Neighbours smoke coming to our apartment!

another world

I´m just wondering what I can do about this. We´ve just rented an apartment and to our surprise we´ve noticed that the people in the apartment smoke and they may as well be smoking in our room tbh. The smoke seems to be coming through the floorboards I´ve tried to contact the agent who rented it out to us but he hasn´t got back to us (left 3 messages over the last week). I´ll be calling into his office on Monday. What I want to check is what can I do about this if he says that it´s our problem?

axel rose

What do you want the agent/landlord to do? Knock on the door of an apartment and tell the owners/tenants not to smoke in their own apartment?

If you have just moved in my guess is that the previous tenant was a smoker and that odour has remained on the curtains and sofa etc. My advice is to scrub the walls, and try to get the landlord to hire a steam cleaner for the soft furnishings.

eth0_

OP if this is the case then the apartment has not been built to sufficient standards and could be considered dangerous. If cigarette smoke is easily entering your property through the floorboards, imagine how quickly your apartment would go up in flames if next door had a fire?

This is absolutely an issue that needs to be dealt with ASAP.

another world

axel rose wrote: »

What do you want the agent/landlord to do? Knock on the door of an apartment and tell the owners/tenants not to smoke in their own apartment?

If you have just moved in my guess is that the previous tenant was a smoker and that odour has remained on the curtains and sofa etc. My advice is to scrub the walls, and try to get the landlord to hire a steam cleaner for the soft furnishings.

Well, yes. He´s the landlord of the whole building. Nothing to do with the previous tenant, it´s coming through the floor boards. The apartment doesn´t smell of smoke when the people below aren´t smoking.

another world

eth0_ wrote: »

OP if this is the case then the apartment has not been built to sufficient standards and could be considered dangerous. If cigarette smoke is easily entering your property through the floorboards, imagine how quickly your apartment would go up in flames if next door had a fire?

This is absolutely an issue that needs to be dealt with ASAP.

Thanks. I´ll make this point to him as well.

axel rose

another world wrote: »

Well, yes. He´s the landlord of the whole building. Nothing to do with the previous tenant, it´s coming through the floor boards. The apartment doesn´t smell of smoke when the people below aren´t smoking.

Is he also the developer of the apt block? Are you the 1st tenant of the apt?


If so move out. Its an unsafe apt.

eth0_

axel rose wrote: »

Is he also the developer of the apt block? Are you the 1st tenant of the apt?


If so move out. Its an unsafe apt.

I'm going to take a wild guess that this isn't an apartment block, but a large house that's been turned into flats (involving a lot of DIY work). Am I correct, OP?

another world

eth0_ wrote: »

I'm going to take a wild guess that this isn't an apartment block, but a large house that's been turned into flats (involving a lot of DIY work). Am I correct, OP?

Yep, that´s right. It´s a grand building, only problem I have is with the smoke!

eth0_

The smoke might be a small issue but if there's a fire in your neighbours flat the place could go up like a tinder box. And if something so fundamental (and legally required!) has been ignored by the builder, i'd be worried about other defects in the flat (wiring etc)...

Dempo1

I've heard of roofs blowing off apartment blocks but this dilemma takes the biscuit, sound coming though floor boards is one thing but smoke? this is a disaster and i agree could be a serious hazard if a fire ever broke out downstairs. Sounds as if the floors have neither been insulated or fire proofed which is a legal requirement for the separation of apartment levels. Suggest and immediate investigation.