A Couple of Questions From a New Host

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Hello - I thank you in advance for reading!

In an effort to earn some extra money, I am renting out my studio apartment on occasion. I really have to hand it to those of you who do this full time, as you must have to deal with a lot of stresses!

Anyway, all has been pretty good for me, but I am left with a couple of questions.

I have read here and on the site forums about how we cannot refuse to rent based on age. However, for long weekend stays, I would rather not rent to those who are just over 18, as there is just too much room for error. Did this last weekend, and in the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t awful, but they did not lock the door upon checking out, and they smoked pot in here. They left the end of a pot-filled cigar under my table. I saw a Swisher Sweet cigar wrapper, and what I found smelled exactly like pot, and a friend told me that some people will fill a small cigar with pot, so I know I’m not wrong about the pot. They left a wax burner on (my fault for not hiding it…still learning) and had lit decorative candles. They were also very loud on Saturday night, prompting a neighbor to contact me at 1 AM.

Anyway, if I receive a request to book from a seemingly 18-year-old, can I just give a “generic” denial without telling them that they are too young?

Also, I’m sort of torn on how to review them. I don’t want to be too harsh, but I’m also feeling like other hosts should know that the door was not locked. It may not be a big deal in some areas, but it could be disastrous for someone who rents out their personal dwelling.

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Do you allow smoking in your apartment?

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Yes, I do allow it. I had not thought about making a note in rules about pot. It is not legal where I live.

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I do not allow guests under 25. it is stated in the introduction and restated in the House Rules. The city of Palm Springs, Ca doesn’t allow the booking guest to be under 25. I also require DL copies from each occupying guest. I haven’t had any kickbacks due to these rules.

Please alert other hosts about not keeping your property secured. Good Luck!

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I would not allow smoking. What would your insurance cover if guests burnt your apartment down? Absolutely give them a thumbs down and an honest, factual review. Say your neighbors had to contact you at 1am about their noise. Other hosts need to know.

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Most of us don’t live in city with this sort of regulation. Hosts have a variety of strategies they use to deter people of various ages from booking. Just keep in mind, @Chicago606, if a potential guest complains Airbnb might not be supportive.

I also don’t understand why you allow smoking in your rental unless it’s a special “for smokers” deal.

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Thank you all for replies. I will for sure leave an honest review to alert other hosts.

As for the smoking thing, that was another stupid choice on my part. I did it because, up until last fall, I smoked cigarettes in here. (I know, not cool) I thought that allowing smoking would be a roundabout way of alerting potential guests that it could smell like cigarette smoke in here. I know it has been months, but when the place has been locked up when I am out of town, I feel like I can still detect a faint smell of it.

If I continue to do this, I’ll alter it for sure, as adding smoke isn’t going to help at all. I’ll just alert anyone who requests to book that this was smoked in until fall of 2017. Initially, I was just going to rent it out one time (for a busy festival weekend in my town), but then I added some days that I was staying with a friend anyway. I went in thinking it would be a one-and-done thing for me, so I made that silly choice.

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A shampoo of the carpets and perhaps some repainting will give you a clean slate.