Guests set up hooka / sisha is the garden without asking.

[Mark4752]

I'm not happy that guests started smoking a hooka / sisha pipe in the garden without asking; I'd have said no and I've now added this explicitly to the house rules. I live three doors away from a police officer.  Has anyone had to deal with this behaviour? I allow vaping or smoking in the garden, so long as they tidy up after themselves. I'm concerned, however, about the reputational damage as well as fire risk with a hooka next to a garden full of wood chippings.

[Heidi803]

I don’t allow and smoking or vaping on my property so it’s never been an issue

[Nicholas439]

It's your property so of course you can determine the rules.  However if you say you allow smoking and leave that undefined then someone using a hookah to smoke would be within your rules - of course by updating your rules to specifically ban that you have solved the problem.  One would hope that guests have common sense and would behave like hosts would expect them to.  In practice, common sense is uncommon (not just in guests) and an expectation of a certain behavior from a stranger is not reasonable.  Therefore, an explicit delineation of what is expected is better for host/guest relationships.  I've had to update my listing many times based on guest behavior - I try my best not to be emotional and realize the onus is on me to clearly lay out expectations rather than assume a guest will divine my intent.  Then, of course, if violated, I have recourse.  Without being condescending, the perspective of guests being like kids - give them a good set of ground rules and let them play -  only censure violations of said rules - result -, like kids, will be happy guests and more often than not a happy host!  

[Mark4752]

I've now explicitly state in house rules that only cigarettes and vapes are allowed in the garden, no other forms of smoking allowed. I just wonderer if I was being churlish. 

Like you, I keep adapting & updating my rules each time I learn from the behaviour of guests; I now hide towels whereas I originally made them all available for guests, after some were stolen; guests need to ask for them now. I only have one toilet roll in the bathroom at any one time after one guest stole 5 rolls. I installed CCTV in the kitchen after one guest stole things from the fridge.

We live and learn.

[Helen744 · Accepted solution]

@Mark4752 Just say 'no smoking of any kind on the property'. This way its clear and anyone breaking the rules can be dealt with at your personal discretion . Your rules should work for you and the difference between an addicted cigarette smoker hiding in the garden for one or two smokes  and a hookah set up is then very clear , in other words set your rules to allow discretion.Late checkout is also discretionary or early checkin   as is visitors to the house during the stay , some people otherwise take advantage. I hate to say it but allowing smoking in the garden has encouraged your hookah smoker to book with you. Good Luck... H

[Mark4752]

I have now changed the listing to no smoking in the house and garden.