If you have ever had a chain smoker as your next door neighbor, then you already know what second hand smoking is all about. You just have to put up with the irritating tobacco smoke and smell and before you know it, you also end up smoking or in some unfortunate cases, succumbing to smoking related complications. If you had quit smoking, you may end up going back to your old habits and making friends with the chain smoker. What will then happen will form part of your history that will definitely not be your best? It is because of such things that rental property owners have decided to embrace smoke free policies.

Smoke free rental properties are establishments where smoking is prohibited or in some cases, where smoking is only allowed in areas that have been designated. With such properties, the tenants and other occupants always have the comfort of knowing that they will not have to inhale second hand smoke and other fumes generated by their guests or other residents.

In most cases, prospective tenants are normally issued with tenancy and lease agreements with smoking policies clearly stated as part of the agreements.  Failure to comply by the rules often lead to consequences such as terminating tenancies , eviction  or  even lawsuits that may result to fines. It is therefore up to you as a tenant to comply by the rules of tenancy. To be on the safe side, always read and understand the tenancy rules before signing the tenancy agreement.

Most landlords actually save money by prohibiting smoking in their premises. Smoking always ends up damaging vinyl and countertops and leaving smoke burns on carpets thus incurring landlords extra expenses for cleaning. It has also been proven that smoking is the single largest cause of house fires. Therefore going smoke free can greatly reduce chances of house fires.

But all may not be gloomy as electronic cigarettes have been introduced. With them, you actually do not smoke but you vape as the cigarettes are all about vapors and not smoke. Most premises allow them as they are not harmful to the vapor or rather smoker as well as the person next to him or her. What is more, electronic cigarettes are in most cases flavored and the scented and their prices are often affordable.

Always check with your landlord to conform if they allow electronic cigarettes. Some landlords are actually very strict and still do not allow electronic cigarettes.  In cases where this is not so clear, the best thing would be to refrain from smoking completely or doing so at the comfort of your privacy. Use the ash tray and discard the filters so as to leave the apartment clean and habitable for the next tenant.  Remember that smokers have no special representation in law. As such, just smoke were you are allowed to and hold your horses where you are not supposed to. This may be hard but abiding by this simple rule will greatly help you to stay out of trouble with law.

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