My house rules read: “No pets or smoking, inside or out. Seriously.” I do not see this as unclear in any way. Why in the world are so many smokers renting my place AND SMOKING! And worse, not even trying to hide it. I charge them for it now, but rather than the money, I want them to move onto a place that allows smoking. Am I to no say “I hate smoking. Don’t even think of renting here if you plan to smoke”.
If any of you have found a way to get this across please share. I am so over this ‘rules do not apply to me’ thinking.
Thanks for letting me vent, too. Onto the next guest that I trust all over again.
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That is the worst! So it’s a whole house and you aren’t on site? Are you available to go check on them while they are there? And I assume they are smoking inside and you smell it after check out?
If you have a way to check while they are there put in your rules that smoking will result in a cancelled reservation with no refund. Also put cameras on the exterior and prominently feature them in your listing. “video monitored for your safety.”
They are doing it because they think you won’t know and they can get away with it.
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I once stayed at a place (not Airbnb) that had a framed notice in a prominent place saying that anyone smoking on the entire property (including the grounds) would be fined $1000.
But the problem is for us that it’s so hard to prove that people have been smoking.
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Are you on Instant Book? If so you could use that pre-booking message to say something like “smokers will be removed from the property, fined $1000, and reported to Airbnb”. If they continue with their booking, reinforce your no smoking policy in your welcome message.
@KKC blurb about video monitoring is excellent. I actually might slip that into my house rules even though I don’t have a camera and I live on the property (I’ll call them wildlife cameras). I have no problem keeping my guests paranoid. My husband caught one of our guests smoking down our driveway, which is in the forest and we’re in the middle of a drought. Idiot!
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Our listing allows smoking outside and we provide ashtrays. I have gotten at least 6 reservations in the last three months because we list “smoking allowed.”
I do not share the space with our guests and there is a ton of fresh air here in Costa Rica - but smokers have nowhere to go anymore and, while I feel bad for their addiction and don’t wish to be exposed, not discriminating against them translated to dollars in our pocket.
I do feel your pain, though. 
I wonder if it is a miscommunicTion if you say you allow smoking. Maybe they don’t get that you only mean it is allowed outside?
We’ve never specified “outside only” but that’s where they go. I think illegalities in smoking inside are the norm throughout the free world… But yes, if we found our listing reeking of tobacco smoke, we’d add it to the house rules.
ps @konacoconutz - you have put no smoking in your house rules. I’m not implying you should reconsider. Smoking when you’ve said no smoking is a serious infraction as are some of the violations of our house rules. It’s unacceptable. Sorry for any miscommunication.
I think you should rewrite your house rules, because the translator will mess this up I think.
Instead of:
“No pets or smoking, inside or out. Seriously.”
Write it as:
“NO pets
NO Smoking inside the house
NO Smoking outside the house”
Also send them a message before accepting the booking booking: “Are you aware that this a Non smoking property”
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Bigger security deposit with the guest forfeiting the deposit for smoking. Please put their smoking in the review for the guest so the rest of us are warned.
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I have learned after 2 years that majority of guests do not read. I have a system now where I email guests a .pdf that restates details and some rules. Then I message them with an alert about the email. This has helped a lot with arrival and parking. The .pdf states that I have a keyless entry set to their tel number. I still get messages asking how to ‘pick up a key’.
My biggest stress comes when I feel I need to Police my guests. Yuk! I would just like to discourage Smokers from booking at all. It just sounds so unfriendly to say ‘Attention Smokers: DO NOT BOOK HERE’.
I do not allow smoking, even outdoors, as there are shared outdoor seating areas. As a non smoker myself, it always drives me crazy when we are somewhere, that if we want to enjoy the outdoors, we have to breath smoke. I never allowed my long term tenants to smoke on property either.
The trouble with a claim w Air for smoking is we are supposed to show damage. But I feel breaking a house rule, especially one designed for the comfort and enjoyment of other guests, should be enough. I have filed claims with photos of cigarette butts, ashes all over, etc. even outdoors and so far always get my claim.
My claims usually involve additional violations such as extra guests too. That’s a whole other thread.
@Dutchboy I always review professional and honest to help the next hosts
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This is a whole house but it is a stacked duplex with 2 listings that share a common outdoor seating area. I also have a long term tenant in a garage apartment just steps away. So one outdoor smoker, affects all three homes.
I just do not understand why a smoker would book a ‘no smoking allowed anywhere’ place! I wish they would move onto the next listing.
I am Chemically Sensitive and it is difficult enough to deal with all the residual scented chemicals left behind from guests’ fabric softener, perfumes, etc. I work it out but the exposure takes its toll on me.
