Smoking guest at non-smoking property

[Nicole2223]

Hello,

Seeking advice for an situation with a current guest.  

Background:

1. In addition to ticking the 'no smoking' box that AirBnB provides, I add the following to my  house rules:  "No Smoking or use of tobacco in any form inside or out, anywhere on the 

2. Although the guest is required to acknowledge the house rules upon booking, I send the complete text of the house rules in a message to them after booking and ask them to review and respond to acknowledge understanding and agreement.

3. The no smoking rule is repeated in the printed house manual and house rules state they must read the manual.

To the. message asking them to acknowledge the rules, my current guest replied:   "we totally agree with the house rules".  They checked in yesterday and tonight our doorbell cam picked up one of them smoking.  (The smoker in the video actually looks nothing like the guests I checked in - but that could be the night mode or just an entirely separate issue).  Either way the no smoking rule was broken.

I know he stubbed out the cigarette in the snow...and perhaps there's evidence of that (although he appears to be covering it with snow in the video).  

I've never had this happen (to my knowledge).  I have no smoking deposit as we expect to not have smokers.  I've read a lot of posts here in the community center and a bunch of other online articles.  I cannot find any specific advice re: how to handle this IN THE MOMENT.  I see great recommendations for how to cancel a reservation before arrival or how to claim damage and get reimbursed for cleaning.  But my situation is that they are smoking NOW and I don't want them to continue to smoke.  

Before I confront them (which I won't do until morning as it's late here), I'd like to know what the next logical step would be.  What can I realistically expect?  They're already here....and they're not going to quit smoking cold turkey....so obviously they're going to continue to smoke.  As an aside, I also know they've already disregarded and disrespected some other 'ideals' that we communicate through our house manual....but that's not uncommon.  The smoking is an obvious violation.

Appreciate any guidance.  

[Helen3]

I would just message the guests to remind them that your house rules say that guests must not smoke inside or outside on your property (if that's what it says) and ask them to leave the property if they want to smoke @Nicole2223 

[Nicole2223]

Thanks.  That's what I decided to do. 

[Anonymous]

@Nicole2223  What is the end result you're hoping for here?  The best solution will have to be reverse-engineered from that starting point.

[Nicole2223]

Good point.  Two goals:

1. For me - LEARN from the experience so I can improve going forward (communication, signage, etc).

2. Get then to not smoke on the property - leave no butts -  don't stink up my linens and furniture with their own smoke-scented clothes/belongings.

I'll focus on #1 as they depart in 12 hours, and have not acknowledged or responded to my message reminding them about the no smoking rule.  

[Anonymous]

@Nicole2223

#1 - I tell people very specifically where the nearest place they can smoke is. As @Sarah977 notes, that's easier if it's a part of the property you can isolate as the smoking area, with a receptacle for the butts. The more inconvenience it causes to smoke, the more likely people will just break your rules to get their fix. You wouldn't be in the wrong to kick them out for that, but that's about the only consequence you can impose, and guests who know you wouldn't go that far will feel emboldened to flout your rules. 

#2 what you absolutely can't do is control the choices people make outside the bounds your property, including smoking. So that is one of the many odors you're going to find in your furniture and linens. One of the secrets of "guest - proofing" a home is that everything that touches a guest's body should be made of the easiest materials to clean and remove odors and stains from in a normal changeover. You can tell people not to smoke on your property, but you can't tell them "don't be smelly." 

[Colleen253]

@Nicole2223  If your issue is you don’t want to host guests who smoke, at all, period, even if they go off your property to do it, about the only thing you can do is explicitly reiterate that in writing to prospective guests before they book. This may cut down on the issue such as you’re facing now, but I doubt you’ll ever be free of it. 

Asking guests to confirm they’ve read and agree to the house rules is pretty useless. Though they may reply “we totally agree with the house rules", only about 1% will have actually read  the rules and know what they’re agreeing to.  Also, very few read the listing details. You have to be proactive and try to get in front of this as much as possible. You’re fighting a losing battle once the smoking guest is already installed. Signs in the house won’t help. The guest will just go outside to smoke, as they’re not going to abstain. If you want a sign, you’re better off making one that says “Sorry, we don’t accept smoking guests. No exceptions” and include it among your other photos. 

