SURVEYS AND INTERVIEWS
INDICATE:
Smokefree Apartment Buildings
Are Good For Landlords And
Desired By Residents
By the Smokefree Apartment House Registry
www.smokefreeapartments.org
Landlords Like The Cost Savings Of Smokefree Buildings
Alan Chambers made his apartment building smokefree 10 years ago
and has never looked back. "My vacancy rates are nearly zero,"
he says. " We recently had two vacancies, and they were rented
as soon as the apartments were ready, from tenants referrals."
(Quote from article in Multifamily Executive, September 2002) Chambers
was very aware of the extra work involved after a smoker moved out
of an apartment. "White refrigerators could turn yellow. Walls
had to be sprayed with a detergent solution twice, " he remembers.
"Before painting, we would put on two coats of sealer plus
use a stain killer. Even then we would need two coats of paint."
"Now, he says, " the life of the paint is doubled and
I don't have to redo the white popcorn ceilings." Chambers
decided to begin the smokefree policy because of the potential for
fire, the cigarette burns in the carpets, and the general cost savings.
"If an apartment is being smoked in, it can cost as much to
clean up when the smoker moves as it would cost to evict a problem
tenant." He also appreciates the fact the he can advertise
an apartment as "immaculate" and "clean-smelling."
Dean Hickman was using liquid ammonia and sanding the walls of
a unit after it had been smoked in. Then he would apply several
coats of primer before finally painting. The maintenance costs and
the discarded cigarette butts convinced him that a smokefree policy
would be advantageous. Hickman does permit smoking on the patio
of his 15-unit building.
Harry Gipson has also had smokefree policies in his buildings
for ten years. Like Chambers, he required no smoking in the outdoor
common areas as well as indoors. He states he has never had to evict
anyone for violating the no-smoking rules. Terry Walker has only
had smokefree policies since 1999, but she is pleased that she no
longer has yellow mini-blinds when people who smoke move out.
All of these owners have their new tenants sign the Model Smokefree
Policy found on the web site: www.smokefreeapartments.org. There
are currently over 130 apartment owners with over 1500 no-smoking
units listed with the Smokefree Apartment House Registry. The Registry
provides free listings of no-smoking vacancies on its web site which
is also free to prospective tenants. Apartment buildings which have
a least one third of the units next to each other designated as
no-smoking can be listed on the website.
Residents Prefer Smokefree Apartment Buildings
And Grounds
Staff of the Smokefree Apartment House Registry surveyed 880 residents
of Los Angeles County from 2000 to 2002. Forty-six percent of respondents
said they had experienced tobacco smoke drifting into their apartment
or condo from another unit or from outside. The surveys were conducted
in the cities of West Hollywood, Santa Monica and in the communities
of Northridge and Reseda in Los Angeles. Survey participants included
235 students from California State University Northridge and 162
seniors form five senior centers in Los Angeles County.
Sixty percent of the college students reported experiencing drifting
tobacco smoke, but of that number, only 20% reported the problem
to management. Yet, 97% agreed that secondhand tobacco smoke is
a health hazard.
Seniors were asked if they suffer from any serious chronic illness
such as lung disease, heart disease, asthma, diabetes or arthritis.
Fifty-two percent said yes.
When asked if they would prefer to live in an apartment building
where there is no smoking in any of the units or common areas, 79%
off ALL of the respondents said yes. (Fewer than 17% of California
adults are still smoking, and more than three out of every four
California smokers say that they would like to stop smoking).
|
