Are you aware of the expenses associated with allowing a smoking in a rental property? If not, you need to understand that a smoker will cost you at least 10% of your profits due to increased turnover costs and additional vacancy. That is an unscientific number, and I may venture to guess it may be much higher.
Smoking in a rental property will cost you plenty in term of lost profitability.
First, a disclaimer: I am a rabid anti-smoker, and I have never been a smoker. I do not allow smoking in my rentals. If you want to smoke, go live somewhere else. If you think it is your right to smoke in your own home, I agree — but not in my rental unit. Ever. I do allow smoking on the outside, but only after the tenant passes my rigorous background checks. They are not allowed to smoke in any covered area, not even the garage.
To be fair, if I thought it was more profitable to allow smokers, I would actually encourage it. If it was more profitable for me to allow a renter to be a crackhead and to kill baby seals in the bathtub, I would probably allow that, too. But it is not, so I do not allow it.
I want to maximize my profitability and minimize the work it takes to be profitable. Less work and more money in real estate is always a good thing.
The “Old” Days of Smoking
As a kid growing up in a smoking household, I can remember my mother leaving cigarettes burning in the bathroom and her lighting up another in the kitchen. We also lived in a rental. (Note to other landlords: Avoid renters with kids like myself.)
There was always a cigarette burning in our house. No one ever thought about the fire dangers of cigarettes, and smoke detectors were not even invented yet.
When I flew on airplanes, anyone could light up, anywhere in the plane. Any restaurant, anywhere in the place was a fair place to light up. My mother, a nurse, was upset when the hospital banned nurses from smoking in the patient’s rooms. Imagine a nurse firing up a heater just before drawing your blood. Of course, they could still light up at the main nurses station, but that was a violation of her “rights.”
If you would have tried a non-smoking rental in those days, you would be vacant a long time. Many people smoked, and many people had friends who smoked. The smoking friends expected to visit someone and light up inside the house. Smoke lingers well after the last cigarette is put out. I have been in houses a week after anyone had smoked in them and have come out smelling like I just got out of a bar.
Now, the tide has turned. The dangers of secondhand smoking are well known. The fire dangers of unattended cigarettes are real. The extra work and expense of turning a smoking apartment into a place to rentable to a non-smoker is real. You want to go with the trend and have a non-smoking rental to both save money and to have a faster rental turn.
Disadvantages of Smokers in Your Rental
When you are showing a non-smoker an apartment where a smoker lives, you can bet it will be a waste of time. Most quality renters do not smoke. They do not want to live in a place that smells like it has been smoked in. They do not want the smoke to be on their clothes or to continually smell the stale cigarette smoke the air. That is why hotels and car rental agencies have non-smoking rooms and cars.
You will perform many showings to quality renters, only to lose them as soon as they walk in the door. If not for the smoke smell, you could have possibly gotten the apartment rented much earlier. After a few lost prospects, you may decide to settle for a lesser quality renter and suffer the implications of a low-quality renter.
When you have a vacant unit, it will need a full paint job to get the smoke smell out of the air, including the ceilings. You will also need the carpets shampooed. Even if your smoker tenant was a great housekeeper, there is nothing short of a full paint job and carpet shampoo that will get rid of the smells. Even then, it may be difficult. Cabinets and ductwork will also have to be cleaned. Compare this to a minor touch up for a non-smoking apartment.
If you have carpet and are renting to a smoker, you will inevitably get cigarette burns on your carpet. Ashes drop, and rugs melt. You can try to trim the carpet fibers to reduce the visual impact, but it is still more time spent and more damage caused, by a smoker.
In a multifamily unit, smoke will permeate the walls and affect your other tenants. If any of your other renters are non-smokers, they will soon complain and move out. Smoke will get in the common area, either by leaching under the doors, or as smokers take that last puff as they enter the building. The ground will be littered with cigarette butts, as you will suffer from smokers that “pick them up later.”
