There's a situation that's been bothering me for weeks now and I'm just not sure how to handle it, being very anti-confrontational as a person. It is causing me considerable distress though!
My husband and I live in a ground floor flat and upstairs there's a flat share with a few people in it. Just 2 flats in a converted semi.
Sometime in the last 6 months they got a new flatmate, who happens to be a smoker. It's not something we've had to deal with before.
I cannot bear the smell of cigarette smoke, and even find myself having to move if a heavy smoker sits next to me on the tube. It makes me absolutely gag.
When the new flatmate moved in upstairs, she started smoking on the doorstep with the front door open. The hallway stank of smoke and crept into our flat too.
We did say something after a while and she stopped. But now in lockdown, she's started sitting and smoking on the doorstep again. Even though she's closing the front door now, the smell is still creeping in and I can smell it every time I enter/leave the house. Even when it's not fresh smoke the hallway now smells really grimy and dirty. I wouldn't mind (I would...) but we even repainted the hall recently and now I think it needs doing again.
Lockdown is really difficult for everyone, particularly upstairs since they have no outdoor space. I don't want to cause awkwardness and stress for her but at the same time it's really bothering me. AIBU? There is a park a couple of minutes walk away, so we're not completely devoid of outdoor space.
It could be that she has no idea the hallway smells, or it could be she thinks I'm unreasonable.
Any tips for how to handle the situation?