Neightbor Issue!! Input Needed Please!!!

I'm a landlord in CA. In many cities and counties it is illegal to smoke in common areas in apartment buildings and public places. In my county an ordinance was just passed that makes it illegal to smoke within 25 feet of an exterior door or window; smoking in common areas of apartment complexes is illegal and smoking in most business/restaurants/hotels is not allowed either.

So. Go to the manager and see what your local laws are and ask them to be enforced. If there aren't any laws covering this, then ask for some common courtesy rules for smoking in your complex.

Good luck!

I think this is something you should go to the apartment manager for, instead of taking it into your own hands. Let them hang the signage and if that doesn't resolve the issue, then speak with the offenders directly after that.
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I would go to the manger or landlord and ask them to deal with it. That is what they are there for. I would stay out of it personally if possible.

<<< I'm in commercial real estate. Don't try to handle this directly, please. You don't know how the neighbors are going to respond, and it could be ugly. You also don't know if the neighbors have permission from the manager to actually smoke in the laundry room. I would suggest communicating to the manager in very general terms, mentioning that you are having issues with smoke leaking into your apartment, would there possibly be some sort of insulation or seal that could be installed to prevent this from occurring? Make sure you put it in writing, and don't name suspected smoker names. Just health concerns and request for remediation.

Then leave it up to them. The letter in writing might be useful if you have to break a lease.

As a former property manager and landlord, your sign, well intended as it may be will cause more harm than good. First off, NEVER reveal THAT much personal information this day in age. You're asking for trouble. How do you know one of the smokers isn't a sex offender? You don't.

Is there a building code or rule that specifically states there is no smoking in the laundry room? If yes, then you need to inform the landlord or manager. A simple fix could be putting smoke detectors in there. There should be some in there anyway. Any signage needs to be from the owner/manager to be legal. If smoking is allowed in that particular room, sorry to say but you're out of luck unless the owner/manager offers to help you.

Good luck. As a non-smoker with allergies, I sympathize.

I agree to. This is a 'house rules' problem, and the landlord is the administrator of the community rules. To prevent a negative reaction, it's much better to let management handle this issue.

It's sad to see that people are still THAT inconsiderate by smoking in a common area. I am a HUGE fan of 'no smoking' laws and restrictions.

I absolutely agree that you should NEVER confront the offenders face to face, or post a sign with any personal information such as your name, apartment number or location. There are lots of crazies out there, and anyone who smokes is mentally deficient to start with anyway. My brother's a cop, and he gets called to domestic disputes all the time where a neighbor has confronted another neighbor who reacted violently to a perfectly reasonable request.

Go to your apartment manager. They have an obligation to make sure their tenants are following the rules of the complex as well as the local laws. If you were assured that the building/apartment was non-smoking, then they have a legal obligation to you as well.
And keep going until something is done. Every time we have a maintenance or other issue in my complex, it takes me a very long time to get any response. But if you keep going back, politely repeating yourself every few days, eventually they'll address the problem. If for no other reason than to get you to leave them alone. I am also careful to document every request. I make copies of any notes that I leave, I note which receptionist I talk to on which date, etc. So that way if it gets to the point where I feel I should withhold rent until repairs are made, I have documentation of how hard I tried to resolve the situation first. But you should not have to put up with a situation where other residents are endangering your health.

And, I cannot stress enough, DO NOT attempt to confront the offenders or let them know who you are. That could be very, very dangerous for both you and your daughter.

and anyone who smokes is mentally deficient to start with anyway.

Negates anything else you have to say

Any updates? I agree with everyone else in that you should not handle this yourself and go to the management. Chances are if they don't care enough to not smoke in a public laundry room, they are not going to care they it is causing an issue for anyone else. They know that other people use that room and even if it didn't come into your apartment, others are being are being subjected to this as well whenever they use the laundry room.

move out! Get a better place, or look to buy a house. So many of them out there being given away, a lot cheaper than rent.