If you have a renter with a medical marijuana card, you can still require them to go outside to light up. Nothing in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Fair Housing, or any other act requires you to allow smoking in your rentals. It is only your own inability to create and enforce non-smoking rules that will be your largest hindrance.
And if you have a tenant who is late on their rent, yet has enough money to buy cigarettes, that tells you they care more about their own hedonistic habits than they do about your family and financial well-being. Nothing irks me more than someone with enough money to buy cigarettes (or hair color, a manicure, a big screen TV, a new car, a rock concert, traveling vacation, etc.), but not enough money to pay rent.
Benefits of Smokers and Smoking
Before all of the smokers start to get annoyed by the above statements, I know there are many advantages to smoking. So I will give you some credit here.
- Smokers are part of the solution to saving Social Security. They do not live as long, so they never collect their ‘allocation’.
- Smokers pay a lot in taxes. In MN, a pack of cigarettes is almost $7, and in other states they are much higher; mostly due to huge taxes on cigarettes.
- Smoker use less healthcare. When smokers are younger, they may use a bit more healthcare, but in the end they go quick. They do not linger on for years, causing huge healthcare expenses.
- If a woman is pregnant, heavy smoking will allow for an easier childbirth, as the baby will be smaller.
- Apartments get rebuilt due to smokers causing fires. This creates jobs and newer places for people to live. Careless smoking is the leading cause of residential fire deaths.
- In MN, every time you have an additional heat source when it is 20 below zero, even if it is only a single cigarette, it has to help?
Smokers are becoming the pariah of society. In just a generation or two, we have come from a point where a nurse could smoke in a hospital room while checking on patients, to a society where you cannot even smoke outside in many areas. So, why is it that you do not exclude them for your rentals? Every day you allow it, it is costing you.
What if a smoker really wants to rent?
If you have a rental that you want to allow a smoker, and the smoker is willing to pay, you need to be 100% sure that you will not detract for future renters with the smoking smells. If the smoker is willing to pay for it, it is up to you.
You cannot just add an additional deposit to cover all the expenses, as a Judge will never allow you to charge for the vacancy expense while you repaint. A judge will never allow the vacancy expense while you wait for a great tenant, because you could not show the apartment due to the stench of the smoking. Remember, great tenants look six to eight weeks out, so if you have to wait for the unit to be repainted and cleaned to show it, you have lost up to two month’s rent. All for a one year lease.
There is also extra work. Assuming you show the unit as soon as you know a vacancy is coming available, you will probably show the unit to quite a few more tenants than normal. This costs time and money. The smoker should also pay for that.
The extra cleaning the nicotine stains from the cabinets, walls and trim, ceilings, air conditioner and heating vents, etc. all cost money too.
I have heard the ozone machines take away the smell, maybe they do, maybe they do not, but the coating of nicotine is still there. Is nicotine harmful to breathe, even if you cannot smell it? Is it in the air and you are breathing it when there is a coating in the rental? Will it become a hazard someday, like lead-based paint, and require ‘nicotine mitigation’? These future costs need to be factored in.
What if a smoker causes a fire and your insurance goes up? What if the smoker also took the smoke detector down, as many renters do, and they got killed from a smoking fire? Will you be held liable for the non-working smoke detector?
You need a deposit at least double of what you typically charge, and a rent at least 35% higher to make up for the cost potential of a smoker. To get any less you will be shortchanging yourself.
Making the Transition to Smoke Free
There are plenty of programs available that help you turn your apartments into a non-smoking environment. Start by including non-smoking clauses in your lease.
Tenants who are on a month-to-month lease can be given a 30 day notice. You can set up a date in the future when all smoking is banned in the apartment. If you want to squeeze a bit more profit out of your rental, get rid of the indoor smoking now.
Do you allow smokers in your rental? What extra expenses has it cost you? What do you remember from the “old” days of smoking? Are you a smoker?
