Smoke-Free Apartments?

14 years ago

I am a non-smoker who gets sick very quickly from tobacco smoke (and incense, and scented candles, etc.). I'm in Pennsylvania, looking to move to the suburbs west of Philadelphia, and there is not one apartment complex that offers a smoke-free building.

Ads for smoke-free apartments and condos all seem to only mean they don't want the tenant smoking, not that the others in the building or house don't smoke. It's also hard to even find ads for smoke-free apartments in the area west of the city. I've checked craigslist and will check this Sunday's local papers, too.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

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Comments (5)

moonshadow
14 years ago
CL in my area has almost become a 'match making' service between tenants and private LLs, as well as larger complexes. I advertise properties on it, but also have used it to look for prospective tenants (many people from out of the area moving in use it).

Have you considered putting in your own "wanted" ad, and stipulate a 100% smoke free building or house? There's also kijiji.com (which is very much like CL).

Best suggestion I can think of would be to ask in city-data's Philly forum, their forums are very handy for finding specifics about an area, including what you're looking for.
siena
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks for your suggestion, and I will ask in city-data's Philly forum. I have posted on craigslist and kijiji, and the responses I've gotten have been:
1. Want to share my place?
2. We have an apartment for rent and we only smoke outside. (I want to be able to go outside, too!)
3. I have a condo that's never been smoked in, but the neighbors smoke.

I have never gotten anyone who had an apartment in a house or building where no one there smoked. : (
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I take it that you own your condo, not rent. HOA's don't usually pass this sort of rule without warning. Have you been attending the HOA meetings or reading the minutes? It is easier to fight this sort of thing before the rules are voted on, not after. At this point, you can lodge a complaint with the HOA and ask for the rules to be changed. If they did not publicize the proposed changes before voting on them, you may have a case--they can't really change the rules on how you use the space you own without notifying you of the changes. My guess is that people smoking on patios and balconies led to smoke entering the open windows of people who don't smoke and they complained. And actually, your last line, "The HOA refuses to listen to such complaints" isn't true. You complained about your upstairs neighbor and friends smoking outside and dropping butts on your patio, and the HOA has now banned outside smoking. So they did address this issue, just not in a way that you wanted them to. My suggestion, long-term, is that you get more involved with your HOA. If you attend most of the meetings, you will know what is going on and what's being planned and you will be able to voice your opinion about the changes. Perhaps even join the board, to have a larger say in the running of the building. And if you can't get the rules changed, then invest in a good quality air filter so that you can smoke indoors. And I'm a little confused--do the new rules require you just not to smoke on the balcony, or do they specifically state that all windows must be closed if you are smoking inside. Because there's a difference. You might be able to have an open window, just not step outside to smoke.
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mike_kaiser_gw
14 years ago
Something like 18% of the population smokes and that number increases in lower age/income/education segments, which may be more likely rent. So short of new construction, it may be hard to find a place that's never been smoked in and perhaps even harder to find a smoke-free complex. I also think only a few states actually make it legal for a landlord to ban smoking.

Have you considered renting a small house? I don't know if you are old enough, but how about one of the older adult communities where the odds of finding smokers is smaller.
camlan
14 years ago
You are just going to have to keep looking. I once rented an apartment in a smoke free building--it was just 4 units and was the only rental property that the landlord had, so he was very careful about who he rented to.

Given that you are also sensitive to scented candles and incense and most landlords don't even think about those, I think your best bet is going to be a small landlord, not a big apartment complex. Perhaps half of a two family house where the people in the other half don't smoke. Or if the layout is right, the other people can smoke and it won't affect you at all--no shared entry ways, no shared heating ducts. Or maybe an in-law apartment where the homeowners don't smoke.

mike_kaiser's suggestion of renting a small house is something to consider. If you can't swing the rent all by yourself, you could get a non-smoking, non-candle burning roommate to help with that.
User
13 years ago
Siena said "I am a non-smoker who gets sick very quickly from tobacco smoke (and incense, and scented candles, etc.)."

No landlord will, or can, ban scented candles or air fresheners. Your only choice is to rent a stand alone house if you are this sensitive.

Smoke-Free Apartments?

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moonshadow

siena
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Smoke-Free Apartments?

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moonshadow

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siena
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