And then if they put cigarette butts in my trash cans, the whole trash smells like an ashtray. I just want them to move along.
Maybe a lead statement like, ‘If you are racist, homophobic, or a smoker please stay somewhere else’. Welcoming? 
Too much?
@RootsEatery I stayed at a motel once that was called “No Smoking Inn” or something similar. No smoking anywhere on the property. It was a very unglamorous name but it worked to get me to book there. So maybe put it in your title? Since there are two listings making it clear to any non smokers that there won’t be smokers anywhere on the property would be a draw. I think anyplace with a nice outdoor area draws smokers. The see the outdoor seating and think “Ah! a place to smoke.” So your caption on outdoor spaces could say “No smoking anywhere on the property,” “No, you can’t smoke here either” “Smoke free, fresh air available here” and so on.
I was staying at a large hotel on a beach and had the sliding glass door open to enjoy the sea air and sound. But every year (I went to the same location 4 years for work) there would be someone in a nearby room smoking out their open door. Ugh.
@Perezo I’ve allowed smoking outside in the past and had people inquire and say something like “thanks for allowing smoking.” But I really hate it and I hate the smell of the butts even in my outdoor garbage. I now discourage smokers by taking the smoking outside language off my listing.
Absolutely! It’s your listing, after all. A dear friend of mine is incredibly allergic to tobacco and cigar smoke, even if she’s out in open spaces. We had to ask 2 Swiss men take their cigars elsewhere when we were back-country backpacking beside a glacier!
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Just today Oct. 23, a very nice couple so far was smoking cigarettes on my deck in my non smoking unit. When I confronted them they said the “thought is was ok to smoke outside”…This is weak and a poor excuse.
I am a superhost, my rental is in Hawaii, and 95% of my guests are great…
I have found the people who smoke tobacco are oblivious as to how offensive it is to those that do not smoke. Those that smoke when your house rules state no smoking , or use the excuse that they “thought is was allowed outside” is an issue of respect.
My biggest concern is that is is totally unfair and disrespectful to the host and future guests that pay the same money and expect a non smoking unit. The butts have to go somewhere, and they end up in your yard, deck or the trash can will will then reek of an even worse scent.
In my Description and house rules I state: This is a NON SMOKING unit. Absolutely NO TOBACCO SMOKERS period. Not outdoors or on the deck or on ANYWHERE on the property. If you smoke tobacco, please do not book with us.
It all come down to choice and respect…smokers have a choice to book elsewhere where smoking is ok, and is is disrespectful and downright rude to book a non smoking unit and smoke…
Aloha
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And please add to that: pilloried in the town square!
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Where are you? I’m in Kona. I never get disrespectful smoking guests. But wow, it doesn’t get clearer than that statement so I must say, I guess your guests don’t read. Once years ago a stupid pair lit a mosquito coil in my room and I was horrified. Getting the smell out before a check in that same night was an ordeal and stressful.
Just resurrecting this if that’s ok, as I feel a lot of what has already been said here is relevant to my own concern:
Apart from the above, another annoyance with smokers is the constant coming and going inside/outside/inside/outside all bloody night. The front door constantly opening and closing jolts me awake every time. I’ve just added ‘no smokers’ to my house rules, but I’m sure smokers will just read that as ‘I can only smoke outside’.
Any more tips from how I can discourage smokers from booking altogether?
I have thought about imposing a curfew like the old school B&Bs and hostels, but that’s a step too far even for me 
I put the international no smoking sign as a picture in my listing. An Israeli guy asked about it before booking. I allow smokers to rent my place and smoke outside. I don’t really hear the door banging much. This sounds like it could be a problem with your door? It shouldn’t wake you up every time.
That said, I’d be fine if I never had another tobacco smoker rent my place. When I went in the next morning the room had that smoker’s smell. It’s on their clothes and skin and some smokers just have a smell about them. I think it comes out of their putrid lungs. I used to think it was just my imagination due to my strong bias against smoking but it’s real. Airing out the room in winter isn’t fun.
Do you use IB? You could take the step of asking each guest if they smoke and pointedly telling them that you don’t want smokers to rent your room.
It’s a big, heavy wooden door (not standard size) that clicks open and shut, you just push and pull, no handle. So it is hard to close it quietly. I do also have sleep issues. So I recognise it’s not the guests’ fault. But if I didn’t have smokers these issues just wouldn’t occur so much, which is why I’d rather not have them at all.
I don’t use IB, and have considered asking before they book. I definitely don’t want to come across as judgemental. I used to be a heavy smoker and I know it’s hard to quit. Each to their own.