People have been pretty anti-smoking most of my quarter-century on this earth, but I know it was much different even a few decades ago. I do not allow our renter to smoke in the rental unit, and I think it’s shocking that people even WANT to smoke in their own homes. It just causes so many issues as far as maintenance and the difficulty of removing the smell. Pretty sure I stayed in a non-smoking hotel room recently that used to be a smoking room. Even with the new paint job and what I’m assuming was a big effort to cover it up, I still could smell it. It might have been YEARS since someone smoked in there but you can still notice it if you’re sensitive to it.
Thank you for the comment!
It was quite a bit different in the ‘old’ days of smoking. Light up a heater almost anywhere, even in a hospital.
Ick, I was getting nauseous reading your memories of smoking being allowed everywhere. I can only remember part of your list, but it makes me sick to my stomach!
I can’t imagine wanting to rent to smokers, the long term consequences are so expensive. I worked at a hotel that still had smoking rooms for awhile and I couldn’t believe it. The attitudes of some of hte smokers were the most ridiculous, saying things like you’ve mentioned, about “we’re so persecuted” and “finally, I have some rights.” Ridiculous!
Thank you for the comment!
It’s hard to believe you could smoke
almostanywhere.I also grew up with a chain smoking parent, so I totally get your stories. I think the only time smoking might be good is when you are looking to buy. Our first rental was coated in grease and nicotine. I’m not sure how the lady didn’t burn the place down. Anyway, we got it at a really good price because I’m sure most people could not stand to be in there long enough to take a decent look. After that, I never want anyone to smoke in there again.
Thank you for the comment Kim!
Not many kids today will ever get the experience of the ‘old’ glory days of smoking (sarc). Cleaning up after a smoker is a lot of work. In a rehab, you are counting on cleaning, painting and replacing most everything, so it is not as large of an expense. But when it should be a simple, easy, cheap apartment turn, and it is not, it costs you money. And often, the deposit is not near enough to cover it.
We don’t rent to smokers either unless they vow to only smoke outside and NOT in the garage. I absolutely hate smoke. It leaves a nasty film all over the walls and everything in the house. I won’t rent to anyone that smokes unless they are open and honest about it and never smoke in their own home.
Thank you for the comment Holly!
It is amazing how far we have come as a society as far as smoking goes. Of course, if you are a long-time smoker, you would think you are being persecuted…
When I was a kid (born in ’61), it seemed like everyone smoked. My father smoked cigars and pipes. Uck. It was awful. I would take a shower in the morning, he would drive me to school, and by the time I got there, I smelled like cigars or pipe tobacco. And we sure weren’t allowed to complain about it. Even with asthma, smoker’s rights were always more important than anyone elses. I appreciate landlords like you. We’re about to sell our house and rent for a while, and I’m praying that we get a landlord like you. Back in ’99 we lived in New Jersey for a few months. It took me that long just to clean the nicotine off the walls. The man before us chain smoked and never opened the windows. It was so hard to find a rental in Cape May that we just had to take it like it was. I love the non-smoking laws now. I can go in a restaurant and not have to turn around and walk back out because of the blanket of smoke. Great post! It was very detailed and informative. 🙂
Thank you for the comment!
I was born in 1959, I know how it was… It was nothing for parents to smoke in the car with the kids, with the windows rolled up. Even now, when I stay in a budget motel, I request a non-smoking room, but can tell it used to be a smoking room.
Exactly, and sometimes the non-smoking rooms are right over a smoking room and it comes up through the vents. And have you ever had the bath towels smell like smoke? Like they must be smoking in the laundry room or wherever they keep those “clean” towels”? P.U.
Thank you for the comment!
I am with you on this. Maybe the housekeeping staff have the cart in their break-room and they are smoking? It’s just very gross.
Long time smokers usually dont live a long time—personal experience with smoking parents, both gone by age 66. Rehabbed brother in laws house to sell and had to use 2 coats Kilz primer due to the nicotine yellow everywhere. And washed the unsealed wood floors to help with smell. Love a product made in Maine called Incredible Pink….can use diluted on unsealed wood with a towel to dry promptly, cleans and gets rid of smoke stink. Can wash alot of surfaces with it, non toxic, little smell of its own. We buy by the case. We have a commercial rental and learn alot from your site.
