Smoking

[Jennifer828]

We are avidly anti-smoking and put it on our profile. Our guest just showed up, is smoking off the premises, but now the whole room smells like smoke. Can I ask her to leave and refund her money? This is way more hassle than it's worth.

Thanks

[Matthew285]

@Jennifer828, we are the same way with smoke. Even if the smoker never smokes anywhere near our property, you can often still smell it very strongly because their clothes are permeated with smoke.

You can ask her to leave, but if she does not want to things may become difficult.

Really she did not violate any of your house rules if she did not smoke on your property.

How long is her stay booked for?

And how hard or easy would it be for her to find alternative accomodations?

[Jennifer828]

RESOLVED. I asked her to leave, she cancelled the stay, got most of her $ back, and we are now a smoke-free home again. It's awkward--she had no car and had to wait for a friend to come get her and we are leaving for a trip, so we're all in chaos.

I changed a few things on my profile and messaged all our future guests, just to make sure.

Do you ask people who want to book, so, you're not a smoker, are you? I'm wondering if I need to do that now. As it is, we're kind of a hook up house and that is weird enough.

[Sarah977]

"So, you're not a smoker, are you?" is a terrible way to ascertain this.

Just create a standard message that you send to guests when they send you an inquiry or request that says something like " We do not allow smoking in our home and have found that even when guests go outside to smoke, the smell lingers on their clothing and hair and permeates the rental space, entailing extensive cleaning. Therefore, to be clear, we do not rent to smokers AT ALL. Non-smokers are welcome to book."

[Matthew285]

@Sarah977 are hosts allowed to say that they don't rent to smokers (even ones who don't smoke on the property)?

[Sarah977]

@Matthew285  According to the post below, airbnb backs up on this. I wonder, can I now say No Alcoholics? No Vegans? No one who uses margerine, cause I can't stand the smell of it?

[Matthew285]

@Sarah977, well that is good news.

Now if we can just convince AirBnB that the bogus "Emotional Support Animal" is a smoker...

[Chris232]

@Jennifer828

Hi Jennifer, I am adamant to only accept non smokers and I make this very plain in my listing

I did have one guest arrive stinking of cigerette smoke, one call to Airbnb and they immediately cancelled his stay and rehomed him with another hoste

I do follow up with all bookings with a detailed welcome message, directions and a copy of house rules clearly stating we can only accept non smokers.

All the best

Chris

[Nicole1079]

It's disgusting odour that takes weeks to get out.

Filthy smell, worse than I could ever imagine, Airbnb don't charge guest if they smoke inside,  unlike every hotel and car hire company and landlords. You can't prove smell, so your word against there's, how awful is that?

[Jennifer828]

It turns out it was not resolved. I sent her $ back, which I didn't have to do and she wrote a vindictive and untrue review. She said in the review:

“Having travelled all the way across the country the same day I arrived at Jennifer’s and having no one I knew in all of Utah and no vehicle or transportation of my own, I found being kicked out with no notice absolutely cruel and unprofessional. I was left with nowhere to go and without ANY refund for over 24 hours.”

She came three hours early, so yes, the house was messy but not filthy. She told me in person she had a friend 3 blocks away and an uncle 25 mins away. She put feedback that with 2 stars for cleanliness. I can't get rid of that. AirBNB has said tough luck. 

I sent her her money back, which I didn't even have to do as she came here under false pretenses as a smoker.

I am even wondering if she is some kind of scammer. She has NO other stays on her profile.

I don't think it's fair that I have crappy feedback when she didn't even stay one night in my house. Any ideas about what to do?

[Ward1]

It doesn;t surpris me at all to se this.  When I read your first post I thought, "I wonder if it all went as smoothly as she thought. . . "  I really feel that hosts get screwed a lot by Airbnb.  I hav a policy that guests shold not instant-book a stay that will start on the same day.  It is in my house rules.  Many times, people have booked and said, "Im coming over now!"  Um. . .no.  When I have contacted Airbnb, some reps have said, "You can't do THAT," so what I have learned to do is finish the call with them and then call back until I find a rep who will accomodate my requst, which is backed up by my house rules.

So over the weekend a smoker makes a request, but he doesn;t say he's a smoker, and all of his reviews are raves.

When he gets here h says, "Can I smoke on the porch?"  I was totally taken aback, and I said yes.  BIG MISTAKE.  He was here for three days and my entire apartment REEKS of smoke.  (I'm worried my new (current) guest is going to say something either to me or in his review).  

After the guest arrived, I looked at my house rules, which clearly said, "No Smokers," but I accepted his booking AND I told him he could smoke on the porch. . .what was I going to do??

While I am still breathing in the smoke in my own home (AWFUL), I am wondering what I can put in the review of the last guest.  Is it fair to say that ven though he didn't smoke inside - the smel;l of smoke is everywhere?  I'd like to post that he didn't read my house rules. . .but apparently neither did I (I've been a host for a long time, so I just forgot that it was already there.)

Suggestions?

When I went back ad 

[David-and-Fiona0]

So just out of interest. What happens if the guest goes somewhere other smokers are and passively gets smoke scent on them?. I am a non smoker by the way but I realise I live in the real world.

[Ward1]

I doubt that the smell would last long in that situation.  When people smoke themselves - the smell is evrywhere. . . 

[Rebecca181]

I once had a guest that promised to smoke far away from our vacation cottage. For some reason, he decided that it would be a good idea to dump all of his ashes and butts into the waste-backet under the kitchen sink. The Cottage smelled faintly of smoke for at least two months, no matter what we did. Never again. 

[Tim-And-Beth0]

Ugg, I feel your frustration. Two guy groups we had resulted in smoking problems.  One group smoked outside but left butts all over the outside at the front door and all around the fire-pit.  Stinky and had to pick up with gloves on.  Wish there was a way to flag guests after the initial review for such things (sometimes everything isn't immediately observed to be flagged).  The other group was much worse - leaving behind a hookha (bong/pipe thing and several packages of flavored tobacco?) AND even burnt an impression into our brand new special order folding picnic table with matching plastic top and seats.  I immediately took pictures and submitted a claim for replacement value and tax.  Thought we should get cost for reordering and rebuilding (instructions estimated 2 people for 1 hour each).  I'd advise requesting shipping costs too which I didn't think to include in our request but will be expensive when it has heavy metal  legs and brackets.  This is a challenge and we've now updated our policy to say no smoking/hookha/vapes etc.