A first-time Airbnb host has been forced to refund her guests half of what they paid because they found cockroaches crawling through her home during their stay.
Single Sydney parent, Sara Mulcahy, was ordered to pay back $740 after British guests complained about the insect infestation in the $345 per-night terrace.
The tourists weren’t happy about the intruders in the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in the inner-city suburb of Surry Hills, so lodged a complaint through Airbnb, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Single Sydney parent, Sara Mulcahy, was ordered to pay back $740 after British guests complained about the insect infestation in the $345 per-night terrace
Ms Mulcahy claimed she had her home treated for roaches just a month prior, but said the pests were an inescapable part of city living throughout summer months.
The mother said it was ‘ridiculous’ the travelers had received such a large discount over an unavoidable issue.
‘No one likes them but all Sydneysiders know cockroaches are part of life here, especially in the summer months,’ she said.
‘Maybe that comes as a shock to travellers, but giving them a 50 per cent reduction based on the fact that they spotted a few is ridiculous in my opinion. It’s like going to London in March and complaining about the rain.’
The home is described on the house sharing website to have ‘period elegance and contemporary comfort’.
Ms Mulcahy claimed she had her home treated for roaches just a month prior, but said the pests were an inescapable part of city living throughout summer months
Ms Mulcahy’s Airbnb case worker detailed she would need to sacrifice the funds because she failed to provide bug spray, leaving guests to ‘deal with the situation on their own.’
‘We do expect our hosts to make an effort when a guest has a complaint about the listing, to remedy the situation or try and work out a reasonable solution for both parties,’ a private message addressed to Ms Mulcahy read.
‘While we do understand that cockroaches are a fact of life in Sydney, your guests and future guests may not be used to them.’
The message also stated Airbnb would be ‘covering some of the refund’, and Ms Mulcahy’s future payouts would be adjusted until the full amount was paid back.
Ms Mulcahy’s Airbnb case worker detailed she would need to sacrifice the funds because she failed to provide bug spray, leaving guests to ‘deal with the situation on their own’