The trend of banning smoking in rental apartments all over the country has been on the rise over the past few years. According to NY1 News Channel in June 2013 the first major property management company, Related Management, banned smoking in all new leases covering their 40,000 units. According to the president of the company the motivation behind the ban is that they believe that a smoke-free environment is extremely important to keeping air quality standards within apartment buildings. He compared the issue of banning smoking to keeping noise standards down as both affect one’s neighbors. This trend of banning smoking on rental properties has continued to grow throughout the country. In addition, federal , states and city governments such as phoenix have began pushing for more smoke free rental apartments in both private and public housing.
Proponents of banning smoking in rental properties list several advantages that property owners or managers received when they ban smoking in their units. These advantages include avoiding higher cleanup costs for rental apartments when smokers move out of the unit. By banning smoking , property owners reduce potential risk of fire damage which can help lead to discounted insurance rates. In addition there may be a marketing benefit to having your apartment building listed as a smoke free living space.
Some disadvantages of banning smoking in your apartment building include missing out on tenants that smoke, and some privacy concerns as some tenants may feel that monitoring whether they smoke or not is an invasion of privacy. In addition, creating a smoking ban to your rental property will add another rule that will have to enforce which could mean potential legal and financial headaches. However, it seems that the advantages of banning smoking in rental properties outweigh the disadvantages especially considering how the trend of banning smoking in rental apartments is increasing.
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this post in not intended to be construed as legal advice, nor should it be considered a substitute for obtaining individual legal counsel or consulting your local, state, federal or provincial tenancy laws.