This forum is dedicated to connecting hosts with other hosts. Sign up to get the latest updates and news just for AirBnb hosts! Note that we are not affiliated with Airbnb - we are just passionate hosts!
That’s my thought, too. Since I allow up to 8 guests, there’s a high chance of at least one guest in a group being a smoker and at least one guest in the same group that wants to avoid the smell of smoke. My listing is no smoking, but I put ashtrays on all 3 of the patio tables and I state in the house rules that guests can smoke at the patio tables.
One or more of the ash trays has been used after at least 1/3 of all reservations. I’ve only found 1 butt on the ground, and there’s never been evidence of smoking in the house. It’s only been 10 months and 27 reservations hosted, but so far, this has worked well for me. I don’t smoke, and don’t like the smell, BTW.
Exactly. It’s a habit that a portion of the population is going to engage in.
If I give them a place to do it outdoors it doesn’t stink up my place.
If I give them an ash tray I don’t have to deal with butts indoors. (And they don’t improvise with my porcelain dishes)
If it’s a nice place to sit, perhaps they linger long enough to not carry the scent on their clothes. (Cigarettes stink. Some pipe or cigar smokes are nice in moderation.)
That works for me, but if a host like @Skai says in her house rules “don’t book if you want to smoke in or on my property”…those people should have booked a different place where they could be respectful of the host’s wishes.
I am a host too and I think you are a tinsy bit too picky. I understand you are mad but cool off a little, no harm has been done except for the irrigation heads. Reading the title of the topic I thought, oh my, here’s another guy asking what to do to get the smoke smell out of his house.
Now take a deep breath and hear me out:
it’s petty to write in a review they ask for a 3 hours early check in. when possible, I offer early check-in (1-3 hr) because I remember when I traveled to Canada i wanted to check in right after I landed rather than walk the city with the luggage waiting for 3 PM to check in, especially that I woke up at 4am to catch the flight. It was SO nice for me they allowed it.
This is also petty. In my own house I don’t slam the drawers and the silverware travels north too. It’s the simple act of closing the drawers (action and reactions from physics class). Unless they really slammed the door and you heard it it bothered you or woke you up, you have no point here.
this is valid, mention it in the review.
people will leave bags of food and left over. Thank God they didn’t leave it in the fridge like some of my guests. Gross, but no damage. Minor. Do you actually have it in your house rules that you dont allow street shoes and the guests are supposed to take their trash to the bins? If you don’t dont complain.
there’s no biggie. No smoking means no smoking inside. This is how I would interpret it. They smoke outside. Unless your house rules specifically say smoking is forbidden everywhere, inside and outside, you have no point, sorry. As for the cigarette butts in the bin, are you serious? Boil some water and wash the bin. Rinse it with a bit of vinegar. There, problem solved.
You know what? I’d actually be ok having these guests at my house. Most of the time when people post here I say, no, I don’t want your guests at my house, but yours are just average guests. My guests smoke outside - I provide ashtrays - some take the trash out, some leave it just there, some leave the food in the fridge and flatware travels north. I don’t have irrigation system and parking is on the street, so yeah, pretty average.
Really, I think most people interpet this to mean it’s allowed inside the house. If you don’t want people to smoke on your porch, you might consider also putting a “no smoking” sign on the porch - it would be less aggravation for you.
If you put in your review that they broke house rules about smoking (as I suggested as I thought they smoked inside), it would be most useful to other hosts to indicate that they smoked on the porch. I wouldn’t turn them down for that because I also don’t care if people smoke in the backyard. They usually smoke by the fire pit anyways
Oh yeah, I totally get not wanting people to smoke on your property for very valid reasons.
The point is, not everyone has the same definition of No Smoking. We can’t even agree on it as hosts, so there’s at least as much confusion with guests.
It begs greater clarity than the “No Smoking” Checkbox can provide alone. If you’re pragmatic about it, you’ll reinforce “anywhere on the property” in the listing.
If the SMOKING ALLOWED option is not checked, that means it’s not OK to smoke. Am I wrong? When it’s mentioned multiple times that smoking is not allowed in or on the property… I’m not sure how to make it more clear that smoking is not allowed in or on the property.
