Lease Violations Reported By Neighbor

[Karen Johnson]

Hello!

I have an upstairs/downstairs duplex. Downstairs neighbor reports that the couple upstairs is arguing loudly at all hours, and also smoking marijuana in their unit (smell travels). The noise complaint is pretty clear cut. Regarding marijuana usage - can I issue a notice of lease violation if I haven’t actually observed this myself? Perhaps a silly question but I haven’t encountered this issue before. Tenant moved in in November and I have not yet done an inspection this year. Do I need to inspect in order to verify before issuing a violation notice/warning for the marijuana usage? To be clear - it’s a non-smoking property and that is clearly stated in the lease. Tenants both said they are non-smokers. I guess they didn’t think that included marijuana. Lease clearly states they are responsible if their guests smoke on the premises as well. Any input is welcome.

Thanks.