Overview

Advice for Residents and Legal Options

The evidence is clear that secondhand smoke has many negative health effects. Children, pregnant women, and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. In apartment and condominium buildings, secondhand smoke can easily travel from smokers’ units to hallways, common areas, and non-smokers’ units.

• Infographic: Smoke-free Housing- Why it matters to you, the resident (.pdf)
• Answers to Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
• Important Facts on Smoking and COVID-19 (.pdf)

For information about actions you can take to protect yourself from unwanted incursions of secondhand smoke into your home, consult these guides:

• Legal Options for N.C. Multi-Unit Housing Tenants Suffering from Drifting Tobacco Smoke (.pdf)
• Reasonable Accommodations for N.C. Tenants with a Disability Suffering from Exposure to Drifting Tobacco Smoke (.pdf)
• Secondhand Smoke Cases Involving Tenants (.pdf)
  

See also the Smoke-free Homes Section for the steps you can take to protect yourself and your family from secondhand smoke in your apartment.

HUD Smoke-Free Housing Toolkit for Residents

HUD has created "A Toolkit for Residents of Federally Assisted Public and Multi-family Housing".

• HUD tooklit for residents (.pdf)