Why is there a need for Smoke-Free apartments?:
Secondhand smoking in apartments affects millions of people
Tenants want smoke-free apartments
- Healthy Androscoggin in Auburn, Maine surveyed 850 tenants; 76% would choose to live in a smoke-free apartment complex
- Twin Cites (MN): random sample survey -- 55% of renters said they had moved or would move from an apartment because of secondhand smoke seepage
- ALA-California in 2004 surveyed 602 apartment residents; 69% favored requiring all apt buildings to offer non-smoking sections
- For opinion surveys: www.tcsg.org/sfelp/public.htm
Increasing numbers of complaints about secondhand smoke infiltration in apartments
- Most tobacco control programs now receive more complaints from people about secondhand smoke seepage in apartments than any other complaint
- Tenants are beginning to realize they don’t have to accept this problem
- Tenants are more aware of dangers of secondhand smoke
It’s legal to do
There is currently no Federal law that prohibits a landlord from making an entire apartment building smoke free. Smoke-free policies are not discriminatory and may actually protect landlords from the risk of some legal violations such as warranty of habitability or covenant of quiet enjoyment. Tenants with disabilities caused by or made worse by secondhand smoke may also have legal protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Federal Fair Housing Act.
Good deal for landlords
Tobacco smoke leaves sticky residue on walls, curtains, cabinets, blinds, appliances, fixtures, and ceilings. The odor often stays in carpets, curtains, and walls. Dropped ashes may result in burn damage to tiles, carpets, countertops, and bathtubs. An apartment that has been smoked in will probably need to be cleaned, primed, painted, and sealed; carpets and countertops may need to be replaced; even floor tiles and sub floors may need to be cleaned. A 2007 estimate from an Oregon restoration service stated that the average cost of conversion for a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment that has been smoked in is over $15,000 (Smoke-Free Housing Project (Oregon). A program of the American Lung Association of Oregon. 2007. http://www.smokefreeoregon.com/housing ) Many building owners and landlords have said that cleaning a smoking unit often costs 2-3 times as much as cleaning a non-smoking unit.