11 tips for landlords to make their buildings smoke free
September 1, 2007
1. Register your building(s) on smoke-free registries, such as the Smoke-Free Apartment Directory found on this site.
2. Advertise your units as smoke-free in newspaper and real estate magazine ads.
3. Revise your lease/rental agreements to include smoke-free provisions.
4. Post “Smoke-free Area” or “No Smoking” signage in designated areas.
5. Educate employees on how to field questions regarding the building’s smoke-free policy.
7. Remove ashtrays and place receptacles for smoking materials a reasonable distance from facility entrances together with applicable signs.
8. Discuss your decision with tenants and be sure to get their support.
9. Announce the change to all tenants in the form of a letter. Require tenants to sign a copy stating their intent to comply with the new policy. For existing tenants, their understanding and acceptance of the policy will begin upon renewal of their individual leases, which are updated with the new smoke-free lease language.
10. Educate employees on how to field questions regarding the building’s smoke-free policy.
11. Equip your maintenance staff with proper equipment such as door sweeps and caulking materials to deal with migrating smoke until the phase-in of the policy is complete or if only a portion of the building is going smoke-free.
About the Author: Bob Cain
Some 30 years ago Bob Cain went to a no-money-down seminar and got the notion that owning rental property would be just the best idea there is for making money. He bought some. Trouble was, what he learned at the seminar didn’t tell him how to make money on his rental property. He went looking for help in the form of a magazine or newsletter about the business. He couldn't find any.
Always ready to jump at a great idea, he decided he could put his speaking and writing skills to work and perform a valuable service for other investors who needed more information about property management. So Bob ferreted out the secrets, tricks and techniques of property management wherever he found them; then he passed them along to other landlords.
For over 25 years now, Bob has been publishing information, giving speeches, putting on seminars and workshops, and consulting for landlords on how to buy, rent and manage property more effectively.
