Unfortunately, both my neighbor across the hall and above me are smokers. In spite of the complaints to the landlord and a sign in the hallway that says smoking is prohibited in the building, they have started smoking indoors again. I cannot afford to move and I'm really sick of the smell. I have talked to the neighbor above me and she at first tried to say it was coming from the next building over (stupid considering the unit is VACANT!). I have complained to the landlord but he's not really involved in resolving the issue. What should I do? Should I buy air fresheners and put them in a box and write "free air fresheners" above the box? If I knew which smell irritated the hell out of my neighbors I would make sure I had that smell going 24/7!

[Edited 9/4/11 0:50am]

Call the police and report a public nuseance. (sp)

It's one thing what they do in the privacy of their own place, unless it's against the rules, and it affects your place. Your neighbors will hate you for it, but that's their problem.

If they do something stupid to get back at you like turning up their music at night, then call the police and report the noise.

SeventeenDayze said:

Unfortunately, both my neighbor across the hall and above me are smokers. In spite of the complaints to the landlord and a sign in the hallway that says smoking is prohibited in the building, they have started smoking indoors again. I cannot afford to move and I'm really sick of the smell. I have talked to the neighbor above me and she at first tried to say it was coming from the next building over (stupid considering the unit is VACANT!). I have complained to the landlord but he's not really involved in resolving the issue. What should I do? Should I buy air fresheners and put them in a box and write "free air fresheners" above the box? If I knew which smell irritated the hell out of my neighbors I would make sure I had that smell going 24/7!

[Edited 9/4/11 0:50am]

Urine pisses everyone off. Piss under their welcome mat.

i loath the smell of smoke!!!!!!

i would rally other tenants and get them kicked out... all u need is a few ppl to back u up and they r gone!!!

I don´t smoke and can´t stand smoke but what I can´t stand even more is when smokers can´t enjoy their cigarette. So your neighbors live in that building, they pay rent and yet they are not allowed to smoke at home? That´s not cool. Where are they supposed to smoke then?

It always gets on my nerves when smokers visit me and make a big fuss when they want to have a smoke...they want to go outside for a minute, or open the window etc.

I tell them to relax and just ENJOY their cigarette at my place, even though I don´t smoke. I want my guests to feel comfortable at my place.

If I were you, I´d tell them not to smoke in the stairway (if that´s where they smoke) but other than that,if they smoke inside their apartments, I think it is perfectly ok.

Land of the free my ass.

If they smoke in their own units well... I do not know what to tell you.

But if they smoke in the common hallway and leave their butts in front of your door.... take pictures and complain in writing to the landlord. Then call your mayor's office after 30 days and tell them about what is happening and how to proceed from there.

But the most effective method is just telling them to not smoke in front of your door because the smell seeps into your home and you are getting sick from the fumes. Be polite and they may reply the same way.

Worked for me, and so far so good.

Please clarify: Are they smoking inside their apartments? Or are they smoking in the common areas of the building?

If they're inside the units for which they hold a lease, there is probably nothing you can do. The "no smoking" signs are (I'm sure) for the common areas of the building - not the units, themselves. Unless somebody signed a lease saying they wouldn't smoke, at all, or if there is some kind of ordinance prohibiting people from smoking in the individual units of rental housing, they are within their rights to smoke in their apartments.

I once lived above a very heavy smoker. It was horrible - the smoke would come up around all the plumbing and through the electrical outlets. Because the plumbing was involved, the places it smelled worst were the kitchen (where I was preparing food and definitely did not want to smell smoke) and in the bathroom (where I was trying to get clean and also didn't want to smell smoke).

I talked to the management and they did what they could to seal things up around the plumbing, but it wasn't 100%, obviously. I was stuck 'til the guy moved out. After he did, the management had to almost gut the apartment to get rid of the smell so they could rent to someone else.

Still, it wasn't nearly as bad as the time I lived above people who cooked some kind of extremely oily, spicy food every day. That smell actually came up through the floor. If I left anything sitting on the floor, it stank the next day. I'd pick up my attaché when I went to work and it'd stink up my car. Eventually, I got the management at that place to move them to another unit. I felt a little guilty that someone else had to deal with it - but not for very long. They actually had to pull the cabinets from that unit because the oily, spicy smell had gotten into the wood.

