No Smoking...period.

[dburg]

Hi Folks,

I have a likely tenant(s), husband and wife who are interested in renting who are heavy smokers. I told them that there is no smoking whatsoever in the home. The agreed and say they will only smoke outside. Somehow I get the impression that this is not going to happen. Their kids are long gone and they the only 2 living there.

I have the agreement in the lease about no smoking, how do I enforce this? Yes, the may not get their damage deposit back, but $1500 is not going to pay for the reno costs after they leave. WHats the trick? Quarterly inspections? Is there something else I can put in the lease to help this situation?

Thanks

Dean

 

[invst4profit]

The trick is as a responsible landlord you do not rent to them.
They will smoke in the unit and they will destroy it. Period.

If you have already rented to them it is already too late to ask the question unfortunately.

 

[JoefromTO]

If I`m not mistaken, in Ontario, it is illegal to deny tenancy to someone because they smoke, but that just means you need to be creative when responding to their application.

Iv`e had smoker tenants in the past and they ALWAYS smoked in their apartments. The building in question has forced air with return air vents in each apartment, so if someone smokes in their apartment, the others will smell it.

Iv`e had to visit those tenants on more than one occasion and repeatedly asking them to stop. The problem would stop for a while then start up again.

Iv`e since chosen tenants who do NOT smoke and haven`t had any requiring problems. The thing is, it really depends on where your place is and if you have an abundance of applicants to chose from. Then you can literally pick your tenants for a big pool.

So IMO, if you have already rented to them, you have to deal with it. BUT!! if you have other tenants living in the building who are affected by the smoke, you should be able to serve a notice that they are intefering with the enjoyment of your other tenants and as a consequence, your enjoyment...

 

[invst4profit]

They have a damage deposit so it isn`t Ontario.

 

[Goodstuff]

I`ve had prospective tenants put down on their application that they are non-smokers and then when they come to drop it off I can smell the smoke on them.

One reason why it`s good to meet the applicant in person, rather than a property manager - unless you can find a property manager who is this meticulous. Once they`re in your place and smoking away, it`s a lot of work to get them out.

Sorry, this isn`t really a response to your question. In my opinion, they`ll smoke in your place. Even if they don`t, it`s still going to disturb a lot of other people if they smoke on the balcony. What person is going to want to smoke outside when it`s -30?