How do you deal with Guests smoking inside the House when there is non-smoking policy

Question

Our short term rentals have non-smoking policy. However some guests are smoking inside the house. When we discuss with guests or Airbnb or VRBO , there is no photo to prove as it is smell. It is only the strong smell and we can tell it is smoking or Weed. Also many times it is just our cleaners cleaning the house and they may not pay attention to these smells. How do you deal with these ?

Is there any device do you use to detect automatically

JD Martin · Answer

We generally do like the dark ages and leave the skulls on pikes in front of the house as a warning to the next guests 😅

Seriously, it's pretty much as @John Underwood said; beyond trying to pursue a claim against them, which you would have to prove, not a whole lot that can be done after the fact. Try to screen your bookings harder on the front end and put policies in place that will discourage those types of guests.

Bill B. · Answer

I was too lazy to google it. But…There has to be some kind of device similar to a smoke detector that can either sound an alarm and/or send you a digital message when smoke/weed is detected.

If there’s not. That might be a $1M idea I give to you with only a 1 time $10k royalty.

Matthew Tregoning · Answer

I'd have the cleaner check for odor as soon as they open the door, before any sprays or cleaning products. Report it right then, with photos of anything actually found and the extra cleaning needed. The next guest walking into it is the bigger headache. Is someone checking the place again before check-in?

Ken Boone · Answer

So there are like 3 different companies that sell devices that detect smoke - some of them can specifically detect weed. They produce graphs that show the detection levels. My biggest pain is when a guest smokes weed in the house. It happens probably 10 times a year in my Smokies properties. Most of the time, my cleaners can get the smell out but it is infuriating. The last thing you want is a family with small kids checking in and walking into what smells like a pot fest.

I have researched these products but have not pulled the trigger. There are a couple of issues - it really only works per room, so now if they are smoking downstairs instead of upstairs - how many do you really need - and that affects the cost issue.

My question is - IF you have this product and you can produce a graph showing THC or smoking was detected, AND you have a policy that says you fine the guest X amount if this happens - will the platforms back this up? Do they accept this graph from these devices as proof. If not, then it is pointless and you just have to hope that a fine for smoking (although not enforceable) in your rental agreement is enough of a deterrent.

Shiloh Lundahl · Answer

Here is something I haven't done. But I heard about it once and so I'm passing it along and it may be worth considering.

Airbnb wants evidence correct? When people smoke it leaves a smell that you can't see. Which evidence does Airbnb want? They want to see ashes or empty cigarette boxes or cigarettes butts correct?

What if you were to have your cleaners keep what we will call the "evidence bag" for smoking which would include those items and any time they smell smoke they use the "evidence bag." which may include an empty cigarette box in the trash and some ashes on the floor and a butt next to the garbage can and a couple outside in the dirt. Tell your cleaners never to tell you if they ever use the "evidence bag." But to just to take pictures and send the picture to you a which you can then forward the pictures to Airbnb and tell Airbnb that you got the pictures from your cleaners which you did.

Some may consider this planting evidence. Some may consider what the guests have done as hiding evidence. Some may believe what the cleaners are doing is restoring evidence. All of which would be illegal and wrong if this were an actual crime. But I do not beleave this is a crime, I believe this is a infraction to the home policies that according to Airbnb must have evidence correct?

Again, I've never done this. But when I heard about it, I thought, "hmmm that's interesting."

Jules Aton · Answer

Thankfully I’ve never had that experience either and believe my housekeepers would alert me. My rules include no smoking inside or outside the property which I hope is a deterrent to smokers who can actually have a fair amount of odor just on their clothes, hair etc.

Sri S. · Answer

Hi Bill, I googled up, it showed some device. But I never heard of that device before. That is why asking here to get some experts opinion on how to deal with it.

John Underwood · Answer

Not much you can do about it.

I've personally never had that problem.

Sri S. · Answer

We added enough warnings and house rules . We see that still happening now & then. These smells are sometimes hard to get rid of . That lingering smell gives unpleasant experience to next guests.

How do you deal with Guests smoking inside the House when there is non-smoking policy

How do you deal with Guests smoking inside the House when there is non-smoking policy

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