dishonest guests

[Marcia102]

I recently had a guest check in last Friday, March 5, 2021.  When she inquired about the apartment, I asked if there were any smokers as I have a no smoking policy.  She said there were no smokers.  This morning, I drove past the apartment, and saw her sitting outside.  Now I don't know if she was smoking because I couldn't get close enough.  However, why else would she be outside.  If I do find out that she is smoking, what can I do about it?  She is supposed to be there until the end of April.

[Emiel1]

@Marcia102 

I suggest to sent the guest a message:

"This morning, I drove past the apartment, and saw you sitting outside. Now I don't know if you were  smoking because I couldn't get close enough. However, why else would you be outside ?"

(Smiling Spy)

[Sarah977]

@Marcia102  I don't understand your concern at this point. Guests aren't allowed to sit outside? You can't think of any reason why a guest would sit outside? Maybe she just wanted some fresh air. Maybe she needed a break from the people she's sharing the house with. There's no law or house rule about sitting outside.

What many hosts do with long term reservations is arrange weekly or every 2 week quick cleans, linen change, etc (needs to be stated in the listing when guests book and convenient times arranged with guests) in order to make sure guests aren't living like pigs in there, or ignoring your house rules.

[Marcia102]

It has nothing to do with sitting outside.  Of course, they are allowed to sit outside.  But if you read my posting, it is this:   My concern is IF I find out that they are smoking, what do I do about it then.

I do like your idea of the quick cleans, linen change, etc.

[Colleen253]

@Marcia102 The title of your post is "Dishonest Guests". I think it should have read "Am I Being an Overly Suspicious Host?" If you saw the guest smoking that would be one thing, but sitting outside does not make the guest dishonest.

Cross the bridge if  you get to it. IF you see the guest smoking, then you address it with them and remind them of the no smoking rule. If they persist in smoking after that, then you can send them an earlier check out date. By the way, are you explicit about no smoking anywhere on the property, not just inside? Do guests perhaps think smoking outside is ok?

[Sarah977]

@Marcia102You did say that you couldn't think of any reason for a guest to sit outside unless they are smoking, so I don't think my comments were off-topic.

Nowhere in your listing does it state that you don't accept smokers. It says no smoking, which unless you are specific about that pertaining to outdoors as well, you can't fault a guest for- it needs to be stated in the listing info. 

If you somehow ascertain that they are smoking indoors, you can talk to them about it and if they aren't willing to stop that, you can contact Airbnb to cancel the rest of the booking with no penalties to you. But they will be refunded for unstayed dates.

[Barbara2376]

I have had several guests break my no smoking rule, even though my rules about smoking are clear. I would like to call Airbnb and ask them to ask the guests to leave (which at one point I was told they would do that). But my phone number for Airbnb doesn't work anymore. Do you know how to contact them? Or, do you know the proper procedure for getting guests out who are breaking the no smoking rule? The 2 times that I confronted the guest, they denied smoking. But I knew it because the smoke was wafting into my part of the house. And of course it was confirmed after they left and my house was stunk up. I wish I could talk to someone at the company.

[Anonymous]

@Barbara2376  Regardless of whether it's you or an Airbnb service contractor who asks the guest to leave, it's going to be you that has to do the dirty work. To make it a little cleaner, you can give them notice of early termination by sending an alteration request with a new, earlier checkout date and assurance that they'll be refunded for the remaining days if they accept the change.

In some states, you have to be careful about this if the guest has already stayed long enough that they are legally considered tenants with right of residency (often 30 days, but some jurisdictions as little as 14). 

[Andrea4731]

I think you should have consequences clearly stated in your posting. In my listing I state smoking is not permitted but if necessary please do so outside, utilizing an ashtray. Any loose cigarette butts found on the property will incur a $20 littering fee. 

So it’s up to you what you see fit as a consequence if you catch a guest breaking your rules.

People who smoke are going to smoke no matter what, best to let them know of a place away from your property that they are allowed to smoke.

[Anonymous]

@Andrea4731   "Littering fee," that's a clever concept. But any host seeking to impose fees/fines should be aware that Airbnb will not back them up when the guest refuses the charge. 

[Anonymous]

@Marcia102 Unless your rules explicitly state otherwise, people tend to take "no smoking" to mean "no smoking indoors."  If what you actually mean is "no smoking anywhere on the property, including outdoor areas," I recommend saying that - perhaps even adding a helpful note about where the nearest place is that someone can use smoking/vaping products.

I wouldn't suggest directly posing your suspicions to the guest. But since you have a very new listing that hasn't been refined yet, what you can do is contact the guests to inform them that you've updated your House Rules in greater detail, and invite them to ask if they have any questions. 

I find that asking one guest whether anyone in their group is a "smoker" is an exercise in futility. Plenty of people who smoke do not self-identify as smokers, and it's very common for former smokers to fall back on old habits when dealing with a new situation like staying in a stranger's house. I don't know if any of this is the case with these specific guests - sometimes a person just needs to get outside for a bit, even in cold weather. But if you approach a guest with the presumption that they've been dishonest, they'll immediately go on the defensive, and your fragile guest-host relationship is unlikely to recover from the fallout. The best way to communicate here is to give them the benefit of the doubt and make it about your own duty to provide clarity.