Guests Smoking...Boot Them?

I charged them $250 for the HOA fine, $112 for replacement items at Target bc the smell would not come out, and $100 for extra cleaning. We will see what happens, so far not accepting or denying of charges. They are taking a road trip so who knows if they have ample wifi coverage.

I thought there was some rule that if the guests doesn’t respond the claim is automatically paid? I’m I making this up?

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I think if they don’t answer then Air will make the decision but it should be in your favor.

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I react so badly to cigarette smoke (asthma) and completely hate the smell of stale cigarettes that I’m draconian on this issue - I will not accept any bookings until the prospective guest has stated in a written message that they and any fellow guests are non-smokers. No exceptions. Smoking outside is not enough - the smoke clings to hands, hair, clothes etc and transfers to furnishings and bedding. I’m very polite and gentle in my seeking assurances btw, but firm on the issue. I want my future guests to enjoy a clean, fresh space that don’t trigger breathing problems, or make their own clothes smell.

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What about vaping? I allow this in my house. Smoking has to be done outside. This is listed in my rules.

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Interesting…vaping. What exactly is it they are exhaling? Is it full of chemicals? Does it have an odour?

Its basically a flavoured water vapour. Theres no burning involved so no smoke is actually produced. The smell doesn’t linger for too long after its out. I use mint so the room just smells a bit like mint… lol

There are a few chemicals in the liquid used “propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine (optional) and added flavoring”. Basically ingredients you would find in processed foods.

Nope to vaping!! Outside only. It makes me feel ill.

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Yes! When my cousin smokes (in the street) and then walks into the house, if I’m close enough, the stench makes me close to hurling. UGH. So even without the medical issue, the stench is awful.

An aside - we purchased a home from a smoker. The clean-up was grueling. When we washed the walls near her desk, one swipe would remove some color, but then nicotine would ooze from the walls - in drops - over and over we would wipe, over and over the nicotine would seep out of the walls. Amazing. Can’t imagine that woman’s lungs - shame - lungs are an incredible machine.

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My parents were smokers and one time my mom gave me a tupperware container of leftovers to take home. The next morning when I opened the refrigerator the smell hit me. After that I turned down any offers to take things home that couldn’t be washed and I pointedly told her why. After my pop passed away, she finally quit.

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At first I thought the smell was just lingering from the actual smoker, but non of the linens had a strong residual smell. Then I went into the bathroom and BAM it was like someone was still smoking. It was beyond obviously that the actually smoked in the bathroom since every piece of fabric in there smelled terrible.

I would love to only rent to Non Smokers, but how do you police that? I’m sure many smokers say they are non smokers. People lie you know :slight_smile:

Me too, but you’re right. I used to allow smoking on the back patio but after one girl spent all day sitting out there reading and smoking and ruining MY time out back I changed it to front porch only. I’m afraid if I try to ban it I might get a liar who try to smoke in the bathroom and blow it out the window/run the extractor fan all night kind of thing. The last smokers who were here very kindly went for a walk on the sidewalk or on the side of the house. I think they were smoking weed though because the room didn’t have they typical tobacco smoker stench.

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Before you enter the house you need to submit to a ‘smell’ test…:joy:

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I ask them to explicitly state that they are non-smokers, in the airbnb message thread. And no, they’ll not get past me because I meet them at the flat when they check in and I can smell if they are smokers - smokers just don’t realise how much the odour lingers!
In the early days I just had ‘no smoking’ as a rule; then one group arrived and as I met them on the street I was hit by the stench of stale smoke. I just asked “which of you is the smoker?” They were flabbergasted that I could ‘tell’ but to me it was obvious ( and clear which of them smoked too). They promised to abide by the rules of not smoking in or around the property. When they left, however, the place was unbearable - it took wall washing and cleaning of all soft furnishings to start to rid the smell of stale cigarettes. The duvet where the smoker slept had to be thrown away.
Reading this back it all seems a bit OTT, but really, I hate it so much and it makes me quite ill - I’ve promised a smoke-free environment for my guests, and I’m determined that that is what I’ll provide. So, now I have only ‘no smokers’ - and I will refuse entry to anyone that tries to cheat on this!

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‘Test’ isn’t necessary, I can smell it at a dozen paces :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:! (If it wasn’t noticeable, there’d be no problem, right?! The problem is it so IS!)

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@Caiti I totally get what you are saying! Smokers, smell, period end of story. In Spain we would get zero bookings if we banned anyone that smoked. LOL Here in the US I may add non smokers only to our SF listing, but it would be hard to police, as I don’t greet everyone. I use to wait around, but as we all know people run late, or something happens, blha blah blah. I think I will start to mention that first thing in my “Thanks for booking email”.

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UPDATE: The guest is disputing the claims. AH…the joys of hosting. The best part was “Since we already admitted to smoking and said we would pay the fine, we didn’t think there would be additional penalties”

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Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh… Bad bad guests.

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Oh, priceless!!! At least it’s clear that they knew they were breaking the rules and continued to do so!!! Holy cow; morons!!!

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OMG I hope ABB backs you up. How much longer until you know the decision?

Well, since I’m now a PRO at resolution center cases, I spent a long time making sure I had the proper invoices, on OFFICIAL LETTERHEAD. I received a response from them this morning saying they had one question, which was nominal, and they would get back to me 24hrs after I responded to their question.

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