Hiw do you host a guest that broke your house rules prior to there stay?

[Sharon683]

I have a automatic email thread that ask guest several questions prior to their stay, regardless if they instant book or leave an inquiry. 

The questions are, 1.  Is this your airbnb account? 2. Will you be solo or is their a guest traveling with you? Do you smoke substances of ANY kind? 

The smoking question is most important.  Throughout my account and under my house rules I have in large print "NO SMOKERS ".  Why? For multiple reasons.  My last guest stayed a total of 9 days.  The first night he arrived he and his clothing was full of smoke! I was not happy at all.  I questioned him and he stated "Oh, I thought you meant no smoking inside the house."   I asked him to read our email thread prior to his arrival.  He first stated  in his email "I smoke tobacco occasionally. I replied, "I do not allow  smokers on the premises.  Please, if you are a smoker, cancel your reservation and I will refund your money."  I asked him in another email thread about the smoking again and he replied, "no smoking".  So I did not push it further. The night he arrived he smelled  like a tobacco farm.  Although he smoked outside, leaving butts on my front lawn and trying to cover the smell with sprays, it was still disturbing. I immediately called Airbnb the night he arrived.  They informed me that he could be removed, BUT he would loose his money and had the opportunity to write a review 🤔. This could jeopardize my super host status if he gives me a bad review.  I was pissed!  Also, the first night the guest begged me to give him a chance.  Pleading he would obey the house rules.  I decided to give him a chance by lowering my standards and compromising my house rules. Well that was short lived.  He began waking up 2 to 3 time in the middle of the night to smoke in the front yard.

My question is, why would a guest be allowed to write a review on a host if they intentionally broke the house rules? He lied and totally disregarded my house rules.  That is so not fair! 

[Anonymous]

@Sharon683  I don't think you can really apply your House Rules to what people do outside the bounds of your property That's why they're called HOUSE Rules,. Everything else is outside of your jurisdiction. You may convey a preference for non-smokers in your listings, but there will be guests who come home smelling ways you don't like - whether from smoking or being in a smoky environment or any number of other reasons - and how you choose to react to that is entirely relevant material for a review. 

[Annie1372]

Hello @Anonymous 

I agree with you.

@Sharon683  I beleive you could also ask the guests, in the house rules, to not smoke outside, on your property.

If they know they have to walk further, it may have them think twice about renting your AirBNB.

[Anonymous]

@Annie1372  One place where I let my House Rules ramble on a bit extra was when explaining where the nearest place visitors would have to go to smoke, i.e. down two flights of stairs and outside into the elements. It probably helped deter the more frequent smokers. But being in a city where most bars and clubs allow smoking, that odor is going to make it into the house one way or other, so my cleaning and laundry techniques will always have to take it into account.

[Annie1372]

@Anonymous 

Good point !!

here in Québec province, restaurants & bars Have been Smoke Free For More than 15 years now.

goods new for the non-smokers.

but for the smokers, it means they would want to smoke more in my ABB …. Therefore, I’ll add in my house rule à new  ‘non-smoking’ policy on my outside ground !!

[Linda108 · Accepted solution]

@Sharon683  In my experience as a psychotherapist specializing in addiction, smokers are like any other addict.  They have good intentions at the time they speak with you, but sooner or later they must have a "fix".  Your instinct to cut the stay short was spot on, but your fear of a bad review inhibited you.  I think you should feel free to make good decisions about your listing without feeling coerced by the SH status.  Over the years there will be many different scenerios that will affect your SH status, just go with the flow and rest easy your good name and efforts will prevail.

[Annie1372]

Thanks @Linda108 

I love your answer about the SH Status.

even myself, I do not select a vacation on AirBNB. Based on SH status but rather on the majority of the comments.

peace of mind worth more than à SH Status and cost l’est than a full deep cleaning 😉

And a special thanks to your info about addict people and response in general.

it is helpful and not just here, on ABB 🙏🏻

have a great day