Property Owners and Managers

Benefits of Smoke-Free Housing

  • Reduce costs and turn-over time. Cleaning and refurbishing a unit that has been smoked in can cost up to $3,000 more than a smoke-free unit.
  • Save on insurance premiums. Some insurance companies offer reduced rates to buildings with smoke-free policies.
  • Smoke-free buildings reduce the risk, costs, and liability associated with fires.1
  • 80% of Missourians do not smoke2 and most renters, including people who smoke, would choose smoke-free housing if given the choice.1,3
  • Smoke-free buildings are for everyone. People who smoke are still welcome to live in the building, they just have to take the smoke outdoors to a designated area.
  • Smoke-free leases are legal.1
  • Smoke-free policies are easy to enforce and can be enforced like any other lease violation.4
Smokefree policies in multiunit housing can improve health and save money

Hear from property managers in Missouri who went smoke-free

Click to calculate the cost of turning over a smoking unit vs. a non-smoking unit.

Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing Calculator

Who’s affected and what’s the problem?

Your Property
  • Secondhand and thirdhand smoke damage your property and increase maintenance, cleaning, and insurance costs.1
  • Secondhand smoke travels between units through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical lines, ventilation systems and plumbing.5
  • Thirdhand smoke is the residue left behind from cigarette smoke and cannot be removed through normal cleaning methods.
    • It contains 250 chemicals and sticks to dust, carpets, upholstery, walls, hair, clothes, pets’ fur, and feathers. The toxic chemicals left behind can re-emit and off gas back into the air. It cannot be removed through routine cleaning methods and can remain months after smoking has stopped.6,7
  • Allowing smoking in the building increases risk of fire. Most residential fire deaths are caused by cigarettes.1
Your Tenants
    smoking in room
  • Exposing tenants to secondhand smoke opens property owners to legal action from tenants experiencing health issues as a result of the exposure.1
  • One out of three people who don’t smoke and live in rental housing are exposed to secondhand smoke.8
  • Children living in multiunit housing have higher blood levels of cotinine, a marker of tobacco exposure, even when they live with caregivers who do not smoke.9
  • There is no safe level of secondhand smoke. 
    • Children, the elderly, people with disabilities, and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the health risks associated with secondhand smoke.9
    • 2 out of 5 children are exposed to secondhand smoke. Most children are exposed in the home.5
    • Children exposed to tobacco smoke are at risk for asthma, lung problems, earaches, and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).9
    • Adults are at risk for heart disease, stroke, and lung cancer.5
  • Babies and children are particularly vulnerable to thirdhand smoke, the residue left behind from smoking, when they crawl on contaminated floors or put contaminated items in their mouth.10

What can you do?

  • Adopt a smoke-free policy at your property or properties. See the toolkit below for step-by-step guidance.
  • Educate your employees and tenants about the benefits of going smoke-free.
  • Limit evictions by using an equitable enforcement plan to address policy violations.
  • Offer resources to quit for tenants and employees who are ready to quit.
  • Talk to other property owners about the benefits of going smoke-free.
  • Talk to your community leaders and decision makers about the benefits of smoke-free policies.

A note about public housing: In 2018, The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) required all HUD residences to adopt a smoke-free policy.

  • Cigarettes and cigars cannot be smoked in buildings on HUD properties, including offices, residences, and common areas, or within 25 feet of any buildings on HUD property.
  • Electronic cigarettes were not required to be included in the policy, management of public housing authorities may also prohibit the use of these products in their facilities.

Resources for Property Owners and Managers

References