FreshAir sensor: monitors tobacco and pot smoke

1

Has anyone tried or used this?: http://www.freshairsensor.com/

We’re thinking of getting it. Our most recent guests threw a party (completely against our policy) and two days later the apartment still reeks of pot smoke.

2

I do hope you gave them an honest review and charged them for specialists to come and clean up.

By the way did your CCTV not show you that a party was happening?

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3

Interested to see how it went for you claiming their deposit for smoking at the house. Even mentioned in my House Rules Airbnb never let me claim it. It’s also a tricky process.

They want you to provide them with an official estimate from a smoke & odor removal company. The issue is by the time you get it the smell might go away. It took me 4 days to get someone available in there and the guy was like “it’s not worth for me to come here and drop machines”.

Hopefully you live in an area where you can get an estimate today and send it over.

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4

In hindsight I should have handled this better, but here’s what happened:

  1. The guest same-day instant-booked at 7pm for one night with four people. He didn’t say anything about why he booked or who he was with. No picture either.
    Going forward, I’ve added check-in questions to Instant Book.

  2. We didn’t greet him (we live in the top unit and Airbnb the bottom unit).
    Going forward, we will purposely greet people if their IB answers aren’t sufficient.

  3. At 2am, we awoke to hear loud music. We went downstairs to find 20+ people partying with their own industrial-grade speaker. The unit reeked of tobacco and pot smoke.
    Going forward, we will re-iterate the smoking, noise, and parties policy in our greeting message.

  4. We asked them to turn down the noise, limit the number of people to 6, and limit smoking to outside the house. They apologized and agreed.

  5. Prior to that we called the police. When the police arrived, we told them everything was fine per our conversation with the guests. Rather than kick them out we gave them the benefit of the doubt. Besides that it was freezing outside (5 degrees F).
    Going forward we won’t be so lenient.

  6. The next morning we smelled additional smoke. It reeked as it travels upstairs to our unit through the vents. We asked them again (9am) to stop and asked them to leave ASAP.

  7. When we inspected the place after check-out we itemized over $2,000 in damages. Cigarette burns on the sofa, carpet, and daybed. A broken chair. A missing TV remote. Vomit on the floor. Ashes everywhere. Two stained walls. Damaged coffee table. Smell everywhere.

5

This is so unfortunate! Sorry you have to go through that. How did Air responded to that?

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You detected a party and didn’t kick them out so I don’t know how this machine would help.

It does seem that the experience has given you new resolve to remove bad guests. Besides living upstairs maybe adding some security cameras would help deter partiers. I added the international no smoking logo to my listing and it seems that I have fewer smokers since.

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7

Are you suggesting we add a camera inside the apartment? I’ve never considered that. Would that not be a bit invasive?

8

Absolutely not. But one on the exterior that show people coming and going with bottles of booze or standing outside smoking and vaping is evidence of a party.

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9

I would have thought most people would just have booted them out immediately.

How could it be worth $2000 in damages?

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Not sure what point you are trying to make @Como . Damage to furniture can easily account for the amount of damage identified.

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@Helsi

Exactly so they would have been gone at 2am.

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@Como First you ask how there could have be $2000 worth of damage by guests in a property who had been partying hard.

I suggest in response this could be down to damaged furniture.

You then respond by saying ‘Exactly so they would have been gone at 2am’.

I feel like I am living in the ‘twilight zone’.

13

You all may have heard about this Airbnb host who had his home trashed on New Year’s Eve.


$100,000 in damages! He was more upset about the runaround response he got from Airbnb. It appears Airbnb is now cooperating now that it’s gotten media attention.

14

Dear lord, the smoke is the least of the problems!! I am so sorry.

Personally, I would have kicked them all out - period. Two people booked, two people in the place. No one comes on the property who is not on the rental agreement.

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@CatskillsGrrl

Exactly.

16

Yeah. Live and learn I suppose.