Dutch holidaymakers who cancelled their Airbnb booking within 24 hours of arriving at a Sydney home they booked for a month have left a host family owing $20,000.

Melanie Boujonnier, who had her Bondi home listed for $590 a night, said Airbnb cancelled the booking over 'two cockroaches' without giving her an opportunity to fix the issue.

The mother-of-two argued cockroaches were unavoidable given her home's location and the time of year, and accused her guests of leaving food out or doors and windows open.

According to the company's booking policy, it should allow hosts a 24-hour window to resolve a guest complaint before a reservation can be canceled.

Melanie Boujonnier (centre) booked a holiday with her two children, Rafael, 1, and Louis, 3, and her husband, Manuel (right), while Airbnb guests occupied their Bondi home for five weeks

Dutch guests complained about cockroach infestation within 24 hours of being in the home, subsequently prompting Airbnb to cancel their booking on behalf of the hosts

Ms Boujonnier argued cockroaches were unavoidable given her home's location and the time of year

Ms Boujonnier took to Facebook on Thursday for advice, specifying her three-bedroom home was listed with a 'strict cancellation policy' which stated they didn't offer refunds for cancellations.

'Airbnb cancelled on our behalf without consulting us prior; even though we have five star reviews from all other guests!,' Ms Boujonnier wrote.

'Since then, apparently, we've been owing Airbnb 29 nights, so almost $20,000.'

'Usually, Airbnb gives the hosts 24 hours to fix the issue. In our case, Airbnb cancelled our 31 nights strict cancellation policy reservation without pre-approval from us or even trying to find a solution – which seems extremely wrong.'

She said guests must have left food out or doors and windows open because she had never had a cockroach issue in the home before

According to the company's booking policy, it should allow hosts a 24-hour window to resolve a guest complaint before a reservation can be canceled

The hosts specifically stated their 'strict cancellation policy' which said they didn't offer refunds for cancellations

The mother added how Airbnb had opted not to share the guest's negative review on the home's listing page.

'Airbnb did not publish the bad review left by the guest. So Airbnb doesn't agree with the review, but agrees with the guest to cancel the booking!.'

The review, shared exclusively with Daily Mail Australia, said: 'There were cockroaches in the kitchen and in the bathroom. It was not fun, and it was dirty to see the cockroaches crawling over the fruit basket and over the coffee table and the couch.'

Ms Boujonnier defended the cleanliness of her home, saying cockroaches weren't normally an issue because they were mindful of what attracted them.

'We rarely see cockroaches in our place, they must have left the doors open and food exposed. And this is out of our control!,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

The mother added how Airbnb had opted not to share the guest's negative review on the home's listing page, despite the reasons being good enough to cause cancellation

'There were cockroaches in the kitchen and in the bathroom,' the guest review stated

The dutch guests said 'it was dirty to see the cockroaches crawling over the fruit basket and over the coffee table and the couch'

She said the booking was cancelled despite the family offering to have a pest controller come to spray the home.

'Airbnb contacted us with the complaint, we offered a solution as we were not happy to refund the guests as we believe the issue was out of our control. Then, they cancelled it without telling us.'

Ms Boujonnier said she received a text message from her Dutch guest telling her the home was so unclean it was unsafe for children to stay there.

The guest, known only as Blanche, wrote: 'We went to bed and just went downstairs to get some water, but then I saw a lot of cockroaches.

'Like 10 or 15 everywhere. In the toaster, on the counter top, on the floor, the coffee table, the couch!

'Sorry but we can't enjoy Christmas with our parents in this kitchen. For us unacceptable, so many.'

Ms Boujonnier defended the cleanliness of her home, saying cockroaches weren't normally an issue because they were mindful of what attracted them

A private text message to the host stated the guests felt the home was unsafe for children

'Sorry but we cant enjoy Christmas with our parents in this kitchen. For us unacceptable, so many,' the guest, Blanche, said to Ms Boujonnier

A skeptical Ms Boujonnier said it was 'truly impossible' the details described by her guest could have been true.

'I believe she lied and has exaggerated the situation!' she said.

With their home booked for a total of five weeks, the family decided on an Asian holiday - partially funded by money from their Airbnb guest.

Ms Boujonnier said had they not have been expecting the extra income, they wouldn't have gone for so long.

'We scheduled this holidays in Asia based on the money that we were supposed to receive from Airbnb,' she said.

'Now we owe Airbnb almost 20K from this booking and still have to pay for our holidays. Without this booking, we would have left for just two weeks.'

A skeptical Ms Boujonnier said it was 'truly impossible' the details described by her guest could have been true

Several social media users shared similar horror stories from their experiences as Airbnb hosts, with cockroaches a common issue among other Sydneysiders.

When contacted by Daily Mail Australia, Airbnb said it was investigating Ms Boujonnier's case and assessing the extent of the cockroach issue.

'In the rare event that a guest has a negative experience, Airbnb's global Customer Service and Trust and Safety teams are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in 11 different languages to help make things right with rebooking assistance, as well as refunds, reimbursements, and insurance programs,' a spokesperson said.

'Our original handling of this case did not meet the high standards we hold ourselves too. We work hard to make sure every hosts has a great experience and want to make it right when things don't go as expected.'

The company will need to examine whether the home's hygiene was to up to Airbnb standards and if the booking should have been cancelled without the host having a chance to fix the issue.