Apartment Tenants
You and your family have the right to live in a healthy and safe environment. When secondhand smoke drifts into your home from a neighboring apartment unit, your home becomes an unhealthy and unsafe place. Secondhand smoke contains numerous harmful chemicals, and exposure to these chemicals is a serious health hazard. According to the Surgeon General (2006) there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Unfortunately, secondhand smoke does not respect boundaries. It seeps through light fixtures, ceiling crawl spaces, and doorways into all areas of a building in which a person smokes. Secondhand smoke cannot be controlled by ventilation, air cleaning or the separation of smokers from non-smokers. The only solution is to make buildings smoke-free.
Q & A
A: Yes. Currently there are a few smoke free apartments in Washoe County. Look for more apartments to be added.
Matley Apartments
1100-1110 Harvard Way
Reno, NV
775-240-4898
Wolf Run Village (student housing)
467 Beverly Street
Reno, NV 89512
775-329-4960
www.wolfrunvillage.com
The Northern Nevada Apartment Association recently adopted a Smoke-Free Certification program encouraging members to adopt policies so that Washoe County residents have more smoke free multi-family housing options. For more information visit: www.nnaa.info/.
A: The Americans with Disabilities Act and the Federal Fair Housing Act protects individuals with disabilities from secondhand smoke. Under these laws, individuals with disabilities are entitled to reasonable accommodations and/or modifications of policies, practices and procedures by their housing providers to ensure equal access to, and enjoyment of their housing (Fair Housing Act of 1988, U.S.C. Section 3601 et seq.). Therefore, if you have been diagnosed with certain disabilities, and exposure to secondhand smoke is preventing you from using or enjoying the building, the law requires the landlord to make reasonable accommodations to mediate the situation. If you have a disability and need help asking your landlord for a reasonable accomodation contact the Silver State Fair Housing Council toll-free at (888) 585-8634.
You can do it!
Many landlords do not even realize that secondhand smoke is a problem in their buildings, so the first step is to educate them.
- Communicate that secondhand smoke is a problem.
- Encourage your neighbors to let the landlord know that secondhand smoke is a problem for them as well.
- Remind the landlord that it is legal to adopt a smoke-free policy, just as it is legal to adopt a policy prohibiting pets, or conditions about noise.
- Refer the landlord to the Landlord section of this website.
- Educate the landlord about other local resources, such as the Northern Nevada Apartment Association. www.nnaa.info/.
- Work together with your landlord and neighbors to adopt a smoke-free policy for your building.
Another option is to address the concern with the neighbor who is smoking. Americans for Non-Smoker’s Rights (2004) advises taking a friendly, positive, and educational approach. Let the neighbor know that you are experiencing difficulty from their secondhand smoke, and that you are concerned about your health. Let them know that you are flexible and interested in working out a mutually satisfying solution.
If the situation is not able to be resolved and you choose to look for different housing, here are some options:
- Look into the availability of smoke-free housing. Refer to this website, or call 775-328-2442 if you need assistance.
- Inform the landlord in writing that you are moving from the property because of secondhand smoke.
- Congratulate yourself for making a healthy choice for you and your family.
To learn more, go to:
http://www.smokefreeapartments.org/
http://www.tcsg.org/sfelp/home.html
http://www.no-smoke.org/goingsmokefree.php
http://www.mismokefreeapartment.org/
