At a glance
In a rental, cockroaches almost always live near a source of heat and moisture: the fridge motor, the back of the oven, under the sink. Monitoring traps placed there reveal the colony, and bait gel applied in dots treats it without closing the home for long.
The German cockroach, the species most often found in Paris flats, is about 1.5 cm long, light brown with two dark stripes behind the head, and it avoids light. It comes in with a cardboard box, a shopping bag or through a neighbour's pipes, then breeds quickly in warm crevices.
In a rental, it benefits from the fact that nobody lives there continuously: food left by one guest feeds the colony until the next arrives. That makes the changeover clean your best observation point.
Signs that do not lie
You will rarely see cockroaches in daytime. What you spot is what they leave behind.
- Tiny black droppings, like ground pepper, in hinges and cupboard corners.
- Elongated brown capsules about 1 cm long: egg cases, each holding several dozen eggs.
- Pale shed skins and stray legs behind appliances.
- A musty or rancid-oil smell inside a closed cupboard.
- An insect darting under furniture when you switch the light on at night.
Where to look in a kitchenette
Cockroaches want a narrow, warm hiding place close to water. Torch in hand, check these spots at every changeover, in this order.
- The grille and motor at the back of the fridge.
- Underneath the oven, hob and dishwasher.
- The cupboard under the sink: pipe openings, trap, base of the unit.
- Hinges and runners of wall and base units.
- The coffee machine, kettle and microwave, often left plugged in and warm.
What the technician does
Locate: sticky monitoring traps at the warm spots and a close look at appliances to map the colonies. Treat: bait gel placed in small dots in cracks, sometimes combined with an insect growth regulator that stops young cockroaches reaching adulthood.
Check: on the planned follow-up visit, the traps are read to confirm activity is falling, and the treatment is adjusted if needed. Prevent: joints and pipe openings sealed, storage advice for the cleaning team.
Cleaning habits that make the difference
After treatment, the cleaning team should not use insecticide sprays near the gel points, as this makes the bait less attractive. They clear out opened food left by guests, store sugar, coffee and pasta in sealed boxes, leave no dirty dishes or water in the sink, and take the bin out at every check-out.
The 5-step kitchen check at every changeover
Five minutes with a torch, before the full clean.
- 1
Step 1
Lights off, torch on
Enter the kitchen in the dark and sweep the floor and worktop with the torch: a fleeing cockroach shows up at once.
- 2
Step 2
Inspect the appliances
Behind the fridge, under the oven and dishwasher, around the base of the coffee machine.
- 3
Step 3
Open the cupboard under the sink
Pipe openings, base of the unit, damp patches: note any leak.
- 4
Step 4
Read the monitoring traps
If sticky traps are in place, count the insects caught and take a photo.
- 5
Step 5
Clear and record
Opened food thrown away, bin taken out, result noted in the property logbook.
Checklist to print
Cockroaches in the kitchenTick items off as you go or print the page: it all fits on one sheet.
Your questions
Can a spotless home still have cockroaches?
Yes. A single egg case in a cardboard box is enough, and shared pipes connect the flats in a building. Cleanliness limits their food, it does not stop them arriving.
Do I have to close the rental during a gel treatment?
Usually not: the gel is placed in dots inside cracks that guests cannot reach. The technician leaves written instructions, including how to clean around treated areas.
The cockroaches may be coming from next door. What then?
The photo report shows where activity seems to come from (duct, water riser, party wall). Send it to the building manager: a coordinated treatment of the building works far better than one flat treated on its own.
An insect reported after check-out?
Book an inspection in a 2-hour slot: you will know the same day whether the home is ready for the next guest.