[Edited 9/4/11 5:32am]

KoolEaze said:

I don´t smoke and can´t stand smoke but what I can´t stand even more is when smokers can´t enjoy their cigarette. So your neighbors live in that building, they pay rent and yet they are not allowed to smoke at home? That´s not cool. Where are they supposed to smoke then?

It always gets on my nerves when smokers visit me and make a big fuss when they want to have a smoke...they want to go outside for a minute, or open the window etc.

I tell them to relax and just ENJOY their cigarette at my place, even though I don´t smoke. I want my guests to feel comfortable at my place.

If I were you, I´d tell them not to smoke in the stairway (if that´s where they smoke) but other than that,if they smoke inside their apartments, I think it is perfectly ok.

Land of the free my ass.

Yep. I agree.

I would not wish my neighbours to feel improsined by me.

Why don't you try to reason with them? In stead of aproaching them so negatively and setting the standard in their houses for them, you might negotiate with them to smoke less and explain how their smoke influences you negatively.

Working it out together in stead of telling people they have to comply to your standards is far more efficient, is my experience.

dJJ said:

KoolEaze said:

I don´t smoke and can´t stand smoke but what I can´t stand even more is when smokers can´t enjoy their cigarette. So your neighbors live in that building, they pay rent and yet they are not allowed to smoke at home? That´s not cool. Where are they supposed to smoke then?

It always gets on my nerves when smokers visit me and make a big fuss when they want to have a smoke...they want to go outside for a minute, or open the window etc.

I tell them to relax and just ENJOY their cigarette at my place, even though I don´t smoke. I want my guests to feel comfortable at my place.

If I were you, I´d tell them not to smoke in the stairway (if that´s where they smoke) but other than that,if they smoke inside their apartments, I think it is perfectly ok.

Land of the free my ass.

Yep. I agree.

I would not wish my neighbours to feel improsined by me.

Why don't you try to reason with them? In stead of aproaching them so negatively and setting the standard in their houses for them, you might negotiate with them to smoke less and explain how their smoke influences you negatively.

Working it out together in stead of telling people they have to comply to your standards is far more efficient, is my experience.

DJJ---yes, I had already tried talking to them, remember when I said the neighbor was trying to c convince me it wasn't from her but from "next door" which is vacant? Then she said, she "only" smokes three cigarettes a day, big deal if it takes HOURS for the smell to go away.

Oh, by the way everyone, I live in one of these rowhomes that's been converted into apartments where everyones front doors are inside and we share the same common entrance to the building.

The other neighbor across from me who smokes is a total nut job who has previously tampered and destroyed my mail (before the smoking issue) and I generally don't like talking to her at all because she's a bit off.

Telling people they have to comply to my standards? Yeah silly me for paying rent to live in an ashtray *rolling eyes* Yeah, just because they don't give a damn about their health doesn't mean they have to screw with mine!

About the spicy food....the other downstairs neighbor from time to time cooks something that resembles the smell of vomit, it's horrible but thankfully not everyday

Genesia--smoking inside of their apartments.

[Edited 9/4/11 6:21am]

SeventeenDayze said:

dJJ said:

Yep. I agree.

I would not wish my neighbours to feel improsined by me.

Why don't you try to reason with them? In stead of aproaching them so negatively and setting the standard in their houses for them, you might negotiate with them to smoke less and explain how their smoke influences you negatively.

Working it out together in stead of telling people they have to comply to your standards is far more efficient, is my experience.

DJJ---yes, I had already tried talking to them, remember when I said the neighbor was trying to c convince me it wasn't from her but from "next door" which is vacant? Then she said, she "only" smokes three cigarettes a day, big deal if it takes HOURS for the smell to go away.

Oh, by the way everyone, I live in one of these rowhomes that's been converted into apartments where everyones front doors are inside and we share the same common entrance to the building.

The other neighbor across from me who smokes is a total nut job who has previously tampered and destroyed my mail (before the smoking issue) and I generally don't like talking to her at all because she's a bit off.

Telling people they have to comply to my standards? Yeah silly me for paying rent to live in an ashtray *rolling eyes* Yeah, just because they don't give a damn about their health doesn't mean they have to screw with mine!

About the spicy food....the other downstairs neighbor from time to time cooks something that resembles the smell of vomit, it's horrible but thankfully not everyday

Genesia--smoking inside of their apartments.

[Edited 9/4/11 6:21am]

So there is no way that talking to them helps and the landlord doesn't actively solve your problem either.

