AIBU to ask my next door neighbours not to smoke indoors?

[BeansOnToast41]

Genuinely not sure what my own opinion is on this so intrigued to see what the consensus is. My house is an end-of-terrace and the next door neighbours smoke indoors (sometimes normal cigarettes, sometimes weed). I’ve no major issue with smokers, but because they’re doing it inside, the smell comes through to my living room. We’ve not mentioned it to the neighbours and haven’t decided if we will or not (to be fair it isn’t constant) but I’m wondering if it would even be acceptable to ask someone not to do something which they’re well within their rights to do in their own home.

Voting is:

IABU = no you can’t ask someone not to do something in their own home
IANBU = yes totally fine to say something because the smell is coming through the wall

Not necessarily, there is a lot of people with medical cannabis now. People think its only oil but flower is prescribed. Police would not be able to do anything.
I've seen police chat to people in town, that were clearly smoking a joint. I doubt, unless it's large scale, police will care.

Im actually incredibly easy going. I dont care what they do but I will not be stunk out of my own home with filthy cigarettes. Why anyone smokes that much I have no idea. You all know the terrible damage it does not only to your own health but other peoples and smokers stink. You can smell them coming a mile off. I work in the vascular unit at my hospital and spend my days cutting off smokers rotting, necrotic toes and feet and watching as they lose their feet then their legs, get lung disease and cancer and finally their hearts give out and they die in agony.
Yet still they smoke right up to the end when they are not gasping on their oxygen tanks.
You have to be a complete idiot to be a smoker and Im not having that in my house.

You have to be a complete idiot to be a smoker and Im not having that in my house.

It’s not in OP’s house. Fortunately we’re not at the stage of dictating what other people do or don’t do in their house.

Yes we can when its affecting every aspect of our lives and making my life a misery. Environmental health backed me up.
You cant burn tyres in your garden just because its your garden either. So tough luck.

There’s a big gap between burning tyres in a garden and smoking cigarettes in a house. Environmental health wouldn’t have anything to do with the latter.

You have a very high protection in law of being able to carryout lawful activities in a private dwelling without there being restrictions. The protection you enjoy are way beyond any protection for commercial activities or activities in common open spaces or shared spaces. Smoking is a legal activity so the only remedy would be if you could prove the Smoking was a nuisance in law that was prejudicial to health. This is a high legal test and as someone who has investigated numerous nuisance complaints, I couldn't envisage any situation where you would succeed in law.

Completely different situation. It's not lawful to burn tyres.

You're using extremely emotive and overblown language here. It seems insanely exaggerated, and even as someone very sensitive to the smell of cigarette smoke, I have absolutely no idea how you could be so badly affected, literally 24/7, by people smoking in their own homes.

Good job you don't live on my council estate it's a constant smell indoors and outdoors. Also you can't police what other people do in the privacy of their own homes whether they are right or wrong it's none of your business unless they are coming into your house or garden to do it they can do what they like. Live and let live is what I say. You can't control what other people do, what you can control however is how you react to it.

I suppose there's worse things they could be doing like shooting up and leaving dirty needles everywhere like some of the crackheads that live around the corner from me. Weed is not that bad and it's becoming widely accepted now in society soon it will be legal over here like it is in some parts of the USA choose the hill that's what I say.

I think it's ridiculous to think it's a reasonable request to ask somebody to stop doing something legal in the confines of their own home. You know full well if someone has a problem with their neighbour smoking in their own home they will have as much as a problem with them smoking in their garden. Where should the smoker go to smoke then? If you can't see that your perspective is laughable I cant help you....

Also, I don't doubt there are unselfish smokers. Why would being a smoker make someone more or less likely to be selfish or not?

For goodness sake. Read my original post again. Notice how mild and uncontroversial it was, and how it already allowed for both possibilities. I'd not have thought it worth investing the time trying to pick an argument with me over it.

Can you identify where it’s coming from OP? It might be something as simple as open windows in both your houses, in which case close yours. Harder to remedy if it’s to do with poor walls/ some kind of structural weakness but might be worth seeing if this can be sorted. You shouldn’t really be able to smell things from an adjoining house.
Sorry but I think you know you can’t ask them not to smoke in their own house, as annoying as this is.

My point stands whether you like it or not

I can’t stop laughing at this lol

If you can smell their smoke, they can probably smell cooking odors, etc. from your side. So it's not unreasonable to broach the subject with them, not in a demanding "you can't smoke in your own house" way. Approach it as a mutual problem that you may be able to solve together. If there are vents, HVAC ducts, or other "air leaks", sealing on both sides might mitigate the problem. IMO, this is all in how you approach them, not a question of being unreasonable.

Be aware that all formal complaints need to be declared in the buying and selling of property

If that's the worst thing you get from your neighbours, some ciggy smoke sometimes, you are SOOOOOO lucky. Just remember some of the nightmare stories we all hear about terrible neighbours (and some of us have sadly experienced or are still in the middle of !) and - Count your blessings..

Improve your house so smoke from next door doesn't come through. I'm not sure how you do that but better sealing round windows? Partition wall need sealing? Fireplace? Where is the smoke getting in?

Thank goodness I don’t live next door to you, and I don’t even smoke! 😆😆

I had a similar situation from my downstairs neighbour when I lived in a converted victorian end terrace. My elderly neighbour smoked endlessly and it felt like I was smoking in my own front room. Obviously it’s unreasonable to expect them to change their habits but I did mention it and offered to buy her an air purifier. She claimed to open the windows more after I mentioned it. I also bought a purifier and kept the windows open. I think the only solution to my issue would have been to rip the carpets up and fill the floorboards to plug the smell. Perhaps you can see if an expert can advise if there are any vents etc which might reduce this for you. As it turns out, I moved before needing to think about that.

So you'd prefer them to smoke outside so it wafts in fro ma different direction?

Old terrace houses often have shared open space underneath, as well as in the loft. My neighbours smoke skunk and it's like they are in my own room smoking it. Stinks out the house for days.
I would recommend some decent flooring to be honest, may well help.

OP, I'm a chain smoker and have one of these. It gets rid of the smoke pong and cooking smells. They do a filter specifically for cigarette smoke, but I use the all-purpose one (cheaper) and it's fine.

If your problem's only in one room, the smaller Core Mini should work for you - place it near the source of contamination.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Purifier-Bedroom-Efficient-Several-300/dp/B0CJ38JC8K

Are you for real?

Smoking literally kills your sense of smell and taste.