Yes, the food that needed to be refrigerated was left in the fridge. Open containers of yogurt, buttermilk, fruit, etc. And I do ask that they take out their trash daily. I’m in the sub-tropics and leaving garbage/leftover food in the inside refuse container is a major no-no and a route to get lots of bugs. And it is listed in the House Rules.
Yeah, there’s definitely a lot of confusion about it. I say “No Smoking Allowed” but then clarify that smoking is fine outside.
There’s a newer listing in my neighborhood who did the opposite, like you are describing. Her listing says “Smoking Allowed” but then clarifies that it’s only outside. I think she’s the only listing on this whole side of town that comes up under a “Smoking Allowed” search and her prices are triple of normal and she’s killing it. I can’t help but think that it’s because she’s coming up in that search. Because of the other way of listing “No Smoking Allowed” meaning not at all on the property as @Skai is talking about, I think a lot of smokers who only want to smoke outside are now searching for Smoking Allowed. It’s quite a bit of confusion.
Because I don’t mind people smoking outside, I have been tempted to list as “Smoking Allowed” and then clarify outside only, as my neighbor is doing, to get those extra bookings but am pretty sure it will scare off non-smokers who think it means there’s smoking inside. Argh.
I think you may be in a minority of the interpretation, that’s all. When infants and children are allowed it doesn’t say “Infants and Children Allowed” it just doesn’t say that they aren’t. There’s just a ton of confusion around this particular rule and everyone could benefit from more options to choose from. Personally, I’d like to be able to say “Outside Smoking Allowed” but don’t have that option either.
Putting “No Smoking” signs in comfortable outdoor areas, like porches, would seem to help. Even guests who are consciously thinking about breaking your rule would think again if there was a No Smoking sign. I think it couldn’t hurt.
They certainly CAN! Put it in your HR and then it MIGHT actually happen! With your location and experience and reviews, I bet you would get better compliance than I get.
Speaking of bad UI on the app…I had a guest show up completely oblivious of all the House Rules saying that I didn’t have 8-9 numbered rules when I told him that and then sent him the list. Turns up and shows me his app…there is NOWHERE for him to click the Read more…because the first line or two doesn’t even show up! I tried to get Airbnb to pay his pet fees that we’re spelled out there but they hammered the guest for not reading and following the rules…even when I confirmed that it was NOT POSSIBLE for the guest to even SEE the rules.
That guest ended up sneaking away and canceling after ghosting me for hours (we agreed we would do check-in at a set time (an hour or so?) later so they could go have lunch while Airbnb worked things out…then left me a 1 star review that said I was a scammer. So much for agreeing with and supporting the guest who had been wronged by Airbnb…right there in front of him. I did eventually get it removed since he never got into the house.
I think OP already said that the rules do indicate this so is not being too sensitive about it in my view…
THATs a totally different scenario. You ALLOW smoking outside on your property! OP does NOT. I wouldn’t want them because my rule is like OP’s. I also wouldn’t want them for being disrespectful rule breakers.
No, he said he put “no smoking” everywhere. That to me translates no smoking indoors but ok smoking outdoors.
@Skai, if you want people not to smoke you have to specifically put No smoking indoors and outdoors everywhere. You also have to explicitly put non smoking is allowed indoor or outdoors in the house description and rules. When people book you reply immediately with a message telling them this. No smoking means outdoor is ok.
I dont know in your city but in mine, the official building have inscriptions outside like “no smoking 25 ft from the entrance” or “designated smoking area”. Put “no smoking anywhere on this property” outdoor and, as I said, once someone books you follow up with a message saying this is a non smoking property.
Also you can add non-smokers to the title of your listing. Like “great apt bla-bla; non-smokers only”.
As a former teacher I learned to never make a rule I can’t enforce. I can’t prevent smokers from smoking. Part of the problem with some smokers is that the stench literally comes from their lungs and pores. I’ve had other smokers smoke in the driveway, come into the room and leave no trace of odor. Also, making a rule that says no smoking on the property only to have them walk across the street, or get in their car and drive around the block is silly and unhospitable. I feel that the way I do it is the best balance between my needs and hosting humans. If I could wave a magic wand and make tobacco products disappear from the earth, I would. I hate them.
It’s hardly just me that do not appreciate smoke. I know less than five people who are smokers.