[Sarah977]

@Nicole2223  I know you won't want to hear this, but for the life of me I can't understand why hosts with huge properties as it looks like you have, plenty of outdoor space, don't just set up a smoking area far enough away from the house that there won't be smoke blowing inside.

I can understand it if a listing is just an apartment with a little balcony, but telling guests they can't smoke anywhere on a large piece of property seems awfully controlling and leads to the sort of situation you are experiencing. 

What's the difference if they step a foot over your property line to smoke, or you provide an outdoor smoking area?

If you set up a couple of chairs, a small table, a bucket of sand for butts, the majority of smokers will respectfully use it. 

Of course I think all hosts can set whatever rules they want, and you can still state no smoking, but for those smokers who'll book anyway ( and some will), at least that would mitigate it.

I have read so many posts about this same issue.

[Nicole2223]

Thanks for reading my post and chiming in.

[Helen350 · Accepted solution]

@Sarah977 @Anonymous @Nicole2223 

The reason some hosts, quite reasonably don't want guests to smoke, even down the bottom of an extremely long garden is because smokers excrete residue through every pore!

Personally I put up with this and DO allow smoking outside only, not inside. But I fully understand those who don't! 

A former home share host near me had an exquisite house, with superlative reviews, about how lovely both he & the house were. He was extremely anti-smoking, as probably only an ex-palliative care nurse can be! His listing description was very explicit that he did not host smokers because of what they excrete & exude through their pores into the bedding. One of his final reviews was an exchange re a honeymoon couple he'd refused to allow in on arrival for breaking house rules before they'd even entered the home! Whether this was arriving at 2 am or smelling of tobacco, we'll never know! - Perhaps that's why he no longer hosts?!

[Sarah977]

@Helen350  So how about banning guests who douse themselves in perfume, heavily scented aftershave and other products, who eat foods the smell of which exudes through their pores, who have unpleasant body odor? 

If one is going to host strangers in their home, there are going to be all sorts of odors people have that one might find offensive.

[Anonymous]

@Helen350  I've never been a smoker. But before Berlin shut down, I think most days of the week I would come home reeking of smoke. Sometimes I had to put up with it at work, sometimes there was just a cloud of it in whatever bar or club or house party I was hanging out in, and sometimes it was even just having a walk with a friend who smoked on a humid day. I realize not everywhere is as tobacco-friendly as Berlin (I think they have the death penalty for lighting a cigarette in California now), but anywhere you go in the world, you will absorb odors beyond your control and possibly bring them home with you. 

There are some things that are reasonable for hosts to demand of guests - specifically, how they behave in common areas and what uses they make of the physical facilities. But if of all the jobs you could possibly have, you've chosen to make at least part of your living from hospitality, there's a certain tolerance you need to have for the stink and grime of humanity. People smoke, drink, sweat, menstruate, fornicate, and **bleep**, and those who can't deal with the task of making the evidence of those things disappear are possibly in the wrong job if they're renting a bedroom by the night.

[Colleen253]

@Sarah977 “telling guests they can't smoke anywhere on a large piece of property seems awfully controlling”

I don’t allow smoking in my listing, but I do welcome guests to smoke outside on either of the two decks, and I  provide sand filled cans and ashtrays. I also ask guests not to flick butts on the ground. Not only is it unsightly and I don’t want to have to pick them up, the bigger issue is in the warm seasons it’s a fire hazard due to our climate and landscape. Most smoking guests respect that, but I will occasionally find butts on the ground. Its something I have yet to totally get a handle on.

[Sarah977]

@Colleen253  Yes, it's definitely gross, disrespectful and often dangerous for people to thoughtlessly toss their butts around.

Remember years ago when half of Okanagan Park, I think it was, burnt down and a guy turned himself in saying he thought he started it by tossing a butt out his car window?

[Colleen253]

@Sarah977 Yes I remember that story. Huge wildfires are started here all the time by thoughtless idiots throwing butts out carelessly. Hard to fathom that level of idiocy.