Guests smoking Weed in the house

[Kelvin41]

Hi I've been in this place this is the 2nd night. A guest is smoking weed/marijuana in their room but the smell is spreading to the whole house ive contacted the host but he doesnt seem interested or bothered . Ive also contacted air b n b . I'm thinking of leaving tomorrow morning and not coming back whats your views?

[Huma0]

@Kelvin41what did Airbnb say or were you unable to reach them? I find it's always best to talk to them on the phone and get an immediate response rather than email. 

Also, what does the listing say RE smoking policy? I noticed the Airbnb Community Standards say "We take suicide, self-injury, eating disorders, and hard drug abuse extremely seriously..." so I'm not sure if they would consider weed to be a serious problem is the listing allows smoking. However, if the listing has a no-smoking policy then I think it's only fair that you should get a refund because this is misleading if the host is allowing other guests to smoke.

[Pete28]

Isn't is still illegal in he uk ? Sadly where it is legal the stench can be overpowering.

[Kelvin41]

Pete if people want to smoke it send them to an island called Marijuana and they can book a room on the island or go to amsterdam.

I hate that smell..........Horrid...............

[Kelvin41]

@Huma0

I got a full refund and coupons ......I spoke to them immediately explained that the host said he was coming to the property to find out who it was he kept asking me which room did i think it was coming from. Only later did it transpire he knew the culprits and couldnt be bothered.Theres nothing about smoking on the listing. Huma the host was allowing all mannetr of things to happen including not cleaning, dirty bedsheets etc

[Huma0]

@Pete28you are right, technically it is illegal (except for some medically prescribed cannibis, which was legalised just this month). However, the chances of the police responding to such a case are low. If caught in possession of a very small amount, deemed for personal use, the police can issue an on the spot fine, but are unlikely to prosecute and are quite likely to simply confiscate and otherwise turn a blind eye. They are much more concerned with Class A drugs, or drug trafficking and dealing in general, rather than people smoking a bit of weed at home.

I do agree though that it completely stinks out a place (I've had a couple of tenants who thought it was not glaringly obvious that they were smoking weed in their rooms). I would also not be happy as a guest to stay in an Airbnb that stinks of weed. I'm surprised the host is so unconcerned about it, unless he/she is a weed smoker also, which is possible.

[Kelvin41]

@Huma0 when I told the host i was leaving he answered.

" Do what the f*** you like  I don't care."

He didn't care just another guy after `£££

[Huma0]

@Kelvin41Wow. What a great host. I think you should flag his profile and send that message to Airbnb. Hosts should not talk to their guests like that. I'm really glad you got a refund and compensation. That Airbnb sounds like a nightmare. 

RE smoking policy, hosts specify when creating a listing whether it is smoking or non smoking (at least that's how it was when I created my listings). However, I noticed that it is only highlighted in the summary of the rules if the host has selected non smoking. If they select smoking permitted, that isn't mentioned in the summary at all, which I think is stupid, as it is pretty important to most guests, so Airbnb really needs to fix this. If the host then doesn't mention it in the full house rules, or the guest doesn't read those, which often happens, the guests will be totally unaware. That's why I make a point of messaging my guests as well to make sure they understand my smoking policy.

[Sarah977]

@Huma0 Well, I have a different take on this. I didn't check the smoking box at all. It was a bit of a dilemma. I'm one of those dreaded smokers, but I only smoke outdoors and I don't care if my guests do as well. So I didn't want to check non-smoking. But if I said that smoking is allowed, that would totally put off guests who are bothered by cigarette or other smoke, as they would, quite reasonably, expect that the room and the rest of the house would smell like a smoking-allowed room in a cheap motel (which even smell disgusting to many smokers). Which it doesn't at all. I've had non-smoking friends I asked if they could detect any smell of smoke in the house at all, and they all said no. Living in the sub-tropics, my doors and windows are open year round- no odors linger. 

So reading my listing description, guests wouldn't be able to tell if smoking was allowed or not. If they wanted to know for sure, they could always ask me when booking, but so far no one has, nor have non-smokers had any issue with the accomodation.

