Smoking in our own property.

If you're renting it's more than likely against the lease. They could complain to your landlord etc. If you've bought, I imagine there is nothing they can do about it and it's your perfect right to smoke in your own property if you want to. As for the communal garden, it most likely has a set of rules, if it doesn't forbid smoking, smoke if you want to. Personally I think it would be a poor show to smoke out there when kids are around, under someone's window or to leave cigarette butts around but if you're respectful, and it's not stated that you can't, I think live and let live applies.

Are you smoking weed? That is more pervasive than cigarette smoke.

Also smoke/smell can go through into next door via the floor joists or gaps in the skirting boards, same as noise.

Just stop smoking in a building other people also live in. Go outside. Or stop smoking altogether. Unless you’re very old, there is no reason for you to have started smoking in the first place.

The smell will be going under the doors. We once stayed in an air BnB and the entire communal corridor stuck of smoke because of one flat. We would go as fast as we could into the property. It was gross.
Your sense of smell has probably been eroded a bit plus you’ll be used to it.

If you’ve had windows open it will also travel. Smoking in a communal garden is pretty anti social too. If you go outside you’ll also need to move away from the building as it will go towards peoples windows.

I think a lot of smokers are very unware. You can stand in a supermarket aisle and smell someone many feet away but they can’t smell it on themselves. A woman at my kids club goes and smokes outside comes in and sits down. I have to move away if she sits next to me as she stinks.

So I’d do whatever you can to make sure others can’t smell it. It’s very unpleasant.

Do you mean weed or regular cigarettes?

If weed, then YABVVVU, it’s foul.

Regular cigarettes…hmm. I would think something is wrong if they can smell it. Is it possible they’ve seen you smoking and they’ve just said it to cause trouble?

I have a communal garden where I live, people smoke cigarettes there. As long as everyone takes the butts with them, nobody minds. Okay, maybe people do mind and I just don’t know, but I’m surprised I haven’t heard about it. They’re certainly not saying anything if they mind.

I’m now wondering if I’ve just been lucky and I’m not living either side of a smoker. Or near any of the smokersIt seems to me that smoking out of the window is probably the best option.

But if you can smell people smoke, you would smell a lot more cooking smells. I smell those very occasionally.

They will be able to smell it. It’s a horrible odour and pretty pervasive.

There won’t be anything they can do to stop you smoking in your flat, but I do feel sorry for them.

I used to smoke so I can empathize, but when I smoked I had no idea how much the smell can travel, nor how unpleasant it can be. I stayed in a hotel recently and somebody at least two rooms away from mine was smoking on their balcony. I could smell it in my room. I guess if you've bought the flat, they can't stop you smoking but maybe the knowledge that you smell might encourage you to give up, even if the expense and the health risks don't.

I’m an ex-smoker and I didn’t realise until after I’d stopped, how insidious the smell of smoke is: it really can creep through the tiniest cracks in doors and windows. They wouldn’t have known you were smokers unless they could smell it, so I think you’ll have to believe them.

You could try the room furthest away and doors shut thing without discussing it further and see whether they notice. However, if your whole flat just takes on that smokers’ smell, every time you open a door or window, a little bit will creep out. It’ll be on your clothes and hair and possessions as well.

I know this sounds over the top, but I can easily identify a smoker by smell now. I assume some people have a more sensitive sense of smell than others.

Communal garden: depends on whether it would drift up to anyone’s windows or doors, and I’m assuming you wouldn’t sit around smoking on a sunny afternoon while other residents are trying to enjoy the garden.

Do you own or rent? If the latter it’s probably against your contract inside. Many buildings will also have rules for the outside space, our communal grounds ban smoking.

Are you a renter or owner? The former, what's in your rental agreement? The latter, what's in your lease agreement? Either way, if your secondhand smoke is affecting neighbouring properties, they can complain to environmental health about it, so it is in your best interest to stop smoking inside. I can't think of anything worse than having to put up with cigarette smoke in my home as a non-smoker, it's disgusting.

I do t think there’s anything they can do about it but I believe that they can smell it (grew up with smokers and once bought a house from smokers, it still smelled a bit after two years and full redecoration except for the insides of cupboards - more fool me for not doing the cupboards.)

But yes as long as you’ve checked the lease of course you are within your rights.

I'm glad you mentioned smoking outsoors. It's good that people can't smoke in pubs etc any more, but it does mean most pub gardens are spoiled for non-smokers! I love to have a drink outside but my partner won't contemplate sitting where there's smoke nearby.

If you ever want to live in a lovely house instead of a flat, save your money (and health), pack it in!

They will smell it as it gets everywhere and you will stink too. You can smell a smoker. If rented it's against any contract if owned it's your own house but it will make the house harder to resell

My NDN (detached) smokes outside her own property and I can always smell it
I’m an ex smoker - gave up over 20 years ago and said I would never criticise other smokers - so I don’t!
I would ignore them

I've heard of neighbours complain about cooking smells etc, but I guess smoking depends on the policy. Given how many smoke and vape now, in a lot of places, people tend to expect it.

My neighbours smoke and its fucking disgusting. My house smells like an 80s pub and I cant sleep for the awful stench.
I work hard and I don't need to come home to this shit having my life a complete misery. It comes straight through the wall. He's unemployed because he has lung disease and is up all night smoking.
All my clothes in my built in wardrobe on the shared wall stink and Ive had to take them all out and put them in boxes in the spare room.
Secondary smoke kills.
It should be banned everywhere.
I work on ghe vascular unit in the hospital and people like you have the worst most painful deaths there are yet you dont stop.

YABU it’s disgusting and it travels everywhere.

Check your lease if rented
Check any rules of the block if you a purchased
Check home insurance covers for smoking in the home esp in flat in a block

Do you not have wired in smoke alarms?

It would probably be as bad if you went out doors on a balcony. Can you invest in a few extractor fans and a humidifier?

Our very elderly next door neighbours smoke at their front door. Their house is not attached to ours but a mild smell travels in through our vent anyway. I have an air purifier in the room which deals with it: but I don’t think you can under estimate how far the smell travels.

I don’t want to say anything to the neighbours (one of the them had a stroke and they have both cut down and just puff at the door a few times a day) and the scent is mild and the air purifier worked. I’m sensitive to it as an ex smoker myself.

But yes they can probably smell it. But they don’t have the right to complain.

Much sympathy. My mum's flat is similar, she's a lifelong non smoker in sheltered accommodation with smokers beside and below her. Her clothes stink of it.

I deliver to a block of flats and as soon as l enter the building can smell the smoke. Rank smell and for neighbourly relations l would go outside and away from the building .