Thank you for the comment!
My mother made it to 68, and smoked 4 packs a day. When a heavy smoker lives in a place, a mess to clean up no matter what.
I’m not a landlord but I do agree when you say that most renters don’t want to rent a home where the previous tenants smoked. A few years ago I wanted to rent this house that was near my work. It would have been the perfect commute for me, but when I went to view the property you could smell smoke in the air. I’m sure the property manager did everything she could to get the smell out but it wasn’t enough to keep me interested.
Thank you for the comment!
A quality non-smoking renter will definitely pass on the rental, or expect a huge discount, if there is any sign of smoking.
“If it was more profitable for me to allow a renter to be a crackhead and to kill baby seals in the bathtub, I would probably allow that too” Hahahahaa. I can’t stop laughing at that.
I also love your positive take on the benefits of smokers in our society.
I grew up in a house with a chain smoking mother and I hate the smell. Even the few guys I’ve dated who smoke – I make them do it far away from me. If the relationship is new and I want to go sit outside with you while you smoke, that’s ok, but don’t force that smell on me in my home. Ugh.
Thank you for the comment!
I try to hold no punches, and I am not always politically correct. I am glad you did not take offense… Smoking in a home, or a car, is the worse. My mother used to dump a pack of cigs in a coffee cup on the coffee table so she would not have to fumble getting them out of the pack.
I also grew up in a household where both parents smoked inside all the time, and grew up to absolutely despise smoking. Even if I had a rental and could make more money renting to smokers, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t do it, just on principle. Never would have considered all of those other disadvantages and costs of renting to a smoker though! Very interesting post!
Thank you for the comment!
Smokers are very costly. Not only in terms of the damage they cause, but the other tenants that will not rent a smoking unit. And the vacancy that results is a hidden cost.
Interesting take on the benefit of smokers. I personally don’t like being in a home where smoking takes place. I recall as a kid going to visit a teacher’s home and her windows and walls were stained by the amount of smoke. She was renting too and can only imagine what the landlord might have thought when she moved out.
Thank you for the comment!
Those were the only benefits I can think of… If the windows are stained to that effect, imagine the lungs.
I just ran across this article while researching smoking in rental property. I am in Louisiana, if that matters. I inherited an older house and put $30,000 into renovations: new a/c, new floors, painted the entire house, plus renovated the kitchen and bathrooms. It’s all new and very CLEAN. My first tenants just moved out , and every prospective tenant smokes!! I state clearly in the ads and on my application that this is a NON SMOKING residence and there is no smoking inside, and they all have ignored it. The most recent showing was to a 30 year old who looked 50, yellow teeth, raspy voice, smelled like an ash tray, and even managed a Smoke N Go store. I spoke to a realtor and she told me that there was nothing I could do about the smoking. I’d just have to deep clean after they move. I really, really do not want someone smoking inside my home because I’ll never get it completely out. Is that true — how can that be true?? I have no say so about renting to smokers??
Thank you for the comment!
You can absolutely say no to smokers. Odds are, people that smoke inside a home have low credit scores too. Smoking is generally a lower income/class habit. Other options are higher deposits, higher rents, and month-to-month leases. Some people are only outside smokers, but the real heavy smokers generally do not think smoking inside is a problem.
If your Realtor says there is nothing you can do about smoking, ask her what she is smoking. There are no laws that say you cannot discriminate against smokers. And no laws that say you have to take them.
You will make more money on non-smokers.
Thanks for the info. I didn’t think I was obligated to rent to smokers. I would actually rather my home sit empty than have the wrong tenants in there. We put a lot into this house, and I can’t imagine it being ruined by smoking. I think about all the cigarette butts tossed in the yard, etc. Yuck. I will keep advertising it as a non-smoking residence and the right tenant has to come along eventually.
