Guest smoked in your Airbnb or brought durian into the homestay? What to do: photograph the evidence before cleaning, deduct the real cost of cleaning and odour removal from the deposit with receipts, not a fixed "fine". If the cost runs past our RM200 deposit, the balance is often hard to recover, and a smell that outlasts the turnover is a real loss to the owner.
This article is written for two readers: guests who want to know what is allowed, and owners who want to know what happens to their unit when the rule is broken.
Can you smoke or bring durian into a homestay?
In the units we manage, no smoking or vaping inside the unit, and no durian inside the unit. The exact wording sits in each unit's house rules, so read them before you book. Three reasons:
- Smell lives in fabric. Curtains, sofas, mattresses and rugs soak up smoke and durian. Mopping the floor does not reach them.
- The next guest usually arrives the same day. The gap between checkout and check-in is a few hours. A smell that needs two days to fade gets passed to the next family.
- Buildings have their own rules. Many Johor Bahru condos ban smoking in common areas, and lifts were added to the list of smoke-free places under the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 (Act 852) from 1 January 2025. Malay Mail reported that smoking in a prohibited place under section 16 carries a fine of up to RM5,000 on conviction.
Durian is obviously not illegal in Malaysia. Hotels do enforce bans, though: SAYS reported an actress being told she would be fined RM1,000 for eating durian in a Penang hotel room. That is a hotel rule, not a law. Airbnb itself, according to theSun, has reminded travellers to be mindful of bringing strong-smelling food such as durian into shared spaces. If you want durian, eat it at the stall or outside, then take the husks downstairs in a sealed bag.
Ordinary cooking is not a violation. Frying fish or making sambal in the unit kitchen is fine; open a window and switch on the hood if there is one.
How do we know a guest smoked?
This is the hardest part, and we will be straight about it. A smell cannot be photographed. The evidence we collect during the post-checkout inspection:
| Evidence | Strong or weak | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Cigarette butts, ash or vape cartridges in the unit | Strong | Can be photographed, has a date |
| Burn marks on sofa, sheets or floor | Strong | Physical damage with a repair cost |
| Durian husks or seeds in the unit bin | Strong | Can be photographed |
| Guard or neighbour report during the stay | Medium | Time and a witness, but not inside the unit |
| Cleaner says "smells of smoke" with nothing physical | Weak | One person's opinion, nothing to show |
| Next guest complains of a smell | Weak against the previous guest | Could come from a neighbouring unit or the corridor |
We only deduct from a deposit when there is evidence we can show. Our system does not allow a deposit deduction without photos. If all we have is "a smell", we clean it, log it, and treat the cost as an operating cost of the unit rather than punishing a guest who may not have done it.
What do we do the moment a smell is found?
Order matters more than anger.
- The cleaner photographs before touching anything. Butts, ash, husks, burn marks. Once cleaned, the evidence is gone.
- Open every window, run the fans, set the air-conditioner to fan mode. Most light smells drop a lot within a few hours of airflow.
- Change every fabric that can be changed. Sheets, pillowcases, towels, and cushion covers if they unzip.
- Decide whether the unit can go to the next guest. If the smell is still strong, we tell the next guest before they arrive, not after they walk in.
- Message the previous guest with the photos. What was found and the real cost to be deducted. No accusing tone, just facts.
- Log it for the owner. What happened, photos, cost, and whether the next guest was affected.
How much can be deducted from the deposit?
The default deposit on our units is RM200, paid on check-in day. We do not advertise a fixed "RM500 smoking fine" the way some listings do. What we deduct is the actual cost:
| Cost | Example | From the deposit? |
|---|---|---|
| Extra cleaning (curtains, sofa, mattress) | Laundry or cleaner's receipt | Yes, with photos |
| Odour treatment | Supplier's receipt | Yes, with photos |
| Burn mark repair | Quote or receipt | Yes, with photos |
| Nights blocked because of the smell | Value of lost bookings | Hard; usually more than RM200 |
| Compensating or moving the next guest | Refund or another unit | Hard; usually more than RM200 |
The gap is obvious: RM200 covers washing and cleaning, but not a blocked night or a moved family. For larger costs, our system only lets us charge a guest for bookings that checked out within seven days before the reference date. Damage found later is carried by the owner or insurance.
For Airbnb bookings, third-party guides say Airbnb has no dedicated "smoking fee", but AirCover can reimburse unexpected cleaning such as cigarette odour removal if claimed through the Resolution Center within 14 days of checkout, and the house rules must prohibit smoking. Some hosts also report their claims being denied. We do not promise the outcome of any platform claim.
What we do not do
- We do not deduct for "a smell" alone. No physical evidence, no deduction.
- We do not mark up. What comes out is the receipt, not a rounded-up number.
- We do not accuse in public. We do not write accusations in a public review without evidence; if the guest writes first, we reply with facts.
- We do not label guests. Who smokes or brings durian has nothing to do with where anyone is from. We judge the act, not the person.
What should owners know?
Three uncomfortable points, written plainly:
- We cannot guarantee no guest will ever smoke. House rules, a pre-arrival message and signs help, but nothing stops someone determined to smoke on the balcony at 2am.
- Costs above the deposit usually end up in the owner statement as an expense. Same logic as in our article on deposit deductions for damage.
- A night blocked for smell is lost income, and we lose our share too. We make nothing from these incidents.
For units that keep running into this, the most effective prevention is furniture that is easy to wash: removable sofa covers, machine-washable curtains, no thick rugs. More on that in the 10 things we stopped buying.
If the next guest is the one complaining that the unit smells or is dirty, how we handle it is in our cleanliness complaint playbook.
Frequently asked questions
Can I smoke on the homestay balcony? It depends on the house rules and the building. In most of our units, no. Balcony smoke drifts into neighbouring units and turns into a complaint to building management.
Does vaping count as smoking? Yes. Act 852 covers smoking products including vapes, and vape smell and residue still need cleaning.
I only keep durian in the car, not in the unit. Is that fine? No problem for the unit. Do not carry it through the lift and lobby unless it is tightly sealed, since the building may have its own rules.
My deposit was deducted but I did not smoke. What do I do? Ask for the photos the deduction is based on. If there are none, we should not have deducted. Reply in the booking chat so there is a record.
Owners of a unit in Johor Bahru or Desaru, in any area, who want to know how we protect it from incidents like these can reach us at /ownerenquiry.