Is there any change you can get a place somewhere else, where there are no smokers?

dJJ said:

SeventeenDayze said:

DJJ---yes, I had already tried talking to them, remember when I said the neighbor was trying to c convince me it wasn't from her but from "next door" which is vacant? Then she said, she "only" smokes three cigarettes a day, big deal if it takes HOURS for the smell to go away.

Oh, by the way everyone, I live in one of these rowhomes that's been converted into apartments where everyones front doors are inside and we share the same common entrance to the building.

The other neighbor across from me who smokes is a total nut job who has previously tampered and destroyed my mail (before the smoking issue) and I generally don't like talking to her at all because she's a bit off.

Telling people they have to comply to my standards? Yeah silly me for paying rent to live in an ashtray *rolling eyes* Yeah, just because they don't give a damn about their health doesn't mean they have to screw with mine!

About the spicy food....the other downstairs neighbor from time to time cooks something that resembles the smell of vomit, it's horrible but thankfully not everyday

Genesia--smoking inside of their apartments.

[Edited 9/4/11 6:21am]

So there is no way that talking to them helps and the landlord doesn't actively solve your problem either.

Is there any change you can get a place somewhere else, where there are no smokers?

As metioned earlier, I cannot afford to move Too bad I'm not a reality TV "star" then I could afford to move...maybe I should go that route since no talent is required. Spent a small fortune on two college degrees and now can't afford to live somewhere smoke-free....

As the great Bill Hicks once said... "I do smoke. If this bothers anybody, I recommend U look around the world we live in and shut the 4k up.". All the problems we have in the world and people are stressing over a cigarette? They're all stood in a cloud of exhaust fumes and pollution shouting "Put that cig out, U're killing us.". It just freaks me out.

Yeah if it's in their own apartment, then unless there was some agreement in place beforehand, as others said, I don't think you really have a leg to stand on here.

I DID have a neighbor that smoked in common areas and this shit pissed me off. They would smoke in the apartment complex's laundry room which also had some tennants' storage units, which were essentially just made of chicken wire strung between wooden door frames, but anyway. Twice I caught this woman smoking in the laundry room...which is one flight of stairs below her apartment. You couldn't wait until you either finished your laundry run OR do it beforehand? You gotta smoke in a shared area where you can SEE everyone's stored belongings (baby walkers and strolles, furniture, etc.) and make them smell like you.

Then this bitch had the nerve to relocate my shit from the dryer to on top of the machine. I get if I am taking really long and leave my shit for an hour. It had been maybe 3-4 minutes. More importantly, you are smoking and touching my newly cleaned clothes??

I'm not confrontational, but as it would turn out I didn't have to be. Within a day I saw a sign posted that smoking in common areas would mean termination of your lease and eviction. I hope the rats find their way into her house. Or at least shit in her laundry.

Beat 'em.

haters gonna hate

Damn, I didn't know that people could smell cigarette smoke in another apartment. Well, I bet my neighbors on both sides just luuuuuuuv me then.

Oh well, if they don't like it, fuck 'em. They can always move. I not only pay my rent on time, but I always pay it a half a month early and since cigarettes aren't illegal, I'm going to do as I please in my own apartment. It's already bad enough that you can't even smoke in a certain section in public. I always said if you give in and let them ban smoking altogether in restaurants that they wouldn't stop until they tell you what to do in your own home. I'm just glad my landlord is a smoker.

KoolEaze said:

I don´t smoke and can´t stand smoke but what I can´t stand even more is when smokers can´t enjoy their cigarette. So your neighbors live in that building, they pay rent and yet they are not allowed to smoke at home? That´s not cool. Where are they supposed to smoke then?

It always gets on my nerves when smokers visit me and make a big fuss when they want to have a smoke...they want to go outside for a minute, or open the window etc.

I tell them to relax and just ENJOY their cigarette at my place, even though I don´t smoke. I want my guests to feel comfortable at my place.

If I were you, I´d tell them not to smoke in the stairway (if that´s where they smoke) but other than that,if they smoke inside their apartments, I think it is perfectly ok.

Land of the free my ass.

