An Airbnb host says a “guest from hell” caused a roach infestation on the property she manages.
In a video with 33,000 views, TikToker Kristy Russo (@thekristyrusso) says the first guest at a new property sent her a picture of a large roach they found in the trash can. She apologizes and says she immediately called pest control to take a look the next morning.
“He messages me overnight and says he found another one,” she says. “I’m like, ‘Oh god, this is an issue.’”
The next morning, the pest control worker texts Russo that he thinks he “found your problem” and asks to call her.
What did pest control find at the Airbnb?
The pest control worker Facetimes Russo and shows her that the guests have a U-Haul in the driveway. She explains that the guests had moved from Wisconsin to Texas and had moved all of their moving boxes into the garage.
The worker then shows her the condition of the inside of the house.
“It’s really not that bad. There’s stuff all over. Stuff that’s probably come out of these boxes, so it probably brought roaches inside the house,” she says.
Pest control assures her that they will treat the property and call her back.
When they call back, the worker says they didn’t find any roaches in the house, but saw some coming out of the boxes. At the same time, the guest calls Airbnb to demand a refund because they believe the property has a “roach infestation.”
Did Airbnb force her to refund the guest?
Russo laments that Airbnb is rarely on the side of the host when guests ask for a refund. However, she tells them that she will send a report from pest control.
She reaches out to the guest to explain that pest control found the roaches coming out of the moving boxes. The guest responds, “We don’t have this kind of roach in Wisconsin.”
She notes that she asked ChatGPT about the roaches, which said the roaches were the “most popular kind in Wisconsin.”
After their exchange, she says the guest told Airbnb that there was a recording device on the property. According to Airbnb, hosts are not allowed to install any recording devices inside rentals. Devices outside of the home must be disclosed as well.
“He’s literally now lying,” she says. To add insult to injury, she gets a message from the neighbor claiming that the guest left trash all over the property.
“I can only do so much. It’s like three or four days later, and this idiot is still on the property,” she says.
Whose side are viewers on?
In the comments, some viewers suspect the guest knowingly brought the bugs to the property in an attempt to get a discount.
“My dad works at a hotel, and he said there are people who will bring in bedbugs, knowingly, and try to get free stays, and then they have to remediate,” one says.
“Sounds like you have a professional grifter on your hands who knows how to work the system. Good luck to you!” another suggests.
“I KNEW what the pest control guy was going to say. They moved the roaches in with them,” a third adds.
Other Airbnb hosts sympathize with Russo, some sharing their own stories of difficult guests.
“I’m a host. Had a guest who wanted early checkin. I made it happen but they showed up midnight [expletive] and moaning that they could never be comfortable there. I went outside and said leave,” a commenter writes.
“I have vacation rentals and this has been the worst year. Nasty, rude and disrespectful guests,” another says.
@thekristyrusso #Airbnb #AirbnbHost #AirbnbHorrorStories #AirbnbGuest #AirbnbGuestProblems #OMG #TikTok #Viral #AirbnbHostessHelp ♬ original sound – Kristy Russo
In an email to The Mary Sue, an Airbnb spokesperson says the company is investigating both claims, writing, “We take reports from hosts and guests seriously.”
The Mary Sue reached out to Russo for further comment.
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