Guests showed up and started smoking - do I report it now?

@Emily -
I wasn’t contradicting myself. I wasn’t clear. They can smoke outside, but if they were to continue to smoke inside my home, I would not be worried about keeping the money. I would just want them gone.

You can’t cancel them without serious consequences. You need to call Air and ask that they be located to a smoking allowed unit. Better, if you have a charge in your rules for violating your no smoking inside policy, let them stay ,but send them a request for additional payment thru the resolution center to pay for the extra cleaning that is required.

This isn’t exactly true. The guests already broke the no smoking rule, and @PitonView would be within his/her rights to ask Air to cancel the guest while @PitonView is paid according to cancellation policy.

I know this because we had a guest who brought in a third person against our max occupancy and they got evicted and we got paid.

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Go for it then! But it’s a risk. Air isn’t supporting hosts like it used to.

I have no intention of kicking them out as long as they continue to smoke outside. As much as I abhor smoke, I think kicking someone out and keeping over $2000 US is too stiff a penalty for a quickly-stopped infraction of the rules. My position will change if they break the rule again.

And at my prices, I suspect AirBnB would think it was too stiff a penalty. They would probably grant me $300-$500 in cleaning costs and I’d be out the rest.

I don’t have a financial penalty stated for smoking. My position on that is that smokers will see it as the “cost” of smoking and smoke anyway and pay the fine. If the fine were $300, it would be only $13 a day per person to smoke (four people, six nights). After you’ve paid over $100 per night per person, what’s another $13?

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That’s a good point.

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That is indeed a good point and I can confirm that smokers will come to the same conclusion - I’ve actually been with a party of people in a rental who did it. It was in my pre-Airbnb days so my objection to the behaviour was not as vociferous as it would be now, to my shame.

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For future consideration: Do you have any signage in your home of “no smoking”?

I don’t smoke. My condo rules state “no smoking in the unit - on the porch OK”. Until I posted no-smoking signs on the bedroom mirrors and refrigerator door, I had a problem with people smoking in the unit. I hated having to tacky my unit with the signage.

In North & South Carolinas approximately 35% of the population smokes tobacco. Most of us grew up around raising tobacco or cigarette manufacturing to earn a living. Due to the commonness of smoking, I needed signs.

Also, I think we are accustomed hotel signage of “this is a non-smoking room”, without the sign we think it is a “smoking is ok room”.

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@Annet3176 - I hate to put in signs. I try to minimize those. I do have the house rules posted on the refrigerator.

But you make a good point. No matter how many places I say “no smoking” in the listing, many people won’t read it. So I need to make sure they hear it when they arrive. My property manager/housekeeper meets guests and shows them around, and I will have her tell them very clearly “This is a non-smoking property. If you must smoke, we can set up a smoking area outside” and show them where.

The good news here is that they seem to be honoring their agreement to smoke only outside. I have my fingers crossed they don’t slip up.

Thank you for providing this perspective. Where I live, Southern California, smoking is so frowned upon that several communities have made smoking illegal in any public place even outside. Smokers here know to ask where it’s okay to smoke. I didn’t realize that there were still places in the U.S. where smoking was common.

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I have had this issue as well even when “reaching out” and discussing with guest before hand and explaining we have family members allergic to smoke.
When guest was found to be smoking I cancelled reservation right away.
This is my home and when there is blatant lying and disrespect I do not feel bad about telling them to leave.
The host has to worry about the lasting effects of the smoke. As well,the future business could be jeopardised by the lingering smoke,(non smokers can smell everything).
Airbnb will not punish hosts for sticking to their rules,(with me at least).
I appreciate you letting me rant. I am a respectful and kind host.
Lisa

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You can definitely cancel without serious consequences.
I have had this sitaation and not following the rules is reason for cancelling!

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I strongly agree with this as a host!
It affects everything,consider future guests as well…
I had a couple of young men show up ,light up cigarettes then pull out joints,marijuana and party…ugh ,that did not last!
I am getting a stronger back bone and it is super for my self worth, knowing that I DO NOT have to put up with anything in MY HOME!
Thank you so much for allowing me to share!
Respectfully
Lisa

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That’s really interesting… that it’s just part of the culture.
Not so sure about even allowing it on the porch…

I used to allow it outside… then smoke would waft up into the main house and my son would go bonkers. He detests smoke.

I would consider courteous outdoor smoking though. And I have made exceptions if they follow a few very very easy rules… because the courteous smokers really know how to “not leave a trace.”

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@konacoconutz
@EllenN

It is a southeastern USA culture. In this area. many of us over 50, spent some time in a tobacco field. It was THE cash crop for many, many years.

Of course not everyone smokes here and there are people with strong anti-smoking opinions but smoking is common.

I live in Winston Salem which the source for the names of the cigarettes.

It’s all just part of the area like stone ground grits, country ham, Local sweet apples, and okra (oh dear now I’m hungry)

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