The adult use of recreational marijuana is legal in a dozen states, with potentially more on the way in the coming years. It’s creating a new dynamic for many long-time property owners in those states: should tenants or renters be allowed to partake in something legal?
Brandon Scholten, the owner of Keyrenter, a Denver-based property management company, told Inman that they get the question occasionally from clients.
“We explain that we’ve yet to have a home where marijuana smoke has caused damage, the smell goes away quickly, and even a heavy marijuana user is only producing a tiny fraction of what a cigarette smoker does,” Scholten said.
The lease that Keyrenter draws up prohibits smoking, vaping and growing marijuana inside homes.
“There’s no mention of edibles or any blanket prohibition of consuming marijuana,” Scholten added. “Most of our clients don’t really care, and we aren’t doing anything proactive to stop it.”
For the most part, owners of vacation rentals that spoke with Inman generally agreed: outdoor use is fine, but just don’t smoke it indoors.
“We are totally fine with legal, outdoor use,” Mark Pedeferri, the owner of a vacation rental in Washington, told Inman. “I’d way rather have people smoke marijuana than drink on my property. People don’t [get] stoned and thrash homes but people drinking do. One hundred percent of our guest issues have centered around alcohol. No issues with [marijuana use].”
Katy Hall Wyly, the owner of a vacation rental in Colorado, doesn’t allow smoking of any kind in her property, but she does provide information for guests on the legal use of marijuana.
“That way those who wish to partake understand where it’s allowed and how to properly dispose of any leftover when they leave,” Wyly said.
She’s occasionally had guests leave marijuana in various forms in her rentals, so she’s notified her cleaning crew in advance on how to properly dispose of marijuana if the guest doesn’t take of it themselves.
“My cleaning crew knows to remove anything they find,” Wyly said. “I don’t want kids or another guest to just find a weed stash in a drawer.”
Alanna Schroeder, a California vacation rental owner, told Inman, if it’s legal, it’s legal and it’s up to each individual owner to decide if they allow smoking inside. But owners also need to consider local, state and even condo association governances, if they apply.
Others took a more hardline stance of banning any type of smoking on their property.
“I say no smoking of any kind including tobacco, vaping, pot, cigars,” Joan Bettencourt said.
Even if you do ban the use, it could be difficult to enforce, especially if the tenants or guests at a vacation rental are vaping, which leaves little trace of the consumption of marijuana. Tera Lorimer, an owner in Washington state said they ban the use of marijuana indoors and request all smoking be done outside.
“Unfortunately, they still smoke it inside from time to time,” Lorimer said.
Of course, if you’re the type that wants to not only encourage use but also benefit off your state’s legal status, you can look for alternative ways to market your property, like the weed-friendly rental site Budandbreakfast.com.
“We didn’t want travelers to settle for bare-bones, hostel-style accommodations or 420 hotels that didn’t go the extra mile to create amazing experiences,” the site reads. “Designed to make guests feel right at home, each of our Bud and Breakfast locations is operated by the property owners themselves, guaranteeing a custom experience unlike any other.”
