Smoking Tenants (Los Angeles, Santa Monica: apartment, lease, home)

[xyzxyz]

I have fellow tenants who go out on their back porch and smoke. The smoke blows into my apartment stinking the place up. We live on the corner, so their back porch is up against my bedroom window. I get home after work, and it smells like someone was smoking in my apartment. Can anything be done about that? If they are on their porch, are my hands just tied?

[LaoTzuMindFu]

Between the parties, the parking problems and the cig smoke maybe you should just move.

[xyzxyz]

Unfortunately, there is a little piece of paper called a lease that binds you. Believe me, if it were that easy, myself and thousands of other people who get screwed by con-artist landlords would just pack up and leave. Again, unfortunately, since most landlords in Los Angeles are crooked scumbags, tenants are bound by a legal contract. I am posting here for solutions. I would appreciate if anyone has viable solutions or suggestions, but not "if you don't like it move". That isn't realistic.

[trickymiky]

I use to live in an apartment building in Santa Monica. It was a two-story complex and there were two pot smokers who lived there...one next to me and one below me. The smell of pot was just awful. At first, my landlord didn't give a crap and told me to get screwed. I tried to call the police, believe it or not, they wouldn't do anything unless they had a judge-issued search warrant. Now, if pot smoking, which last I checked was illegal, and something that your landlord or police don't give a crap about, I would say cigarette smoking is something you have to learn to live with, too.

[JTGJR]

Originally Posted by xyzxyz

I have fellow tenants who go out on their back porch and smoke. The smoke blows into my apartment stinking the place up. We live on the corner, so their back porch is up against my bedroom window. I get home after work, and it smells like someone was smoking in my apartment. Can anything be done about that? If they are on their porch, are my hands just tied?

Unfortunately, yes, they're tied. It's a very, very touchy situation. Do you know your neighbors? Do they seem somewhat friendly? If so, try politely mentioning it to them. And, I mean, politely. For good or bad, they're entitled to smoke there unless there is a city ordinance against it. As a smoker myself, I go out of my way not to impact others. Even to the point of not smoking in my backyard if my next door neighbors happen to be in their backyard.

[laysayfair]

Can you put a fan in your window facing out so it will blow the smoke away? Or maybe you can buy them a fan and politely ask if they would mind using it when they are outside smoking to blow the smoke away.

[calipoppy]

Get an air purifier or two for your apartment and do not leave you windows open.

[Luke9686]

Try talking to them. If that doesn't work, maybe the landlord will help, but probably not. When is your lease up?

[CESpeed]

Actually there is a beautiful loophole in a lease called "habitability". Cigarette smoke is a carcinogen and unhealthy. You can break your lease because the co-tenant renders your space uninhabitable. Move with happiness. I would strongly suggest living out your security deposit because your landlord will not return it.

[gypsystar]

I am going through the exact same thing and they landlord said that although it bothers her too (she smells it in her apt.), there is nothing she can do. I can't stand when the lady lights up on her porch downstairs when I have my door open. In fact, her apt. is so toxic that just the smell of the air inside gags me when she opens the door.

You can do what I do to "get back": When she goes out to smoke, I fire up an incense stick on my porch so she has to smell my smoke and I don't smell the nasty cig as much. Sigh. Can't wait to move!