[Huma0]

@Sarah977I'm also a smoker (of cigarettes) and when I first listed on Airbnb, I had a housemate who smoked too, so I felt it was important to mention this. I didn't want guests complaining about it after they arrived.

It's also in my house rules that smoking is strictly NOT permitted in the guest bedrooms. I had a couple of guests break that rule early on, but no problems with that since then. There is a garden and roof terrace, so they can easily go outside for a cigarette.

You would think that the smoking allowed policy would put off non smoking guests, but it doesn't seem to, especially as most guests don't read anything, or not in detail anyway. So, by this policy not appearing in the summary of the house rules, many, many guests will miss it.

I always message guests asking them to confirm they have read the full listing and house rules, "paying particular attention to the points re the cats, smoking and check in/out times".  So many guests will just reply, "we love cats and we are non-smokers", which to me is a dead giveaway that they haven't actually read the house rules at all (if they have, they would normally respond along the lines of "we are non-smokers, but we don't mind other people smoking") so it's quite useful in spotting the non-readers!

I've only had one problem so far, where a guest claimed in her review that it was never mentioned that she would be staying with a smoker and marked me down for accuracy and overall because of this issue alone. I messaged her to point out that it IS mentioned on the listing, again in the house rules and in two separate messages I sent to her which she had replied to. The saying "You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink," springs to mind.

[Helen3]

Wow @Kelvin41 

Sorry you have had such a bad experience what a horrible host.

Definitely leave him an honest review and mark him down for communications etc to help warn other guests.

[Susan17]

@Kelvin41

You're really not having much luck with the hosts/listings you're choosing, meeting your expectations are you? It appears that you're now 3 for 3 with unfortunate experiences on the platform so far. Doesn't really bode well for the future.  

Btw, did you ever manage to get that refund out of your first host? If I remember correctly, you had planned to stay till the end of your reservation, then seek the refund, right? How did that work out for you in the end? I see your host left you a decent review, but I couldn't see your review of him? 

And from your lengthy, detailed review of your repeated stays at Ahsan's place, it doesn't sound like you had much joy there either. Still, in a property with 6 beds shoehorned into each room, from £15 a pop, and up to 20 guests in a small house on any one night, I'd imagine guest comfort and wellbeing is probably not top of that particular host's priority list. Perhaps a tad optimistic to expect otherwise. 

As regards the weed smell in your current place - honestly, I'd let it slide, Kelvin. Not worth the hassle to cause a big drama about it - your host is obviously not too bothered, and Airbnb CX have far more important things to be doing than dealing with vague claims of weed consumption that are impossible to prove anyway. Also, I certainly wouldn't go down the route of calling the police to report a fellow guest/housemate for having a spliff, unless you're prepared to deal with some potentially very unpleasant repercussions. 

So why not just kick back on your bed, close your eyes and inhale. Deeply. And perhaps give a little thought to adjusting your expectations slightly in regards to what bargain-basement rates in London will entitle you to. Or are you just hoping to swing another refund? 

[Kelvin41]

@Susan0 ......... the review you see is the first review he left he left another one and air b n b took it down no refund for that.

With Ahsan waiting for resolution team to make a decision. The host was abismail only cared about his wallet just another hungry gob**bleep**e lol.

Susan I didn't let the weed slide i dont smoke and i dont want to stay in a place where its smoked.. Air b n b gave me a full refund and coupons and they will now investigate the host saying his listings might all be taken down as they view smoking drugs as a serious matter. I didn't need to call the police air b n b gave me my refund:-)

[Sarah977]

@Kelvin41 I think the point @Susan17 was making is that you are booking the cheapest accomodations you can find, involving homes which have multiple rooms let out to multiple guests at the same time, yet you expect to have an experience where you are not disturbed by the behavior of the other guests. That's a somewhat unreasonable expectation. It's one thing to book a private room in a host's home- hosts are usually mindful not to disturb their guests with loud music, smoke, etc, but sharing a place which is essentially a hostel-type situation and expecting that everyone else will live in a way that is amenable to you isn't realistic.

[Robert-And-Vicki0]

I would leave.