WIBU to speak to neightbours about smoking?

[Fourfifthsof]

My neighbours smoke outside in the back garden and the smell comes into my living room and into DS's room through our shut double glazed windows...

I acknowledge that I might be being a bit PFB about it but it smells quite strong and I don't like it. WIBU to speak to them about it? Just to ask them to move away from the house a bit? I am worried what is going to happen in the summer - we won't be able to open the windows without it smelling like a shisha cafe.

I am not an anti smoker, I think people should be able to do what they like providing they are not hurting anyone else, I would just prefer it if they did it away from my window so they don't stink out the place. It's a rented place, so I could just tell the landlord but I think that's a bit passive aggressive... AIBU?

Sorry but yes, I think you're being unreasonable.

I am sure it is smouldering ashtray you can smell. That REALLY stinks (far worse than ciggie smell as the filters are burning)

Next door like us, are council tenants. Apparently as it's technically a public building (or something) they tell new tenants not to smoke in the house but they have to smoke outside. So they stand on their back doorstep and smoke. Wind goes a certain way my kids' bedrooms at the back of the house stink of smoke. I don't get why my kids have to inhale this in their own home - especially as no-one in this house smokes so it's a safe bet I wouldn't want my kids breathing this in. It's not protecting the neighbours' kids either as their parents smoke in the car with them.

Next time it gets bad I am going to ask them if they have an ashtray fire - I can me like I am alerting them to it (which I will be) and hopefully they will get the hint and empty the bloody thing.

I'll post back and let you know whether or not they tell me to FO. I appreciate that they are well within their rights to do so, although if it is an ashtray fire and my fence catches fire I will get the right arse.

OP, Did you check to see if your vents were open/closed?

DP is on the vents.

As a smoker I don't think YABU I would be so embarrassed if my smoke was going into someone's house!

I am always thinking about how it might affect others and usually hide away...

My neighbour came round and asked me nicely if Id clean the dog poo in my garden a bit more frequently. Only had one dog and a big garden, I was cleaning up two or three times a week so it wasn't like we were knee deep in poo.

However he said the smell was bothering him....I couldn't smell a thing. But I accept it was bothering him and I now clean up nearly every day.

I also beheaded a cockerel which he said was waking him up at 3am every day, again I never heard it. I could have said im allowed a cockerel and we're in the country so bog off.....but I try and be a good neighbour.

I think your landlord/insurance company will be more interested in a possible fire risk than in a smoke smell.

Smoldering ashtrays are disgusting, if its that id say out right - in a nice way of course - just tell them you can smell the ashtray so could they move it/empty it because the smell is coming in your house.
I smoke out the garden and have a classy ashtray pot, if one of the neighbours could smell id be very apologetic and clean it out more. However if i was asked to not smoke in my spot in my garden, I would not be obliging to be honest its under a little cover so ill stay dry I'm afraid

Simon funny that....I can smell dog poo miles away from the source but my Mum could walk in it and still not smell it!

I think with dog poo it's best to clean it daily.

I think wet ashtray pots smell the worst. Pre-ban I met up with a friend at the end of her barmaid shift and I was with her as she cleaned the pub ashtrays. The smell as they went under the water was far greater than I had ever smelt before.

Before saying anything consider whether you think they are very reasonable or not. As they aren't doing anything illegal they may take the hump and do it more.

My mum once told her new neighbour he needed to cut his side of the hedge more often and he just didn't cut it again for the next 3 years. He obv didn't like to be told.

You'll need to be very diplomatic

I'm a professional smoker. If my neighbours (who I don't know other than an occasional hello) politely mentioned to me that my smile was going into their house, I would definately be aware and try not blow my smoke rings in their direction. I would only do it if they were polite though, any sign of rudeness would not help their cause

My smoke not my smile

I was going to post similar the other day. Our bedroom is at the front of the house and next door but one smoke loads. They sit on the front step and chain smoke on an evening so if we have the bedroom windows open (which we do except on the coldest of cold days as it helps me sleep /my asthma) then the smoke comes in and really smells.

We've not long lived here and don't really know them other to say hello when we see them so I'm in a similar position

I actually hadnt even thought about this

I really can't understand people on here who say they wouldn't move a bit further away if asked nicely. What difference does it make if you smoke at the other end of the garden instead of under the neighbours' windows? It's not a question of being precious about doing what you like on your property: it's a question of doing something which doesn't harm you in any way and shows a bit of consideration to your neighbours. After all, you never know, you might need a favour from them one day.

That would make more sense if it were the ash tray you could smell, they don't half reek when full.

A polite chat about it would be okay I think, I doubt they even realise and will likely clean it out more often as a result.

I also beheaded a cockerel

You don't get to read that every day on Mumsnet!

A brief google tells me it is possible to buy remote control sprinkler systems. Clearly, apart from during hosepipe bans, it is completely legitimate to run a sprinkler on your own lawn. It isn't your fault if the water blows into next door's garden.

Mwouahhahahhahaaa.

My upstairs neighbours throw their fag-ends and roaches out on the window onto my doorstep. Working up to having a word with them. They also don't sort their rubbish so the bin fills up, it's all related and I try not to let it annoy me (but fail).
.

Your insurance company certainly wouldn't get involved in sorting out a fire risk and even if your landlord did he doesn't have any power to do anything (well nobody does )

If it's an ashtray (in not sure how your houses are set up but wouldn't they have to be seriously close for you to smell it? Like sharing a window sill?) it won't be likely to trigger ashma or cause cancer- you're not inhaling the smoke after all. It's just a smell.

I think if you were very very nice, and approached it with the attitude that they would be doing you a big favour (not that you are entitled for them to change their behaviour), then they would have to be total knob ends to refuse to try and find a solution which worked for both of you.

It wouldn't do any harm to ask politely; my friend, (an ex-smoker) suffered in silence with this, with the smoke coming into her open bedroom window at night all through the summer; when it finally came up in conversation the smokers were most upset, and immediately used another part of their garden. They had no idea that smoke lingered so long in the open air.

I think all you can do is ask as politely as possible, most people would be upset to realise their actions are affecting their neighbours in such a way.

It's probably the ashtray, my mum used to have one by the backdoor and I couldn't go out that way as it stunk! When I had a word, she emptied it more, smoking really does dull your sense of smell.