No alcohol consumption policy

[Kisa0]

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has a similar policy in their home. On a number of occasions I know that my guests have dishonoured my house rules in regards to no alcohol. They say that they either did not read the policy or did not see the no alcohol clause before they booked. Some guests act surprised when they read my Guests Airbnb manual upon arrival or when they ask and I tell them. 

How have other Christian hosts or (teetotaller hosts) dealt with this issue?

I constantly get asked whether we allow wine or beer for relaxation purposes. We do allow a glass of wine over dinner when I am asked for clarification however I do not make that public knowledge. To keep it easy I simply indicate in my house rules that No alcohol is permitted.

Some guests can't accept it seems and come back and say they won't party or drink beer excessively etc I normally reply by saying that it's more a personal conviction because of my Christian stance rather than the fact that the guests may get drunk or party. 

Some have cancelled their bookings as a result - I have no problems with that. 

Would like to hear from those who have similar beliefs and no alcohol policy in the home.

Regards,

Kisa

[Inna22]

@Kisa0 

You are renting out an entire place. I would say it is pretty unusual to have such a restriction if it is not a space shared with a host. Most guests would assume they could eat and drink whatever they want in a space with a kitchen that they rent for themselves. Furthermore, this seems to be a vacation destination so I can see how many would want to be able to relax with a glass of wine in the evening. I also did not see this restriction in your listing. This should be prominently featured on the first page, just like I would expect any other major kitchen restriction such as kosher. You cannot ambush guests with this information after they book. On a personal note, I feel it is not my place to control what others do behind closed doors, even if those are doors of the house I rent to them (unless it is something illegal). But we are all different and of course you should run your hospitality business as you see fit.

[Kisa0]

Thanks for your reply. My view is that it is still my home and I would expect that if people don't like the rules I put in place, then they have a choice to not book. I am not forcing them to book my place. I am not ambushing them after they book. They seem to know about the policy before they book because several have asked me after the fact whether they can drink in my home. If they didn't know, wouldn't they just assume that they can drink there like many other Airbnbs? So, why do they ask? There are many other homes that they can book instead. Is that not the case? 

I do not police what they do in my home .. they have their privacy but if they choose to break the rules and I find evidence after they've checked out then it simply goes on their review afterwards. 

[Sarah977]

@Kisa0  It's one thing to forbid alcohol consumption if you are hosting in your own home and that is your moral stance, but if you are renting out an entire place, trying to impose your personal belief system on guests is really at odds with hosting on a huge international platform. Perhaps there is a better place to advertise your place where you would only attract guests who hold your beliefs.

What's next- Catholic hosts forbidding guests to use birth control?

BTW, no alcohol consumption isn't a "Christian stance". I know plenty of devout Christians who don't have any issue with the drinking of alcoholic beverages, for themselves, or others.

[Kisa0]

Thanks for your reply. 

[Anonymous]

@Kisa0  I think most adult guests would be rightfully puzzled by a policy that seeks to regulate their behavior in their privately rented space, especially when you're ultimately imposing your personal religious beliefs on individuals who don't share them.

If part of the guest-accessible space is shared with you or other guests, it's completely OK to have a no-alcohol rule in those areas. And I'd definitely advise a rule against glass containers for any kind of drink in the pool area. But when people choose to rent an "Entire Guest Suite" rather than a guestroom, they expect that they won't have a host meddling too much in their personal business (provided that they have an accurate guest count, adhere to local laws, and don't endanger or damage your property). If you genuinely intend to regulate what your guests do with their own bodies, I'd suggest marketing your place more as a "homestay" experience (Private Room) and be very explicit about your personal beliefs, to attract guests who share them and dissuade those who don't.

[Kisa0]

Thanks for your reply. We do occupy a self-contained unit downstairs but it is semi-detached. 

[Garrett86]

There are two very different adult mindsets. First, is that of respect other peoples property, these adults understand they are temporary guests, and that the owner would like the property back in the same condition as when the guest received it, so they can turn it over to the next guest in the same condition. The law provides for this protection of property. The second, is the mindset of I am renting this place for the time being, so I can do whatever I want while I am here.  One of these two mindsets produces the majority of successful people, while the other produces the majority of destruction to property and has the majority of evictions in long term rentals and the most terminations in short term rentals. If you don't like someones rules, then realize that you're not the best fit and move on, it doesn't hurt you and you don't have to face being booted out. Also, it simply reduces the pool of "good fit" guests for the property owner which they seem to be okay about.

[Anonymous]

@Garrett86  are you sure you posted in the right topic? It's not immediately clear how this comment relates to alcohol policies.

Your argument scans as a false dichotomy to me - I can think of many people who would be considered "successful" by some measures but have no respect for others' property, and also many grey areas about what the guests' responsibilities before departure entail. But all of this is beside the point, because consuming alcohol in a property does not in any imaginable way constitute "destruction" of it.

I'm instantly reminded of homophobic hosts who thought their beliefs entitled them to regulate the sexual orientation of who enters their properties, even though there's no logical argument that a same-sex coupling has any different effect on the room in which it occurs than an opposite-sex one. It seems to me that if you think your religion is telling you to impose your beliefs on anyone who crosses your doorstep, you shouldn't be renting a property to strangers. 

[Ana1136]

@Kisa0 and how do you enforce that rule? It is an entire place, how will you know if guests drink or not? Also, is it the only belief you impose? I agree with the other hosts here, it is very unusual, especially since you advertise an entire private listing. 

[Kisa0]

I don't police whether the guests abide by the rule .. just expect that they would respect them because after all it is still my home. 

[Nakayama0]

What a good view and how happy to see it with a glass of winel:-)

I would not like to have a guest drink alcohol because it is a seed of trouble. What would be happened if guests makes car accident with drunk driving? I banned alcohol in my house for young people because they tend to drink too much and make some troubles.

But we do not banned alcohol for adults, only to say we do not recommend to drink alcohol because we know not a few adults have a habit to drink a cup of beer before sleep.

So we have some rules against alcohol like this:

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5) Alcohol not recommended:
It's a seed of trouble and drunk driving is strictly banned in this country. Therefore, please refrain from drinking, please keep alcohol to minimum for a good sleep.

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And in our policy:

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No alcohol for students.

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Also we provide some canned cocktail with relatively high price. We think guest will understand what host would like to say about alcohol at our premises.

[Anonymous]

@Nakayama0  The House Rules on your listing do not mention alcohol.

I believe your recommendations have good intentions, but if I were a guest I would find it overly presumptuous for a host to tell me how to have "a good sleep" (I would feel differently about it if the listing were a host-guided health retreat rather than a private accommodation). The social problems associated with alcohol are widely known by adults worldwide, and nobody wishes to be lectured about matters of personal choice. 

Also, I would caution against applying different rules to different guests based on age or any other factor mentioned in the discrimination policy.  You have a legal obligation not to provide alcohol to anyone below your country's legal drinking age (Google tells me it's 20), so it would be much better for you to just make that age your limitation, and keep your stereotypes about "young people" and "students" to yourself.

[Kisa0]

Thank you for your reply. Appreciate that you are not judging me for putting up that rule. You seem to be precise with your rules with good logic. How successful has it been? 

[Anonymous]

@Kisa0  My experience is that guests genuinely appreciate having clear and reasonable boundaries communicated to them, and it's been incredibly rare that anyone has ever sought an exception or questioned their purpose.

But it does help that they know I'm just looking after my home and not trying to police or judge their personal choices.