If your building has a no-smoking policy:
- Ask your building manager to make sure the rules are followed/enforced
- Ask for "No Smoking" signs to be posted where everyone can see them
If smoking is allowed in your building, you can:
- Consider talking to the person smoking; ask politely if he or she would smoke outside away from the building
- Ask your building manager about making your building smoke-free
Building owners have the right to make their building smoke-free. Many state and local governments have resources to help owners or managers make their building smoke-free. Units can also be made nonsmoking as they become vacant or when the lease is renewed.
A smoke free policy can:
- Protect health
- Reduce the risk of fire
- Lower upkeep and cleaning costs
- Reduce insurance rates
Talk with your neighbors:
- Ask if smoke is getting into other homes too - ask if they have health problems made worse by secondhand smoke
- Ask them to help you make where you live smoke-free
- Together, have a meeting with your building owner or manager
- The more people who ask for a change, the more likely it will happen