How do you prove smoking on your non-smoking listing?

[Margaret843]

My listing is for the entire townhouse and has self check in via a smart deadbolt. Guests let themselves in & I don't generally come to the property while they are present, so that they can have their privacy. Unfortunately, a few bookings ago, after the guest checked out, I noticed that the whole townhouse smelled like a mix of cigarette smoke, marijuana smoke and  loads of some sort of perfume (they were no doubt trying to cover the smell).

There wasn't any physical evidence (butts, ashes, etc), photos/videos and i didn't actually see it for myself or even know they were doing it until after they had left. I asked them via messages If they were smoking in the property...they denied it.

How can I prove it when they denied it and I have no real proof besides the smell?

Thanks in advance.

[Kit45]

Hi @Margaret843 ,

I think you can purchase an air quality detector that specifically indicates it can detect cigarette smoke or hire air quality detection companies to confirm the presence of cigarette smoke residue.

[Margaret843]

Oohh this is interesting. I didn't know this was an option. Will look into it. Thanks!!

[Sarah977]

@Margaret843  It's possible that they weren't actually smoking on your property, but the smell of cigarette smoke can stick to smokers' clothes, hair, the bedding, etc. 

[Robin4]

@Sarah977 

Yeah odour is different to smoke Sarah, and odour won't trigger an alarm, only smoking will........ or so their publicity blurb states!

Cheers......Rob

@Margaret843 

[Margaret843]

Hmmm, it was too thick in the air in my opinion to just be smoke from their clothes and they seemed very defensive bordering on rude in their reply.  

[Robin4 · Accepted solution]

@Margaret843 

Hi Margaret, possibly best to be a bit proactive here and leave the guest in no doubt that, if they smoke in the property it will trigger an alarm, and you can use a bit for journalistic licence and make something up like, "As the alarm utilizes WiFi , we get immediate notification if smoking takes place, which is specifically against our house Rules!"

Only a complete moron would want to put that to the test Margaret!

There is widely available a specific cigarette/cigar smoke detector. Here is a good one available through Amazon anywhere in the world.

If triggered it will emit a piercing squeal  which will make them wish they had not decided to ignore your smoking policy! You don't have to state in your house rules that it is battery operated  :-((

I have ordered one of these to help with my cottage filtration system so, at the moment, I can't tell you how effective it is, but, it does have a 4.5 star rating with Amazon users, and that suggests almost all purchasers are happy with the product!

That price is in $AU Margaret,so it is only going to cost you around $45 US so, I consider it a good investment.

Also if you look on that Amazon site you will see advertised detector/analyzers that are cheap and will give an indication that smoking has taken place.

I will do a post on this at some point in the future when I have had a chance to see it first hand in operation and get to gauge guests reaction to it.

Cheers.......Rob 

[Margaret843]

Yes, I think this is a really good idea.  Thanks for your idea too on the wording. I'll need to look into these. 

The scariest part of this is that the building has a central smoke/fire alarm and sprinklers in every unit. I just can't imagine all the drama if my guest were to trigger that and cause issues for the whole building....or ruin my furniture with the water. 😕

[Robin4]

@Margaret843 

There is a difference between smoke/fire alarms and cigarette/cigar alarms. Cigarette smoke, although there is a remote possibility it can trigger a fire alarm, it will not trigger a building sprinkler system!

Rest assured that while there’s a small possibility of triggering a fire alarm by smoking or vaping, there’s no chance of setting off the fire sprinklers. Contrary to popular belief, sprinkler heads are triggered by heat, not smoke or vapor.

Each sprinkler head contains a small bulb of colored liquid, which boils at a specific temperature—usually 155 to 165 degrees, depending on the type of sprinkler head it is. When the liquid boils, the glass breaks and the sprinkler releases water to douse the apparent fire below.

So Margaret, put the fear of God in them, but don't worry that you will be doused with water if they set off the fire alarm..........but, you don't have to tell them that! That is for you security, not the smokers!

Cheers......Rob

[Cormac0]

@Margaret843 

I steam cleaned the wall of a bathroom in one of my long term let apartments and the cleaning released the most pungent smell of cigarette smoke you could possible image, essentially the tenants were smoking in the bathroom  and I'm in no doubts about.

as mention previously a smoke detector is a good idea, and wired in one is best as removing the backup batteries does not disable it.

[Inna22]

@Margaret843 what would be the purpose of trying to prove it? Airbnb does not recognize smoking as damage most of the time. You would need to have really strict anti smoking rules with a penalty in your listing and then be able to prove that you spent money getting rid of that smoke to be reimbursed. I have travelled down that road multiple times and only collected one time. In fact, I have a claim open right now. I have strict rules and penalty in the listing; sign inside the home; reminder with welcome message; pictures of the butts; guest is not denying smoking. And I am still waiting for the resolution. Your best bet is to spend money on an Ozone equipment so you can quickly clean up. Make your rules clear with a large penalty to deter guests from smoking. Catching them might not get you anywhere. Prevention and being ready to remedy if it does happen are your best tools in my opinion. 

[Margaret843]

Yeah, I def understand what you are saying. I have the no smoking sign as well as a cleaning fee in the rules. I also expressed "no smoking" in a welcome message...but they never responded (to any of my messages). They smoked anyway. After talking to customer service they said they can do nothing because their isn't any evidence left behind. Also, since I cleaned it myself, I don't have any cleaning receipts to prove the "cost" of cleaning. So they did nothing to help me and nothing to the guest.  I will try out the air quality tester. If this happens again, I want to have some sort of evidence so I can try to get the extra cleaning fee. 

I will work on stronger preventative methods too. I just wish these types of guests would have more respect for hosts. I have a suspicion that this particular guests has gone through this before and has won & now he knows he can just denied and not leave evidence, if he wants to get away with it. 😞

[Inna22]

@Margaret843 you can only be reimbursed for a loss. If you just cleaned yourself, it is not a loss. Just like making the house extra dirty. Besides proving the smoking itself, you also will need to prove additional monetary expenses. You have obviously made up your mind to buy the tester, so go for it. Just do not expect to be paid.

[Danny622]

Did you ever find a solution?

[CandiceTom0]

I had a guest who smoked in my home but couldn't prove it. How do you prove this when there's no physical proof only the horrible smell left behind? Airbnb denied my claim, although resolution claims to protect the host with a host guarantee.  Not much of a guarantee if you can't collect on it. Any suggestions?