Here are a few links that may help
Marketing Rental Property is like Selling Bananas
Finding the Right Price for your Rental?
Yup, thats a myth, all the smokers I know are not only rather well off but have great credit scores, then again as a landlord, scraping by the make ends meet it must be hard to see others do as they please lol
Thank you for reading!
The smokers you know are probably a lot like yourself, as people tend to hang around with people that have similar interests. I think the statistics show that lower income people have a higher percentage of smokers.
This is quite an assumption you make here….Plenty of well-off young people smoke and most definitely don’t have a low credit score. By all means deny them if you don’t want smoking in your units but don’t do it based on silly assumptions.
Thank you for reading!
It is a fact that smokers have a lower income than non-smokers. People with lower incomes generally have lower credit scores. You are in a great spot, if you have a great credit score and a higher income. Smokers do pay a lot in taxes, so please continue!
You are an ass No Nonsense Landlord
Thank you for the compliment!
I want to thank you for being a smoker, although that is because you are not smoking in my rental. We definitely need smokers, as they pay a ton of money in taxes. They also help the tobacco farmers stay employed.
The funny part is I have lived in many a “non smoking” rental and always got my deposit back.. because i am sneaky and you cant be in my rental 24/7 so in the end.. I win.
If that’s what makes you feel good, I guess it’s OK. Actually, it’s a win-win-win from a financial perspective. The landlord got a renter who did not do damage, you got a rental, and the State got plenty of taxes. (count Social Security as a future win).
That is why I use credit score as a main indicator. You probably have a higher credit score and are a responsible smoker. Unfortunately, most smokers are not that responsible…
I am on the flip side of this equation – and I am ANGRY. I am angry at the attitude that has developed smokers are some alien, vile creature that deserve to live in the gutter. That we are low class citizens that do not deserve jobs, nor housing, nor anything, nor to exist.
First, lets start off with the creator of this site. You claim that your mother had a 4 pack a day smoking habit. Please do not exaggerate to make your point – 4 packs a day is physically impossible (I would know).
My side – I rented a house for 34 years. Yes, I know I should have bought – but my point is that it has become acceptable to classify people as deserving of abuse and cruelty because they smoke.
My landlord was useless. Usually showed up with scotch tape and a stapler when something was wrong. So, being a farmer’s daughter, I did it all. Plumbing, electrical, gardening, painting. I even replaced the carpeting 3 times before I finally stripped it down to hardwood floors, which I myself refinished. They came out beautiful, so did the little home.
I was denied more and more work opportunities because someone could smell ‘smoke’on me. Yeah? I don’t smoke on the job….and I was not rude enough to say what they smelled of.
My finances went down, I could not pay my bills. My landlord did not have to ‘evict’ me. I called 3 days before my rent was due (I had NEVER been late in 34 years) and told him that I didn’t have the money. I also said I would be out within the month. He was angry! Yelled that he wanted me out in 10 days!
I was to naïve to know that in California I could have legally stayed for 90 days. Yes, I am guilty of nativity.
My landlord showed up the following day ‘in tears’, saying I was like family…couldn’t I ask my underpaid Marine Corps son to send me some money? I was horrified.
At day 29 of packing to leave, I called the landlord to tell him I had schedule a toxic waste pickup for all the paint, thinners and things in the garage that I had to leave behind….he was at the ‘Rose Bowl’. Hm, and he wanted my son to pay my rent?
My landlord also made a point of rubbing in my face that he was supposed to re-carpet every 3 years and then snickered…hehehehe like he was so proud of getting ‘one’ over. What? Why say that to me when I was driving off into homelessness. Does that mean he owes me money for what should have added up to 10 carpet replacements?
My neighbors! These were people that I had taken to emergency rooms, doctor appointments, gone to the store for when ill, turned off their garden hoses when burst, dog sat, babysat, run their kids to school…rescued their pets. Not one of these people helped me lift or pack…but they all showed up on the last day like scavengers to ask if they could have this or have that.
