Cigarette smoke constantly drifting in to our bedroom from next door!

[soberton]

Hi
Not sure how best to go about this. We live in a mid terraced bay and forecourt house and the house on one side is rented (it was obviously 'bought to let' so we don't know who actually owns it). The problem is the daughter (aged about 30) of the main tenant has the front bedroom next door to ours and is ALWAYS leaning out of the window smoking and then chucking the butts down into their front forecourt (and sometimes they go over the front wall and into the pavement/gutter). Their forecourt is often a real mess -but in all fairness that's their business! Our problem is that the smoke is always drifting into our bedroom too, not only during the day but also throughout the night (I have an idea that she might do shiftwork of some sort). For instance last night we were woken up by the stench at midnight, 2am and 3.30am. DP suffers from asthma and frequently needs a ventolin inhaler he finds it also helps to have the window open for fresh air flow. At 3.30am this morning I opened the window fully to tell her how the stench from her was disturbing us but she may not have heard me call out (her TV was blaring out too!). By this morning our patience had worn pretty thin as you can imagine! They must be rather thick skinned however, if they can't realise why the window is being slammed shut everytime! It's possible they don't realise how bad the smell is (they're heavy smokers) and when I recently took a parcel in for them, the daughter came to collect it, she absolutely stank out the hallway (mixture of stale smoke & BO). Thanks for reading through this, advice would be appreciated?

If you had a way of getting in touch with the LL you could let them know, they may have specified no smoking in the tenancy agreement.

Other than that, if you're right in your assumption that they are pretty thick skinned, there's not going to be much you can do. Telling them how much it's bothering you may or may not help, but if they don't want to stop doing it, they won't. You can't force someone to stop smoking out of their own window.

Could you erect a piece of perspex or other low visually impacting material like a guard beside your window to deflect the smoke away?

Sorry, I have no useful advice, but I fully sympathise. It really gives me the rage when I can smell smoke in my house (where no-one has ever smoked in the 15 years I've lived here) or in my office (because the lazy fuckers can't be bothered to stand in the smoking area so the smoke comes in through the vents).

I don't smoke, I hate smoking, I hate the way smokers smell. I don't know why anyone does it any more & I wish they'd all just go away.

most smokers at this level are oblivious, and with a TV blaring at 3am she clearly isn't the most considerate of people.

the property is probably let on a 'no smoking' basis, and she believes in the magic curtain which means that you can lean out of the window and all will be well. There is really no hope for people like this.

have you tried a polite word at a less stressed time? If this doesn't work (and it probably won't) then all you can do is contact the landlord and say that his tenants are disturbing you with stink and noise. This may mean that he considers not renewing the lease, although unless it has terms that they are breaching, he may not be able to do anything.

I hate the reek too and entirely sympathise. If only cigarettes were more toxic to the users.

i dont smoke but i suppose they are smoking A in there own house or B outside so i suppose the attitude is shut your window especially at night .it might not be pleasent but they are not doing anything wrong .

What has the fact that it's rented got to do with anything? Why don't you just go round and ask them not to do this?

Do you imagine that you should bipass them just because they don't own the property and go to the landlord? Just knock on the door and ask nicely for her to stop this.

In my experience, many smokers have literally no idea how easily you can smell cigarette smoke, and genuinely imagine that opening a door or window will disperse the fumes into the ether without detection. It may well be that their rental contract specifies no smoking, but all you can do at this stage is gently point out that puffing the smoke in your direction is both un-neighbourly and futile.

We have the window slightly open at night because of the air flow and it helps my husband breathe more clearly (he has asthma which has worsened over the last year) and it's a relatively warm house, being mid-terraced, and so we find a cooler room more comfortable to sleep in. Our window is 'tilt & turn style, so it's either shut completely, opens fully into the room, or tilts at the top forward into the room. Theirs just opens out at the bottom. We've been here over 17 years and the house next door has been rented out for the last 3years. Current tenants have been there since last October ish. I wouldn't care about their smoking if they either just did it indoors with their window shut or went downstairs/outside they have a back garden. Given that she doesn't work out the problem when as she's sticking her hand out of the window at all hours, our window gets shut just makes me wonder what we can do. Hence I posted on here for feedback. Thank you for all your replies.

Why not go round and talk to her? Explain the problem and suggest solutions, as you have done here.

Contrary to popular MN opinion, smokers are actually human beings.

My NDN smokes (semi, she's the attached side). She smokes in bed and in summer when our windows are open it drifts in if the wind is blowing in the right direction. It's annoying but doubt there is a lot you can do other than shut the window.

Pop a fan facing out the window to blow the smoke away.

