Smoke-free housing - advice for landlords
Why have a smokefree property?
Risk of fire
More people die in fires caused by smoking than in fires with any other single cause. Because tobacco is designed to stay alight, cigarettes can easily start an accidental fire.
Maintenance savings
You will reduce wear and tear, cleaning and re-painting costs.
You can't filter the problem away. Air filter systems are designed to remove odours, not the cancer causing chemicals that are the result of tobacco smoke.
Insurance premiums
Some insurance providers give a premium reduction if your property is smokefree.
Improved re-sale opportunities
As the number of public places in which a person can smoke has shrunk, so has the number of home buyers who are even willing to consider a house with smoking in its past.
Smokefree tenancies are easy and popular
How to go smokefree whilst keeping your existing tenants happy.
It's your choice
If tenants are smoking in your property and you wish to eliminate the health risks of secondhand smoke, not to mention the smoke damage and fire hazard, it is completely up to the landlord to make that choice.
Existing smoking tenants
You may wish to establish a no-smoking tenancy agreement for new tenants whilst allowing existing tenants to continue to smoke in the property as long as they live there. You could however add a smoking clause to the tenancy at the time it is renewed.
- Make a plan
- Amend new leases
- Inform tenants
- Promote your smokefree status
Remember...
You aren't telling people to stop smoking. The purpose of the smokefree tenancy is to protect your property and tenants from the dangers and damage caused by secondhand smoke.
Smoking can be costly. Let tenants know that violating the smoking clause of the tenancy agreement may result in loss of their deposit. Cleaning and maintenance of a property where tenants smoke is very costly.
For more information on secondhand smoke and the benefits of making your property smokefree see other pages on this web site.
Free resources available for landlords and agencies to give to tenants / use in tenant information packs / put up in properties:
- No Smoking Sign (sticker)
- No Smoking Sign (window sticker)
- 'Protect Others from Tobacco Smoke' Smokefree Bristol Leaflet
- 'Four Steps to a Smokefree Home' Leaflet
- 'Secondhand Smoke Kills' Leaflet
- 'Secondhand Smoke Kills' Poster
- 'Don't choke your chicks' Poster
- 'Welcome to our Smokefree Home' Window Sticker
To order these please phone the Bristol Smoking Advice Service on 0117 959 5465.