It’s been 7 months since this happened. I did drive by my old ‘place’. I had heard how my landlord was elated to get double the price and had told everyone how nicely he fixed it up since I was gone….no, I fixed it up. He also informed everyone it took him weeks to air out…no. My old place, where I raised my son, took care of my mother, took care of my father….looks like a crack house now. The hedges I planted and shaped …. are all dead. No one has mowed a lawn, the weeds are everywhere. Junk cars are parked in the driveway….
But remember…..they are NOT smokers.
Thank you for the comment!
You are right, even the government has turned against smokers.
Four packs a day is not an exaggeration. If my mother was awake, she was smoking. She had an empty coffee cup with loose cigarettes in it, so she would not have to fumble with getting a single cigarette out of the pack. Very often, there would be multiple cigarettes lit up around the house. She would leave one in the bathroom, when she got back to the bed or kitchen, she lit up another one. Very seldom did she use a lighter, she used the previous cigarette.
It’s great you stayed for 34 years. If you are in a rent control area, it pays to stay. Rent control is great for landlords. It keeps tenants staying and prevents new apartments from being built. However I know of no laws that mandate carpet replacement. Carpet is depreciated over 5 or 7 years, so replacing it after only three would be a charge to the tenant.
As far as going to the Rose Bowl, you could have done that yourself. With the money you spent on cigarettes, you could have something like free Rose bowl tickets. The landlord is in the business to make money, and is entitled to spend money.
It’s too bad you had to move. As it turns out, you took a month of free rent. The fact your son was in the Marines is not your landlord’s issue. The landlord needs to be paid; he was making a suggestion to help both of you out.
Neighbors are like that sometimes. They want all the things you can give them, then they want even more. Far too many tenants are like that too. The new tenants were probably not screen effectively, and therefore the place turned into a bad place. It happens to landlords all the time. That is why they are trying to make money, as it is a high risk business.
Seems like everything that happened to you was YOUR fault yet you want to blame everyone else. Please spare us all with this worthless sob story.
Thank you for the comment!
All too often, people blame others for their problems. Everyone is born with the same opportunities, it’s a matter of taking advantage of them. Some people have better coaches (i.e. parents), but then blame your parents, not the ones who struggled to make their own success.
We are a family of anti-smokers who have a dog. Imagine how hard it is to find a nonsmoking property that allows a pet? Our last rental was a nightmare. The people who moved in next to us were not only a family of three constant puffers but also druggies who the landlord sided with against us!
When we found our current rental “non smoking and dog friendly” we jumped at it. Unfortunately the management is quite lax and we have a bunch of people who DO smoke. Their policy is to get other tenants to “rat out” the ones smoking. I don’t understand why landlords don’t treat quality renters better to keep them. Yes, we will be moving when our lease is up. Management/landlords need to come down hard and enforce policies instead of accusing good tenants of being “a bother.” If you smoke WHY would you rent at a “nonsmoking” complex? Does it make them feel good to “flout the laws?” like they are special?
Thank you for reading!
You are my kind of renter (assuming your credit score is OK…)! Smoking is a bad habit, not only from a health perspective, but doubly bad from a landlord perspective. I am waiting for some government entity to say smoking indoors, including your own home, is illegal. If you have kids, it should be.
I just rented an awesome place and was so excited..views of bay bridge, downtwon sf..but upon sleeping there the first night, I couldn’t figure out the funky smell..then it hit me..an +x;ard-core smoker! it is unbearable…I didn’t notice tthe stnech in the back room because I was only in there for a couple secnds pre-lease. I’ve asked them to reclean carpets with a compay that specialized in smoke damage or replace the carpets.
My son has asthma, so this is most upsetting.
But, credit scores are not always an indication of how good of a renter someone is ..I’m so sick of the mentality. shit happens, people lose jobs. jesus, one place I looked at, owner said previous tenant had perfect credit yet he destroyed his house, including the carpet.
Life is not so black and white!
What can I do about this severe smoke smell?? please help!
