Reviewing a guest who did not follow the no smoking rule

[Luann13]

Hi! I had my first guests a few days ago. I need some advice! My listing is No Smoking. A group booked through Instant Book, which they are supposed to have to agree to the house rules, and meet your qualifications before booking. I reached out to them a week prior, asked them to review the house rules, and made sure they knew I was available at any time if they had questions or concerns. No response. They arrive and then politely say well we smoke, but we want to be respectful and will of course only smoke outside. I was irked because they were not honest, and they were  banking on getting away with it.  They had plenty of time to clarify my non smoking policy. I also thought that No Smoking meant No Smokers! Anyway, after a discussion about this confusion they were actually good guests and left my place is excellent condition.  How many stars should I give them and how do I write a review that is fair but not negative? Also is this common that people try to get away with smoking as long as it's outside? What  verbiage should I use to make it crystal clear I don't allow smoking anywhere on my property? Thanks for your help!

[Anonymous]

@Moira21  You probably aren't breaking a specific Airbnb policy, but "no smokers" is not an enforceable rule. If a guest confirms that they don't self-identify as a smoker, but decide to smoke outside of your home during their visit, what do you think you can do about it?

[Moira21]

@Anonymous  Until I see its officially not enforceable (in black & white) its a rule in my house. If someone wants to smoke, there's hundreds of apartments, hotels and guest houses in the town that have smoking rooms, quite a few charging less than I do per night. We can only trust Airbnb guests to be up front if asked whether or not they're smokers.   

[Anonymous]

@Moira21  What I'm asking is, what is your plan of action for when you suspect that a guest has been smoking outside of the house? 

[Moira21]

@Anonymous  In this highly unlikely scenario, I'd want to know why they agreed to my house rules by confirming they are a non-smoker. I'd certainly mention in my review that house rules were broken, mark them down on observance of house rules. One thing is for certain, they won't be welcome back. 

[Anonymous]

@Moira21  So "enforcement" in this scenario (which really doesn't sound unlikely to me) equals a stern talking-to, after which you both leave each other negative reviews. 

And that's the kicker. Any time you call a guest out on breaking a rule, they're going to knock you down on your ratings. That doesn't mean hosts shouldn't stand behind their rules, but it does make it imperative that the rules are clear, unambiguous, and well worth the consequences.

Also, they're called HOUSE Rules for a reason; your right to police guests' conduct does not extend beyond your property. And besides, "non-smoker" is not a fixed or static character trait; it's entirely plausible that a guest who doesn't usually smoke will decide to do so while they're visiting Blackpool, just as a self-described "vegetarian" might decide to have a hot dog or a self-described "straight guy" might decide to have a little man-on-man action, and it's absolutely none of their Airbnb host's business.

We can agree to disagree on this, but for other hosts seeking advice here I would strongly encourage limiting your house rules to guests' willful conduct on your property.

[Clara116]

@Luann13  since we all know MOST guests just don't read the listing words....so what I do is when they request to book... I don't do IB ------ .I ask them - Are either of you smokers? that helps...because a few have answered yes.....and so its not a good fit.......I write NO SMOKING ON PROPERTY. that means inside and outside. I have been fortunate so far with that approach. 

You got great advice here from Andrew & Sarah - hope you will follow it. This was a good guest - why mark down honest decent stuff.