I live in a flat above a hairdressers. The 4 girls who work there stand outside my front door puffing away at least every 20mins, everyday. It stinks! I can't open my windows or leave my door open to bring shopping in etc without my house stinking. They throw ends on the floor and leave fags burning away in a jar
I did approach the boss who shrugged her shoulders and told me to close my windows. I called environmental health but they said nothing can be done.
If I was a smoker I would hate to think that my smoke was causing other people bother.

Oops, photo didn't load. Never mind, it would put you off your dinner.

If only cigarettes were more toxic to the users

Yes, if only 3/4 of smokers died from it instead of just half of them, eh? If only it caused lots more than 100,000 UK deaths each year. Life would be so much better

I wondered if anyone was going to pick up on that lovely comment Pubes .

Smokers are individual people, not some amorphous mass of "Other" . Some are nice and considerate, some are twats. Much like the rest of the population. All are addicted, to a greater or lesser extent. But let's hope they all get on and die their horrible, well-deserved deaths, eh?

OP. As suggested. First step would be talking to this woman, although I agree with a PP that if she is the type to have her TV blaring at all hours she may not be receptive. Not a lot else you can do if that's the case. Fan, maybe, or could you use a different room as your bedroom? I appreciate this may not be possible, and indeed you should not have to, but...

Unless her tenancy prohibits her from doing so she is perfectly entitled to smoke in her own home

We have the same problem. Cigarette smoke drifts to our flat flat from above. The owner who chain smokes moved in since 2 months ago. The second hand smoke is a nightmare. The neighbour never opens his windows. There is no ventilation in his flat. The smoke comes down to our flat and is there all day and night in every corner except in a rear room. We get extremely irritable throat, cough, headaches difficulty in breathing and I keep a cloth over my nose most ime. I ve lost use in one bedroom and the smoke there is so thick as if 2 people have been smoking. I have spoken to he neighbour but he does not want to listen. We bought an air purfier £29 but is for a small room and is somewhat effective but not always. The first thing to do is speak to the neighbour, next keep a log of how long the the nuissance lasts and the effecs of smoke on your life. The most important is to contact the Local Authority and push them hard to come to investigate whether second hand smoke i your flat is prejudicial to health.

Quitethewoodsman You are quite right and that is how it is first adressed. Sometimes it does not work though no matter how much you try to talk. Our Local Authority has posted advice on nuisance on its site that if you cannot find satisfaction by talking with the neighbour ask their Environmental Service to investigate.

soberton I have sympathy with you. try again going with a friend to speak to the neighbour. Somethings can hopefully work. You need to try also your LA if talk does not work. I found this site useful

I really sympathise with you. I think smoking is a really anti-social, disgusting habit and I also wish that everyone who did it was more willing and able to stop as I'm sure no one who smokes is fully delighted with that choice.

It is worth just going round and explaining(slightly exaggerating) your husbands health situation and asking if there is anyway they could stick their head out of a different window? Maybe her New Years resolution is to quit, here's hoping

The Land Registry will give you the name and address of the owner of the property, then you could ask about their tenant's smoking.
www.gov.uk/search-property-information-land-registry

Also have you tried any ionisers to keep the air in your room at a better quality, which would enable you to have the window closed.

MariscallRoad if you actually have thick smoke in your bedroom, I'd call the non emergency fire brigade and ask them to investigate.

Cigarette smoke wont travel downwards from the upstairs flat and it certainly wont be so thick that it's as though 2 people are smoking.

Something's not right there at all. Perhaps something up with the vents maybe?

Had that. Had no option but to move in the end

Poor you op we suffered enourmously from neighbours on both sides smoking for many years, during a heat wave and with a very sick baby I couldnt open any windows.

I had about 2 - 8 on one side and then two on the other, thankfully the mass smokers left and on the other side I pleaded with them to move their site a little, they did and its transformed my life it really has. they were so sweet about it and lovely.

I literally couldnt open any windows.

So write a little note, very uber polite, describe your dh problems, remember they probably don't know anything about asthma...say where she smokes means without fail smoke coming in, would it be possible to smoke elsewhere so smoke has a chance of going somewhere else....finish with I am so sorry to ask, i hate to make people feel uncomfortable in their own homes....its just its got really really bad for us - and give them /her some flowers or choclates.

If that fails....then start long hassling process.

I think you definitely need to close the window at night. Surely with no central heating it should be cold enough in this weather?? It is bracing.

The ventilation can't be doing you or your husband's asthma any good when it is thick with smoke.

Maybe buy a dehumidifier if that is an issue?

Personally I'm amazed you sleep with a window open in this weather.. Brrr!