What can I do about a smoking neighbor?

What can I do about a smoking neighbor?

Your city or county health department or local smokefree coalition can assist you. Even if there isn’t currently a law in your area, there may be efforts underway to track complaints about drifting smoke in housing, encourage landlords to make their buildings smokefree, and other local resources that you can utilize.

What is nuisance smoke?

For the smoke to count as a statutory nuisance it must do one of the following: unreasonably and substantially interfere with the use or enjoyment of a home or other premises. injure health or be likely to injure health.

Can smoke travel through pipes?

If you live in an apartment or condominium, cigarette smoke can easily seep into your home. It can sift in through the ventilation system or open windows. Or the space between the water pipes. Or even the electrical outlets.

Is it legal to smoke at home?

Smoking is allowed in private areas such as your own home or in your car. However, when it comes to smoking in private vehicles, drivers would need to be mindful that this is only allowed as long as no second-hand tobacco smoke is expelled (i.e. windows are fully wound up) in smoking prohibited places.

Does smoke travel up or down?

Smoke will only rise as long as it is warmer than the surrounding air. At night a pocket of smoke will rise a bit, but as the air around it becomes warmer, it will actually sink back towards the ground and spread out horizontally.

How do I stop my neighbors from smoking in the house?

Use insulation padding and painter’s tape to block vents and large gaps. Smoke may also drift in through air vents or gaps around your heating or air conditioner. You may be able to block the smoke by covering the gaps with insulation padding or painter’s tape.

What is the law on having fires in your garden?

According to government guidance, there are no laws that prohibit you from burning rubbish and lighting bonfires in your garden. However, there are rules in place to prevent bonfires from causing a nuisance to neighbours or a hazard to safety, and there are certain types of waste you can and can’t burn.

Is smoking a legal right?

There is no such thing as a constitutional “right to smoke,” since the U.S. Constitution does not extend special protection to smokers. Smoking is not a specially protected liberty right under the Due Process Clause of the Constitution. The fundamental right to privacy does not apply to smoking.

How to deal with neighbours who smoke in Your House?

Though it may seem a little old-fashioned or just plain difficult, good neighbour relations may go a long way to resolving difficult situations like your smoke problems. Talk to the neighbours in a friendly way after inviting them for a coffee or cold beer and explain to them that this is a big concern for you and your family.

Do you smell smoke from the house next door?

The house next door is occupied for the last couple of years by a number of heavy smokers. Since then, the smell of smoke is seeping into our house into our bedrooms and front room. The extension is fine. The smell is worst in the bedrooms and the floors in both bedrooms upstairs are the bare original floorboards.

Can I transfer smoke from one dwelling to another?

Transfer of smoke from one dwelling to another can be a major issue in multi-unit developments. Clearly it is also an issue in historic properties such as yours. Your house was constructed before building regulations set out the separation standards that now need to be met in modern buildings.

What to do about smoky air coming from next door?

If you both do succeed in sealing any areas or small gaps you think may be letting in the smoky air next door and still notice the problem, further investigation may help. You may want to call an energy evaluator or HVAC contractor who has a “blower-door” apparatus to come and test your home.