Neighbours smoking in the close!

[Lowla]

I work from home as an ironer. On all of my advertisements, leaflets etc, i state that I operate from a smoke and pet free home which is very true.

However, i live in a block of flats and my close almost always smells smokey! It drives me mad. So when my customers come to drop off/collect their clothes, they're having to walk through a stinky close and this might reflect badly on me.

I've just taken my bin down and walked by a neighbour smoking at the bottom of the close. It's raining and she's waiting on a taxi.

It's disgusting.

And one of my upstairs neighbours always smokes on his way downstairs when he leaves for work each morning. And it makes the close smell really badly for hours afterwards. All of the windows are safety-locked and only one opens a tiny bit.

And then he does the same thing when he returns at dinnertime (he'll not stub out his cigarette, just keep smoking it until he gets upstairs).

And my veranda is covered in cigarette stubs from where my upstairs neighbour throws them over his own veranda (the wind must blow them onto mine) and sometimes it's not just cigarettes, there's been a few hash/joints there too. I've now stopped my daughter playing out there in case she picks anything else up.

It's a council property and there's nothing they can do apparantly as my complaint isn't just with one specific neighbour. I've tried confronting them about it but they didn't take me seriously.

I'm really worried it's going to start affecting my business too.

[valiumredhead]

There's nothing you can do apart from sweep up the fag ends yourself.

[Mrsjay]

I think if people are coming to pick up their ironing they will know people are smoking ask the council to send out letters about smoking in an enclosed space and talk to your housing officer and all you can do is sweep up the fag ends

[Jusfloatingby]

Surely there's rules about not smoking in the common areas?

I don't get the council's attitude. If a load of people are doing something that's against the rules they are less likely to act than if it is just one person?
I would put your complaint in writing and ask for their response in writing.They will have to be clearer about what they mean in that situation.

[McChristmasPants2012]

It is against my sister's tenancy agreement to smoke on the stairs, I would report the neighbour doing it on the stairs.

But outside there is nothing you can do

[Mrsjay]

yes it is an enclosed space I live in flats and before the neighbour bought theirs we got letters for the L A telling us it was against the law to smoke in an enclosed space public building , you cant do anything about your neighbour smoking on the veranda though it is their own house

[Mousefunk]

It isn't your flat that smells so therefore their clothes won't go home smelling (well unless you iron on the veranda). Shouldn't really affect business because its the communal stairwell that stinks (well I gather thats what a close is) so not affecting their clothes. I'd think most people wouldn't smell a communal area and presume its you doing all of the smoking/even if you did its none of their business because its nowhere near their stuff! I wouldn't worry.

Also nothing you can do, unless its illegal to smoke there or breaking the council's rules in that case contact the non-emergency police/council.