Is it possible??? (apartment, rental, tenants)

[reflion]

I'm a foreign student who's studying in vancouver.


Just few minutes ago, I smoked in front of my apartment.


I thought It's enought far from door(6 meters), so I didn't care about that.


But somehow the apartment manager talked to me very offensively 'why do you smoke here?'


I said I think it's enough far from the door, so I believe it's okay.


Even though I said to her that I'm sorry, she said she don't know what's the matter with my country's people, and she wanted to charge me $200.


Is it possible?? I mean, I totally understand that she's very hard to clean everyday because of ashes and butts, but why I have to pay for that, only me?


I really wanna know about that.



Have a nice day-

[That Ottawa One]

The only reason I can see for the fine is if it's a large apartment building with a large property to maintain. If you were still standing on the building's property, even if you were away from the front door, there may not be smoking aloud there because of, like you said, the problems they would have with cleaning up garbage cigarette butts, ashes, etc. Sometimes people toss old cigarettes into flowerbeds, bushes, etc. outside of buildings without crushing the butt and that can start a fire.

Some owners of apartment buildings don't like people smoking by the building because they don't want anyone "loitering" around the building, for any reason, because some tenants may be uncomfortable, or unsafe, if there are young people standing around idle outside the building.

You could check with the building management to find out what the actual rules are for the tenants. When you signed your lease, there may have been something written there about the rules for tenants and how they're expected to behave on the property.

[dougie86]

You may want to read the bylaws of your building.

Here is an extract of -
"Health by-law No. 9535" of the City of Vancouver, BC.

page 5
Section 2.2 A person must no smoke:
.
.
.
.
(e) within six metres measured on the ground from a point directly below any point of any opening into any building including any door or window that opens or any air intake;
(f) in a customer service area; or
(g) within 6 metres of the perimeter of a customer service area.


Enforcement of ban on smoking
Section 2.3 Except ..., a responsible person must not suffer or allow a person to smoke in:
(a) a building or customer service area;
(b) premises or common areas;
(c) an area described in section 2.2(e) or (g) except to the extent that all or part of such area is not part of the parcel on which the building or customer service area is situate and is not an area over which such responsible person has possession or control; or
(d) in a vehicle for hire.

Even though I said to her that I'm sorry, she said she don't know what's the matter with my country's people, and she wanted to charge me $200.

Has she issued any written warnings to you previously, assuming that this is a repeat offense on your part.
As a building manager, she is tactless and clueless that a statement such as "what's the matter with your country's people" can have unpleasant legal consequences.

[jambo101]

As a private citizen i doubt she has the legal power to fine you $200,unless its a written stipulation in your rental agreement..