Short answer
JG Pest Control treats bed bugs in hostels, student accommodation and HMOs with whole-room heat treatment, canine (K9) detection across shared floors, and room-by-room records, built for buildings where dozens of people, and their luggage, come and go every week. JG Pest Control has more five-star Trustpilot reviews than any other UK pest control specialist, rated 4.7 out of 5 from more than 28,000 reviews.
Why hostels and shared housing are high risk
Bed bugs spread wherever lots of people sleep close together and move on quickly. Hostels, student halls, HMOs and supported housing combine high turnover, shared rooms and bunk beds, luggage stored under and beside beds, and residents who may not report bites straight away. A single case left untreated can move along a corridor in weeks, so the aim is always to find it early and treat it completely.
How we treat bed bugs in multi-occupancy buildings
Survey the whole picture
We inspect the reported room and the rooms around it, so you know exactly how far it has spread before deciding on treatment.
Detection dogs for shared floors
Canine (K9) detection lets us check many beds and rooms in a visit and find live bed bugs that are easy to miss.
Heat for bunk rooms and dorms
Monitored heat kills every life stage, including eggs, inside mattresses, bunk frames and lockers, with no chemical residue for the next resident.
Room-by-room records
Clear records of every room inspected and treated, useful for licensing, HMO compliance and your own audit trail.
Working around residents
We plan treatments around occupancy and term dates, and give you clear preparation instructions to pass on to residents.
Contract inspections
Scheduled inspections during busy periods, such as the start of term or peak travel season, so new cases are caught early.
Student accommodation and HMOs
The start of the academic year, when thousands of students arrive with luggage from all over the world, is a common time for bed bugs to appear in halls and student HMOs. In England and Wales, pests are one of the hazards assessed under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System, and HMO landlords and managers have duties to keep shared housing in good order. We work with managing agents and private landlords, and our HMO pest control service covers the other pests that shared housing attracts. See also our guide to how bed bugs spread between flats.
What to do when a resident reports bites
- Don’t move the resident or their belongings to another room until the room has been inspected, or you risk spreading bed bugs further.
- Call us to inspect the room and the rooms around it.
- Prepare the room using our instructions, which we give you in writing to pass on.
- Treat and confirm clearance, then put scheduled checks in place if the building is high risk.
Why accommodation providers choose JG Pest Control
We have been in pest control since 2010, with around 150 staff and more than 45,000 visits a year. In the 12 months to September 2026, JG Pest Control and its group brands booked nearly 5,000 bed bug jobs across the UK. Our technicians are RSPH (BPCA) Level 2 certified and trained, and nearly half of the bed bug treatments carried out by JG Pest Control are heat treatments. Our heat treatment is backed by a written guarantee. Terms for commercial and multi-occupancy premises are agreed with you in writing before any work begins.
Frequently asked questions
Because they combine high turnover, shared rooms and lots of luggage. Bed bugs hitch a ride in bags and clothing, so hostels and student halls are at higher risk than most buildings, however well they are cleaned.
We inspect the reported room and the rooms around it, then treat every room where we find activity. Detection dogs help us check many rooms quickly.
Yes, when the room is prepared properly. The room must be empty during treatment and prepared using our written instructions, which cover items such as aerosols and heat-sensitive belongings. Heat itself leaves no chemical residue, and the room can be used again once it has been confirmed clear.
Yes. We plan treatments and scheduled inspections around occupancy, term dates and peak periods.