Exactly! And even if you had apartments in one area for tenants that smoke and apartments in another area for tenants that don't smoke, the nonsmoking tenants would still find a reason to complain. They won't be happy until cigarettes are illegal. It's starting to look more about control than anything else.

comegetwild said:

As the great Bill Hicks once said... "I do smoke. If this bothers anybody, I recommend U look around the world we live in and shut the 4k up.". All the problems we have in the world and people are stressing over a cigarette? They're all stood in a cloud of exhaust fumes and pollution shouting "Put that cig out, U're killing us.". It just freaks me out.

Obviously, the solution is to make smoking illegal.

RodeoSchro said:

Obviously, the solution is to make smoking illegal.

See, what did I tell y'all.

vainandy said:

RodeoSchro said:

Obviously, the solution is to make smoking illegal.

See, what did I tell y'all.

And after that, we're gonna make you listen to Britney Spears and Whitney Houston 24-7!

But seriously, tobacco should be outlawed. All it does is kill people or make them sick, and that's if you use it exactly like the manufacturer says you should.

RodeoSchro said:

vainandy said:

See, what did I tell y'all.

And after that, we're gonna make you listen to Britney Spears and Whitney Houston 24-7!

But seriously, tobacco should be outlawed. All it does is kill people or make them sick, and that's if you use it exactly like the manufacturer says you should.

Then you better start banning alcohol, fried foods and sugar...

It's sad how neighbours can disturb you. Society is cruel and vicious, you try to shut yourself away at home, and even there they won't leave you alone.

tinaz said:

RodeoSchro said:

And after that, we're gonna make you listen to Britney Spears and Whitney Houston 24-7!

But seriously, tobacco should be outlawed. All it does is kill people or make them sick, and that's if you use it exactly like the manufacturer says you should.

Then you better start banning alcohol, fried foods and sugar...

OK.

RodeoSchro said:

tinaz said:

Then you better start banning alcohol, fried foods and sugar...

OK.

WAIT... not sugar!!

RodeoSchro said:

vainandy said:

See, what did I tell y'all.

And after that, we're gonna make you listen to Britney Spears and Whitney Houston 24-7!

But seriously, tobacco should be outlawed. All it does is kill people or make them sick, and that's if you use it exactly like the manufacturer says you should.

Cigarettes are an addiction that has been legal for hundreds of years and since it has been legal for so long, there are millions of people addicted to them. If they become illegal, drug dealers will start selling them, they will be even more overpriced than they are now, and crime will really go up. There are a hell of a lot more people addicted to cigarettes than people addicted to crack. When cigarette smokers can't even satisfy their addiction legally, even the nicest ones will resort to crime. It's an addiction.

Javi said:

It's sad how neighbours can disturb you. Society is cruel and vicious, you try to shut yourself away at home, and even there they won't leave you alone.

I hear ya! You be polite and smoke in a smoking section and that's not good enough for them. Then you smoke outside and they bitch that you're too close to the building. Then you can't even smoke in your home without some whiny ass neighbor bitching.

Javi said:

It's sad how neighbours can disturb you. Society is cruel and vicious, you try to shut yourself away at home, and even there they won't leave you alone.

I have a junky neigbourh who causes trouble (fights with girlfriend, costumers buying drugs, one of his costumers broke into the house of another neighbour, 'lost' delivery packages).

However, everytime I confront him and tell him that I called the police on him. I guess he respects me for doing that, because after I complain, he will adjust. His tv isn't loud anymore, he still yells at his girlfriend, however, not as often and he knows I'll call in the police reporting domestic abuse. So, at least she doesn't receive his fists anymore. When he pulls the race card, and says it's a cultural difference, I'll tell him that there are two black girls on our little block that are managing a good career and never bother the neighbourhood with their behaviour. So, in essence when he says that, he's discriminating them.

I can get irritated and angry and try to get him away. That will be years and years of stress with possibly no avail. That would negatively impact the atmosphere in the few confined blocks that make up the neighbourhood.

I know it's Dutch policy to mix incomes, agains ghetto formation. And I support that policy. So, I just make sure my junky neighbour doesn't cross the line too often and keep him on the straight path for as far as possible for someone in his condition. And we can all live happily everafter.

It's a give and take and not forcing neighbours your lifestyle.

Start smoking too. It's fun.

Why bother people smoking in their home? It's not right people should have the right to smoke in the privacy in their own homes.

paniuroczy said:

Start smoking too. It's fun.

Why bother people smoking in their home? It's not right people should have the right to smoke in the privacy in their own homes.

Paniuroczy, finished your homework already?