J
Thank you for reading!
Credit scores are no guarantee, but I will take a tenant with a high score over one with a low score any day.
If the smoke smell is old, as in not a smoker downstairs or neighboring apartment, try fabreeze. Or cleaning the carpet. Wiping down the walls might help too. I have heard some good about ionizing machines too, but have never tried them.
Good luck!
I live in Western NY I was wondering can a Landlord charge more on rent to smokers in NYS. If you know please reply.
Thank you for reading!
YES, you can charge more for smokers. They are not a protected class, and it costs a a landlord more to rent to them.
What is wrong with you???? Who writes a disgusting statement about a child’s size??? While I understand your principles about non-smoking in a rental property there was absolutely NO NEED to write the disgraceful things you did! You’re not ‘no punches’, you’re a bigot. What a disgrace!
Thank you for reading!
As you know, smoking does indeed produce smaller infants and lower birth rates. It can be viewed as a benefit for some, as many people continue to smoke (and drink and do drugs) even while pregnant.
I do not see it s disgraceful, just a fact. You must be a smoker?
Non-smoker here. And lots of problems with my flatmates, who smoke in the kitchen and their bedroom. They open the windows while doing it, so they think they are very respectful. But they don’t know that you can smell it anyway! After several arguments, I don’t know what to do. Even worse, the landlord is a chain smoker as well…
Thank you for reading!
It’s probably best to move in with non-smokers. Some people do not even understand how bad it is for a non-smoker.
It’s simple….move DUH
Exactly!
I am a Landlord who rents out very nice rooms. The no smoking policy is strictly enforced in the house, although there is a covered porch area out front.
The reason that I am so stringent is because I am asthmatic. For the last 3 weeks I have had asthmatic bronchitis.
I was admitted to hospital on Saturday night. A professional moves in, and doesnt he light up late that night…had a major asthma attack;. got hardly any sleep.
Best of all – he KNEW I was seriously ill, and he himself has asthma!
Thank you for reading!!
Smoking in a rental is one of the worst things. I hate it. Smokers do not even know how bad it is.
I have a friend who is a landlord to make some extra income. Their renter left halfway through their lease agreement, and left the place a mess and one of the bathrooms reeking of smoke. I came across this article trying to find the least expensive way to purge the smell short of repainting to help curb the losses.
It’s disappointing to see the comments all centered around people who don’t believe in accountability for their actions and throwing mud everywhere else instead, but I suppose it should not be surprising.
Thank you for reading!
There is a huge entitlement mentality in the USA. And after a landlord experiences such a bad tenant and increases their tenant standards, this same entitlement crowd screams there is no ‘affordable housing’…
“that tells you they care more about their own hedonistic habits than they do about your family and financial well-being.”
Well yeah. You’re the jackass that just said you would let people kill baby seals if it was profitable. Why should I give a fuck if someone like you isn’t a little bit richer?
Thank you for reading!
I am glad you think that paying for cigarettes is more important than paying rent. You definitely helped illustrate my point. That is why I do not allow smoking, not only is it bad, but the entitlement mentality is alive and well in many smokers.
I didn’t make it past the first paragraph of this idiotic totalitarian anti-smoker’s rant. If I want to smoke in any rental I’m paying for I can and will. The laws in most jurisdictions that I’m aware of are actually on the tenant’s side. Many of your tenants are actually smoking in their units and there’s nothing you can legally do about it.
Thank you for reading!
There is nothing I can legally do about it other then evict them, terminate their lease and keep their deposit. Generally, I just do not rent to smokers and it solves the issue. I can tell if they would be smoking in the unit, as it is easy to tell.
I live in upstate NY in a multidwelling building and rental complex. The complex turned non-smoking more then a few years ago. Our neighbor downstairs moved in far before this and she is a smoker.A few month’s ago we had a minor fire at the other end of these apts from a person who signed the no smoking lease but decided to smoke on his deck. It did effect a few apts though. I am pretty certain our older neighbor signed the new lease that includes a non-smoking provision. She too smokes on her deck/patio. Does the landloard have any right to enforce this provision on her since she originally moved into the building when smoking was allowed? The fire and the effect on many tenets has me nervious as she has completly ignores the no smoking part of the lease.
