Allow Smokers In Your Apartments?

Question

I’ve purchased an abandoned adult car home and am going to be converting it into eight 1+1 apartments. Cheap property, huge rehab costs. It’s in a smoker-friendly state and the units will be about $550/month not including utilities. My question is this- should I start out trying to get non-smoker tenants? How long did you hold out before you acquiesced? Does it make a difference if I put smokers upstairs and non-smokers downstairs. In a perfect world, I’d not allow it. It’s hard to tell what would happen long term- will non-smokers ultimately not want to live there because smokers are in the building, eventually converting it to all-smokers and destroying my investment?

Account Closed · Answer

I don’t allow smoking in any of my buildings.  I have a service charge if I inspect and it smells like smoke or proof of smoking then I charge them and give a written warning. If they don’t stop then they get evicted.  When I took over the property it cost over 5,000 to remove the smells and clean the unit and it was just a tiny 750 square foot unit.

John Teachout · Answer

We won't rent to smokers. This doesn't mean we don't allow smoking in the property, this means that if you're a smoker, you can't rent our property. We have spent tons of time and money eradicating the results of smoking from properties. What you decide to do with your own properties is up to you but I don't think ruling out smokers will make it more difficult to lease the property. Especially if it's a multi unit, it matters.

Greg Moran · Answer

That's an easy one for me. No smokers. No smoking inside, or within xx feet of the premises. Smoking in designated areas only. It's private property now, so it is your rules.

Scott P. · Answer

I've had units with a lease that didn't mention smoking and I'd had units with a lease that prohibits smoking inside.

I don't smoke. Although I'd prefer non-smokers, I haven't had to do any special cleaning for smokers.  I think some of them must have smoked outside most or all of the time.

Having not had a bad experience, I don't really care if they smoke inside or not.  Frankly, other than trying to withhold the deposit based on "evidence" of smoking, I'm not sure how I'd enforce a no smoking policy anyway?  Maybe some other Posters can explain how they do that.

Kenneth Garrett · Answer

@Nate Bell

I  do not allow smokers especially in an adult care facility.  Smoking does a tremendous amount of damage to a unit.  You can decide if you will allow smoking outside the building. All of my buildings are smoke free.

Jason D. · Answer

@Nate Bell for me, non-smokers are always more appealing. I would not be happy, as a non-smoker, living in a building with smokers.

You should be able to make it a non-smoking building, and still find tenants, but maybe in your market, that's not possible.

Nate Bell · Answer

@Nate Bell

adult *care* home

Allow Smokers In Your Apartments?

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