SmokeFreeHousingNY.org provides resources for landlords as well as tenants and realtors seeking to establish smoke-free homes and apartment buildings.
Saratoga Springs, NY September 3, 2008 –Local landlords are being offered money saving advice from a least likely source, New York’s Tobacco Control Program. Together with the other 28 partners that make up the Tobacco Control Program, the Southern Adirondack Tobacco Free Coalition launched SmokeFreeHousingNY.org.
SmokefreehousingNY.org offers landlords and property owners a ‘how to’ for implementing a no smoking policy in apartments, duplexes, condos, and other forms of multi-unit living, which according to the website, decreases maintenance bills associated with smoking. “I have worked with landlords that not only had to replace the carpeting in their apartments, but appliances and sheet rock because of the extensive odor and residue left behind by previous smoking tenants.” It can cost up to 4 times more to properly clean a unit that has been smoked in. Many landlords, including those of public and section 8 housing, do not realize that they have the legal right to adopt a no smoking policy to preserve their property, SmokefreehousingNY.org will help with this education.”
Smoke-free apartments are also becoming a desirable amenity among renters according to recent polls in New York that show public tolerance for secondhand smoke is dwindling and the demand for smoke-free living environments is on the rise. (74% of non-smokers in New York State favor no smoking policies where they live. [i]). Al Miller, owner of Annandale Mansion, a smoke-free 16 unit apartment building explains, “It became clear years ago that people who sought housing preferred their dwelling and surrounding apartments to be smoke-free. As an owner and the person responsible for the upkeep and maintenance, I benefit immensely because a smoke-free building is always cleaner, fresher and easier to transition between tenants. Also, I have found that I have gained rather than lost prospective tenants based on this designation.”
Other resources offered by the web-site range from providing tenants with actions to address secondhand smoke to promotional tips for realtors.
The Southern Adirondack Tobacco Free Coalition (SATFC) is a coalition of local agencies and individuals committed to creating a tobacco-free environment. SATFC is funded by the New York State Department of Health.
[1] The New York State Adult Tobacco Survey (ATS). Data collected between May and July 2007.
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