Smokers who Lie

[Stephanie-And-Steven0]

So, this weekend we had two guests who smoked. I am not sure how we could be more openly hostile to smokers in our listing. The hostility usually works but for some reason, this time it did not.

I don't want them in my house, I don't want them on my street and I for sure do not want their bag of butts in my garbage. 

One of them told me she was a smoker and she, quite thoughtfully, wrapped up her butts and put them in our garbage. But they were in our garbage for a few hours and so stank up the kitchen cupboards.

The other, I am pretty sure, smoked in the kitchen of our recently renovated suite.

What is wrong with these people? And how can we get it across to them that WE DO NOT HOST SMOKERS - not ever, not for any reason and I don't care if you never light up in our house. I had bypass surgery last year, the very fact that people waste their health on smoking at all is enough to make me contemptuous of them. I do not want them in my house.

Suggestions?

[Tamara-Gigi0]

That is Horrible!  I too have had health issues from smokers and I specifically tell them to NEVER light up even near the house.

People REALLY don't realize what we , who have health issues, go through.  Best, to tell them when you first meet them...if you can smell the smoke on them, which I can.  I tell them straight out...I Have Health Issues and YOUR Cigarettes can Affect Me. 

They get it !

I don't mince words.  I don't tip toe around.  You are already dealing with enough.  If they want to ruin their lives ...they can...but you should not have to endure their poor decisions.  Be Firm and Be Healthy!  Blessings and Peace to you !

[Ann25]

A nursing company just booked a nurse to stay with me. I clearly state in my listing that I don't allow smokers and not even people who smoke in my home. 

I spoke to the nurse on the phone after they booked and she sounded like a smoker. So I asked the company and they fessed up but said she would never smoke in my home. I said no smokers means no smokers.

She tried to cancel within 24 hrs but got a message that b/ecause it's a long-term reservation, she can't get her money back. That doesn't seem fair.  but if I try to cancel the reservation, then I still have to pay a 3% fee AND Airbnb won't let me rent the apartment for those 4 weeks AND I can't become a super host. 

That really doesn't seem fair to me or them.

What do you advise?

Ann

[Cathy4]

Firstly, Anne, great that you found this out in time!
There's a couple of points here - this was a third party booking, and as such is outside the rules of airbnb, and rather demonstrates one of several good reasons why third party isn't a good plan - namely that your actual guest wasn't choosing your space and noting rules around smoking, and the third party agency won't have known whether the nurse was a good fit or not. Additionally, if you had any issues during their stay/ need to claim damage, airbnb have no responsiblity to you and you've no redress on the deposit (if you have one)
I'd recommend you contact airbnb and explain the issue - they'll doubtless cancel the reservation with no penalty to you (two reasons - the third party booking, and the smoking issue which is against your rules). And you're right, don't just cancel from your end without contacting airbnb (phone is best). If you wish you can then advise airbnb that as this issue came to light very quickly, you are happy to refund the fee fully. The smoking nurse will then lose only their booking fee. And for future, be sure the person booking is the person staying with you!

[Dan95]

Hello everyone,

Thanks for the great comments here.  As a result of reading them, I have come up with the following rule. What do you all think??

- NO SMOKERS ALLOWED - sorry. No smoking allowed on premises, anywhere.  Any sign of smoking anywhere on the premises will result in a fee of $400. The ashtrays are provided to keep the trashcans from catching on fire in the event rules are not followed, but also, frankly, to catch people who do not read this. You will be fined even if there are butts in the ashtray. But the yards and everywhere will be checked for butts, and we will smell the pillows, curtains, etc. Don't do it. If you are a smoker, go elsewhere, please.

Thanks for your opinion!

Regards,
Dan

[Kate157]

Just curious, @Dan95, how would you go about collecting $400. From your guests if they break your rule? I doubt any guest will cough it up voluntarily, and Airbnb won't collect it for you. If you are thinking you can get it from a security deposit, forget it it isn't a fund you can draw on for rule-breaking guests. Basically, there is absolutely no way to enforce any kind of financial penalty as far as I know.

[Dan95]

What you say is true. However I actually once did collect $100, by providing photographic evidence of smoking, plus a proper receipt for specific smoke damage abatement. 

Not it sure whether this was ultimately collected from the guest, or just came from Airbnb's deep pockets. 

[Stephanie365]

I have that in my house rules. No smoking *ANYWHERE* on the premises. Violators will be charged a decontamination fee.

[Liz207]

I wish air bnb had warned us that selecting the option "No Smoking" often means you still end up with smokers who reek of cigarette smells even though they don't smoke 'in the house".  They need to have a NO SMOKERs button in addition to NO SMOKING.  Our guests who smoke often do so in their car just before entering, and of course their skin, hair, and clothing smells of cigarettes. They leave butts in the yard and on the street for us to pick up.  Sigh.  So we just changed our listing to include NO SMOKERS in the title in all caps.  It feels so in your face to do that as we are gentle people, but we have been taken advantage of by inconsiderate smokers who pushed us around because we are nice folks.  Learned our lesson.  

[Nina176]

Hi I am not a host the most unlucky neighbour that just moved in 145 holland road London on the ground floor and nobody told me there was a full functioning £90 a night air b&b right on top of me what a nightmare not only they smell je but they throw the cigarette butts in my garden and this is a non smoking building as it is written on my lease  I realised the hosts come clean at night 2 days ago was 2am and people walked in  at 2:30am and the first thing they did was smoke at the window I went out and said that was not legal and they had to stop and they started arguing with me ...needless to say all the alarms are linked in the building so if there is even the slitest smell of smell je the alarm goes off which mean they are covering the alarms or they are not properly installed in the apt ... 

[Judy29]

I have the ideal guests for two months.  They are both smokers however they did promise to keep the butts in the garbage and only smoke outside on the deck.  As it is the dead of winter, I did not think there would be any danger flicking ashes to the forested area.  However It wasnt until the heating bill came in that I realized that they opened the patio door and never left the building.  The bill that is usuallly only $125 per month was a whopping $407.  How do we deal with that?

[Phil82]

Please support my post for adding a  check-box to guests and hosts pages re whether they smoke or not, so that they get matched appropriately. 

Self matching clearly isn't working.

Also keep sending messages to AirBnB support to request they add this feature.

They will get the message if we keep asking for it.

Never give up on this and it WILL happen.

Cheers,

Phil

🙂