Smoke Free HousingMaking the Case for Smoke free Multi-Unit HousingMost people know that secondhand smoke is a serious health threat for both children and adults. There is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure. For people who live in multi-unit housing properties such as apartment buildings and condominiums, a building- or property-wide smoke free policy is crucial to protecting everyone from secondhand smoke’s harmful effects. Click here to learn about the effects of Secondhand Smoke. Because people spend so much time in their homes, making multi-unit housing smoke free plays an important role in reducing exposure to secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke from one unit or from a common area can migrate throughout the entire building by traveling through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical lines, plumbing, and ventilation systems. While residents can prohibit smoking in their own units, adopting a smoke free policy for a multi-unit housing building or property will ensure that secondhand smoke does not threaten the lives and health of all residents. These policies also benefit property managers and owners by lowering fire risks and the associated insurance premiums and by reducing the amount of maintenance required before new tenants move in. Many people search for smoke free apartments when searching for housing. Information for Tenants | Information for Landlords For TenantsAre you suffering from secondhand smoke drifting into your apartment or condo? You are not alone. The secondhand smoke from even one tenant smoking indoors can drift into multiple other units and cause health problems and reduced quality of life for other residents. Visit Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights www.no-smoke.org for helpful guides and suggestions. Visit Public Health Law & Policy to learn about Legal Options for Tenants Suffering from Secondhand Tobacco Smoke www.phlpnet.org/tobacco-control/products/legal-options-tenants The American Lung Association has developed Smokefree Policies in Multi-Unit Housing: Steps for Success. This free online course provides a step-by-step guide to promoting, planning and implementing a smokefree multi-unit housing policy. Steps for Success and related support materials are available on their website. If you would like to register a complaint about exposure to secondhand smoke, fill out the Indoor Air Act Complaint Form www.dhhs.nh.gov/dphs/tobacco/documents/complaint.pdf For LandlordsAre you a landlord or management company with questions and concerns about tenants smoking in your buildings? If so, you are not alone. Whether you own a duplex and rent out the second unit, manage a six-building condominium complex, or are a property management firm with apartment buildings in multiple states, drifting secondhand smoke is an issue you are probably confronting now or will need to address in the near future. NH Resource List:
For information on how you can make your building a Breathe Better Building, call The New Hampshire Tobacco Prevention & Control Program at 603-271-6684/800-852-3345 Ext. 6684 To assist property managers, public health advocates and residents in their efforts to adopt smokefree multi-unit housing policies, the American Lung Association has developed Smokefree Policies in Multi-Unit Housing: Steps for Success. This free online course provides a step-by-step guide to promoting, planning and implementing a smokefree multi-unit housing policy. Steps for Success and related support materials are available on their website. |
|||
