Neighbour smoking on balcony

[PorridgeWobbler]

We have a relatively new neighbour in the flat immediately next to ours. Now that the weather is improving he seems to spend a lot of time on his balcony smoking cigarettes and weed. Yesterday it was about every 2-3 hours. The smell is horrendous and the prevailing wind flows it straight in through our windows. It’s as if someone is smoking inside our flat. I work from home so notice every time he smokes. Last night he lit up again at 11pm so I had to shut our bedroom windows despite it being very hot. I have young children and their bedrooms also end up stinking of smoke.

I feel I need to say something because it is vile and bad for our health. But I also appreciate that it’s his balcony and he can technically do what he wants on it. What should I say?

AIBU to complain to him?

Spoken as someone who’s children aren’t regularly inhaling poisonous chemicals.

i really don’t think this would make the slightest bit of difference.

There's nothing much you can do OP.

He's entitled to smoke. I don't think whether he's a tenant or an owner matters, I don't really see that as being your business as other posters have suggested. Even if he does have a no smoking term in his contract, you don't know if it includes the balcony and, even if it does, they'll likely do an inspection and if he's being careful not to let smoke get in the flat, they'll likely find nothing to complain about. You just risk creating a hostile relationship.

You COULD report him for the weed, he's technically committing a crime but, in reality, the police aren't going to care unless he's secretly running a weed farm. Even if they do show up, there's little chance of any consequences and, as a smoker, he'll know that. Even if a knock from the police does make him stop smoking weed, he'll probably just smoke more cigarettes to compensate.

Your only real option is to casually mention it to him and ask if there's anything he can do to avoid/minimise the impact on you. If he says no, he says no. Hopefully, even if he says no, he'll be decent enough not to take offence.

Are your balconies adjoining? The other solution I can think of (if it's a big enough problem for you) is to put an extractor/fan on your balcony that he can reach. You could explain the situation and ask if he wouldn't mind switching that on while he's smoking. You'd probably want to explore the options first before actually doing that in case he say's no and you've wasted money. I don't know how much that would help with the problem? Would a fan/extractor work? You never know, he might even offer to contribute - I would as an ex-smoker who always tried to be considerate but that's just me.

It's a shit that the burden of finding a solution is on you but there isn't much you can do otherwise. It's the downside of communal living.

I used to smoke on my balcony and then the person next door asked me not to so I don't.

It's probably that simple

I feel your pain.

From personal experience there is nothing you can do.

I own a first floor flat and the elderly couple below me are both chain smokers.

They spend all day either smoking indoors (and the smoke permeates through the pipe work gaps into to my flat).

Or they stand in their section of the garden and the smoke comes up and through my lounge window.

Their own flat - the walls are yellow through the stained nicotine.

I’ve tried talking to them (they just laugh it off).

I’ve tried it the council (who tell me that unless they are smoking in communal areas there is nothing they can do).

I’ve tried speaking to the management company who tell me that everyone who has owned my flat over the last 20 years has had the sane complaint and there is nothing they can do. Last time I spoke to them they said they had been chain smoking in their flat for 20 years and there had been numerous complaints over the years. They weren’t going to change so my best bet was they died from the smoking!!!!!

It’s so utterly selfish. Smoking f’ing stinks. It’s such a selfish habit. My own dad died from lung cancer caused from smoking - it’s such a disgusting habit that affects everyone.

Good luck 🤞

Nothing you can do OP

It's what happens when you live almost on top of people

i would def speak to him. If he is not responsive then I would contact environmental health as he is creating a nuisance to you in your home. We do not have the right to do whatever we want in our owned/rented space if it causes a consistent nuisance to others.

If it's weed he's smoking then it will.

He’s not considerate, otherwise he wouldn’t smoke there- he must be aware of the effects of it

I had the same problem in London, neigh our had an illegal garden on the flat roof next door outside the bedroom window while it was 32 degrees and I had a newborn. Didn't day anything as we weren't staying as moving to bigger place but I pointed a fan at the window when he sparked up to blow it out a bit, as counter productive and a waste of electricity it is! It was on anyway due to the heat but would rather have had it pointed in the room.

Every time I go to a public event I'm horrified by the number of people smoking around me. It stinks and makes me gag. Seems to be on the increase. What is wrong with people?

It's really shit for you, but he's entitled to smoke on his own balcony and there isn't much you can do about it. I do feel for you, though. It might be worth knocking and letting him know how it's affecting you.. but in a flat, unless he's going to go all the way down and out, it's the only place he can smoke.

What can environmental health do?

Not a lot I'd guess

I’ve never seen a rental contract that states you can’t smoke weed in outside spaces. However obvs it is illegal, so it’s not about the contract as such. More he’s undertaking illegal activity. Will the landlord care, will the police. Doubtful on either to be honest. And how does she prove it.

You're in London. At some point most weeks you will be directly under the fallout cloud of one of the biggest incinerators in Europe. There's also the small point that a large percentage of vehicles in London are still not electric. Cigarette smoke is the least of your worries in London if you're concerned about poisonous chemicals. .

It smells disgusting and travels a long way. The police might be interested if your children are inhaling it.

The police won't do anything unless he's dealing it

It's so low level

Not that that is right! But it's how it goes

This really

Get a grip. The chances of inhaling from a neighbouring balcony are slim. Police interest even slimmer
Pathetic

I'd love the law to ban people from smoking within 5m of a building. Sadly it doesn't.

Does your building actually allow smoking on the balconies? That seems odd these days for precisely this reason.

When we lived in a flat our neighbour who was next door but one, & a floor below used to stink us all out with fags, drugs, & his rarely washed stench. It would blow across in the summer 🤢 I would’ve told him but my H said not to as he’d never speak to us again. That was the idea 🙄 But he rarely opened his windows, so it never really bothered us too much. He used to be OK, but then the stench of him alone became too much, luckily the virus came along & put a stop to his visits. I’d mention it to him, but you could just close the windows. It’s not like it’s hot all year round in the UK.

You could let him know what’s happening and see if he will stop or reduce the balcony smoking - but realistically he won’t.

So unfortunately you’ll have to make the solution on your side.

I’d opt for an air filter machine - we have one that clears the room of smoke and particles (have a wood stove in winter) and it’s connected to an app so you can see how healthy the air is. We have it on permanently in the winter and it runs quiet and low but if it detects something in the air it adjusts and ramps up until the air is clearer.

They will just vape instead..