Thank you for reading.
The landlord can non-renew, or evict.
My tenant has a garage with her unit. She has stuff packed in the garage. I saw a light in the garage so I knocked on the door, her son said he was doing his homework. I smelled weed,told him so and told him to make sure he turned the light off. I am concerned about what he is doing in there I don’t want him in there but was told that she can use the garage for what she wants. Is this true? What can I do ? I see trouble. Lavonne
Thank you for reading!
She can use the garage for any LEGAL purpose, or what is in your lease. You could have called the cops, and let them take care of it. Or you can terminate the lease when it comes due.
In regards to tenants smoking in apartments. I found your section on the benefits of smoking in apartments extremely offensive.
First of all I don’t appreciate being referred to as a “Pariah”.
*Smokers dying before they get their full allocation for Social Security. What does that have to do with renting? *Smokers pay a lot more in taxes. Again, what does that have to do with smoking? Quite honestly they should be thanking us. We paid for the professional sports stadiums in Minneapolis.
We use less health care. And where does that tie in to your blog on renting?
*Smoking while pregnant the baby will be smaller and it will be easier child birth. This is about smoking and renting. What does child birth have to do with this?
Your last two derogatory statements did pertain to rentals. So, what I’m reading is that everyone in the world who doesn’t smoke will live a long time and collect their full allocation of Social Security.
Non smokers go tax free. Since you’re going to live to a ripe old age you can use the health care from smokers who died young. I will say with on the topic of child birth. Nothing will change for the smokers they will still be this obese women who have 10 pound babies. Sounds delightful to me.
I thought you were here to help people. Not disrespect people that don’t live the way you do. If you were trying to be humorous you were not. You were totally offensive. Obviously this will be the first and last time I visit this site.
I’m glad you and your non smoking Nazi’s enjoyed your article.
Thank you for reading!
And thank you for your contributions in regard to extra taxes paid. In case you were not aware, Society is constantly badgering smokers. There are moves underway to ban smoking in any home where a child lives, or in any multi-family apartment. It is has been banned in vehicles with children present in some states. If you do not think that smokers are becoming a pariah in society, you have not been too observant.
While non-smokers succumb to many illnesses too, smokers definitely have more health issues.
You are obviously a dick who is not really concerned with your renters needs….I am a USAF Vet and a social smoker I’ve owned my own home for the last 16 years and only smoked in the basement, with exhaust fans running, or outside. A brain injury and divorce is now causing me to move. Obviously you’re a greedy Bastard that cares more about the almighty dollar than actually having good tennants….. Slumlord Fucker….greedy bastards will burn when we are actually judged by a supreme being. I hope you have to learn at some point in life that being kind and caring is much more important than making money off of others !!! My parents smoked in the car when I was a child and I suffered no ill affects…. I’m sure I’m healthier and in better shape than you’ll ever be in your life! If you’d like to challenge me, here’s my email address…you negative informational believing pussy
Thank you for reading!
I am unsure where to go with this other than to say thank god you own your own home. If you were a tenant being evicted, I can only imagine how your attitude would change from your words above to even worse…
You say you suffered no ill effects from your parents smoking in the car, but I think I beg to differ…
I sent a challenge, but it appears your challenge was not legitimate. “Your message wasn’t delivered to a3066lonewolf@yahoo.com because the address couldn’t be found. Check for typos or unnecessary spaces and try again.”
What is your experience on withholding part of a tenants security deposit to cover the cost of having the smell of smoke cleared from a rental property, when the lease agreement clearly states that the tenant is to return the property in the same condition as it was at the beginning of the lease term?
Thank you for reading!
I would deduct a bit. If a tenant knows they have smoked in the apartment, they will be expecting it.