Learning from mistakes: unplanned costs due to secret smoking
Our customer support team reported an interesting case: a landlord of vacation apartments recently suffered considerable financial losses due to unauthorized smoking in his non-smoking rental units. He had to replace a considerable part of the interior fittings worth several thousand euros. The reason for this was tenants violating the smoking ban in the vacation apartment. Cigarette smoke odors had become stubbornly embedded in the furniture and textiles due to the secret smoking. To avoid such incidents in future, he was looking for an effective solution.
The challenge for the landlord here is that unauthorized smoking by guests in rental units leads to costly new purchases. In addition to damage to the interior fittings, the unpleasant smell also impairs the quality of the stay for subsequent guests. There is also the threat of legal disputes between landlords and tenants, who set corresponding expectations for the stay due to the booking of a non-smoking apartment.
Solution: Analyzing the room air with the air-Q air measuring device
Since then, the landlord concerned has been using our air-Q air measuring device in his rented rooms to detect cigarette smoke. This is because the air-Q air measuring device can reliably measure cigarette smoke indoors. The device uses high-precision sensors to detect even small amounts of smoke. When cigarette smoke is detected, the device triggers an acoustic alarm if required. This serves to immediately alert the smoking tenants to their misbehavior and possibly prevent major damage caused by continued smoking during their stay. Alongside the acoustic alarm, the landlord receives a push notification on their mobile device and/or an email. This informs them in real time about the smoking event and allows them to take immediate action to resolve the problem (for example, by calling the tenant immediately).
All recorded data, including the time and duration of the increased readings, is stored in the air-Q smartphone app and the air-Q web app. This means that the data can be used by the landlord as evidence in the event of disputes with tenants. This makes it possible to clearly assign responsibility and facilitates the enforcement of any claims for damages against the tenants responsible.
Use of an air measuring device for vacation home landlords:
- Avoiding financial losses due to damage caused by cigarette smoke
- Improving the quality of living for future guests
- Legal protection & enforcement of claims for damages against smoking tenants
- Effective prevention of unauthorized smoking through immediate warning & intervention
Other useful air-Q alarms for vacation home owners
In addition to the cigarette smoke alarm, the air-Q offers other helpful alarms and measured value scenarios. By monitoring the air quality, you can identify any need for action such as a necessary air exchange, ensure ideal heating and ventilation behavior in your property and prevent mould. You can save on heating costs by only ventilating in a demand-oriented and targeted manner, i.e. only when and for as long as is actually necessary.
The measuring device also shows you whether your tenants left the heating on after their departure or left windows open. You can recognize this from the temperature display(air temperature, T) and the composition of the air components in the vacation apartment. If this is the case, you remain able to act accordingly and reduce ancillary costs.
Another useful alarm is the access alarm. Based on the CO₂ composition of the room air and the noise development (maximum noise value, Lp_max), the air-Q can detect unauthorized access and warn you in these cases via push message. As the measuring device only detects air components and does not create video or audio recordings, it protects the personal rights of your tenants and is GDPR-compliant.
Conclusion
The air-Q air monitoring device provides vacation rental owners with an effective solution to prevent and manage damage caused by unauthorized smoking or as evidence of other unacceptable restrictions in their rental units. By combining accurate detection, audible alerts and push notifications, the device enables a rapid response and preservation of evidence, resulting in improved control and safety of rental units.
