, and a flat let by the night turns over far more often than one let by the year. Every arrival brings a suitcase that has been in other rooms, other trains and other cities. None of that is the host's fault, but the host is the one who has to deal with it.

The other difference is time. In a home you can live with a follow-up visit a fortnight later. In a let, every night the room is out of use is a night you are not taking bookings, and every night it stays in use without a treatment risks a guest finding them.

What to Check at Each Changeover

Cleaners are the people most likely to spot it first, so it is worth telling them exactly where to look. A quick look at the same places each time is worth more than a deep search once a year:

• The piping and seams of the mattress, especially at the head end
• The joints and screw holes of the bed frame, and behind the headboard
• The luggage rack or the spot where guests leave their cases
• The seams of any sofa bed, which gets used by a second guest
• Sheets and pillowcases before they go in the wash — small dark spots or rust-coloured smears

Interceptor cups under the bed legs can help a cleaner see whether anything is moving between guests. Our guide on whether bedbug traps and monitors work explains what they will and will not tell you.

When a Guest Reports Bites

Take it seriously and take it in writing, but do not treat a bite complaint as proof on its own. Bites vary a great deal, some people do not react at all, and plenty of other things bite. Block the next booking if you can, ask the guest for any photos, and get the room looked at.

An inspection starts at £120 and tells you whether you are dealing with bedbugs before you spend money treating a room that does not need it. If the guest has a skin reaction, point them to a pharmacist or GP, and to 999 for any sign of a severe allergic reaction.

Heat or Chemical for a Let

For most short lets heat is the route that fits, because it kills eggs as well as adults and is usually finished in one visit. The flat is out of use for most of a day and comes back once it has cooled, so you lose one night rather than a fortnight of uncertainty. Toiletries and aerosols left for guests, candles and any spare medication in the bathroom cabinet come out first.

Chemical treatment costs less but runs as a course: usually two visits, sometimes three, about 10–14 days apart, because the insecticide does not reliably reach the eggs. Some hosts use it when the flat has a quiet spell anyway. If the let sits in a converted house or a block, a light residual at the edges after heat is worth discussing. Our page on putting a room back into service covers the sign-off in more depth, and heat treatment explains the day itself.

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