Rip Van Winkle Tobacco-Free Action of Columbia and Greene Counties - Smoke-Free HousingA growing trend in smoke-free housing is taking place nationally and locally; in both large and small communities.

Smoke-Free Housing

A growing trend in smoke-free housing is taking place nationally and locally; in both large and small communities.

Smoke-Free Rental Properties

Smoking rates are decreasing and people are becoming more knowledgeable about the health risks of secondhand smoke. In 2003, New York banned smoking in all workplaces (including restaurants and bars). Public tolerance for involuntarily being subjected to someone else’s cigarette smoke has declined sharply. More renters are now looking for apartments in buildings where smoking is prohibited as a condition of the lease.

To encourage property owners and managers to consider a non-smoking policy, we provide these services at no cost:

Information on legal and financial considerations.
Sample lease language and tenant surveys.
Technical support such as assistance with developing a transition plan, and information on resources to help smoking tenants quit.

Free Custom signage is available.

These are some of the benefits of smoke-free properties:

Smoke-free properties are legal.
There is no federal or state regulation that prevents landlords from making rental properties smoke-free. Smokers are not a protected class under anti-discrimination laws. It is legal to prohibit smoking in any area of the property, both private and common, indoors or outside, just as it is legal to prohibit pets.

Smoke-free properties save money.
Smoking is the cause of a variety of expensive property damages, including fire-related repairs and extra cleaning costs. Apartments vacated by smokers are more likely to need costly cleaning and repairs, such as removing nicotine stains from walls, cabinets and blinds, eliminating the odor of smoke from drapes, carpets and walls, and repairing damaged, burned or singed carpets, tiles, counters or floors.

Smoke-free properties are safer.
Smoking materials (cigarettes, lighters, matches) are the leading cause of home and fire deaths in the country. Smoking combined with alcohol creates an even greater risk of fire injury because smokers consume more alcohol than nonsmokers.

Smoke-free properties protect your investment.
Smoke-free properties are easier and less costly to maintain and less vulnerable to damage caused by fire. Grounds that are free from litter caused by discarded cigarette butts are more attractive in appearance. Healthy, well-maintained buildings create more desirable neighborhoods and are more likely to increase in market value.

Smoke-free living is an added amenity.
In NYS, less than one in five adults (17%) is a smoker. In Columbia County the overall smoking rate is about 20%. Almost 80% of households in the county do not allow smoking in the home. Tenants want housing that meets their desire to have a smoke-free home.

Smoke-free properties protect everyone from exposure to secondhand smoke.
Secondhand smoke causes disease and premature death in children and adults who do not smoke, and has been designated as a known human carcinogen.

Non-smoking policies protect property owners from legal action from any tenant who can claim that their disability is aggravated by cigarette smoke drifting in to their living space.

We conduct a yearly survey of smoking behaviors for Columbia and Greene counties.

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