Smoke Free Washington

Questions to Ask

Ask the following questions about the smoking policy at rental properties you visit. Properties advertised as smoke-free can have very different policies.

1. Find out if the smoking policy is written in the lease or community rules.
   • Ask if it applies to everyone or just new tenants.
   • Ask if the rule covers indoor common areas, rental units, decks, balconies and patios.
2. Ask if there are tenants who currently smoke inside or out, and where they are smoking.
   • If they are smoking anywhere in the building, and there is a shared ventilation system, it is likely that secondhand smoke will get into your unit.
   • If they smoke outside near your windows or doors, it could also drift inside your unit.
3. Ask about enforcement.
   • Does the landlord check to make sure nobody is smoking?
   • How would the landlord respond if you made a complaint about a smoking neighbor?
   • If a tenant or their guest is smoking, what would the landlord do about it?
4. Are signs posted to make visitors aware of the no-smoking policy?
5. Did the previous tenant smoke? If so, what did the landlord do to clean the apartment?
   • The residual odors and contamination from secondhand smoke—also referred to as thirdhand smoke—can be hard to eliminate if an extensive cleaning is not done properly.

• Last Updated: 02/24/10

  This Web site contains information on the revised Clean Indoor Air Act (RCW 70.160). It is not legal advice. This information cannot be considered as a substitute for legal advice from and representation by a qualified attorney.

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