Being a landlord is overrated... smokers.
 

To make a long story short, I've just found out that the renters in my house (the house I plan to live in long-term someday) are smokers. A quick review of our application and lease mention nothing about a non-smoking clause... so, bad on me and will be remedied for future renters. And of course they failed to mention proactively that they were smokers. We are new landlords and thought that renting to military members (a VERY senior officer in this case) meant that we wouldn't have to worry about this kind of bullshit. I find it borderline dishonorable that they withheld this information. I've known a lot of smokers who are very conscious about how disgusting their shit is and at least make an effort... and a lot of smokers who are basically "fuck you if you don't like it".

We're already coming up with a financial gameplan that involves brand new carpet throughout the upstairs and repainting the ENTIRE house, in addition to whatever extensive deep-cleaning we may have to do. I think I'm looking at about $6k, but hope I can get away with just a deep-cleaning. But I know it will be FUCKING YEARS before the smell is completely gone.

In any case, assuming 2 years of a pack-a-day in a 2400sqft house, painted walls, carpet upstairs, Pergo downstairs... aside from replacing the entire interior of the house, what can I do? Are there companies that specialize in this shit?

Ugh, that sucks, man. In the five or so years that I smoke, I only ever smoked a handful of cigarettes indoors because the smell made me sick.

But, to answer your question, yes, there are companies that specialize in "restoring" home interiors.

Also:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...4235953AAednXx

If you're going to drop $6k, try this at the very least:

http://www.ozonesolutions.com/

You can rent the largest one they have for $300 for a week. I haven't personally used one, but I've been researching these. Apparently they are really good for removing smoke smells from cars and they're commonly used at used car dealers. You should probably run it with the windows closed while the tenants are sleeping. Good luck, there's nothing worse than an awful smell in your home.

If the house has central air... have the ducts cleaned. Makes a big difference.

Clean the ducts, have the floors steam cleaned, wash the walls/windows, Febreeze, and keep the house open with fans in the windows for a few days. Its worked for the places we've had to de-smoke

Smokers fuck up everything and its gross.

Yes, get the ducts cleaned, we used Sears on our last 2 places. Makes a big difference but isn't cheap here, we spent $900 and $1300. Both times opted for furnace cleaning and ac cleaning as well. So yea, Rennkafer is bang on with that advice. It makes a MASSIVE difference.

chpmnsws6 is right with washing. Wash what you can, paint the rest, clean drapes if you got em. Carpets are a rip out IMO. The current place we have almost painted all of it and have battled nicotine leaking through even on the primer (we didnt wash all the walls).

As for being a landlord to smokers. We had rented our one place (basement apartment) to a guy who knew the rules, signed on the dotted line etc. We came to find out he was smoking in the basement apartment. I finally caught him red handed one day and as it was the 2nd strike I asked him to leave that weekend. He did pack his shit and leave. What a dirty cock for doing what he did. We cut that guy so much slack, it was blatant disrespect.

I am not sure if there are laws about discriminating against smokers and or rules or regulations in the tenant landlord act. I know in Canada we found ways to circumvent the TLA when renting basement apartments so it was never an issue of tossing someone out..... generally tossing people out came down to when I had enough of them.

In my experience, we have only had 1 good tenant who always paid on time, respected the house rules and brought home hot babes. The rest, including friends I have let stay all resulted in massive douchery on their part.

I want to live in Canada, rent me a place Rick. Non smoker :wavey:

Why would you want to live in Canada?

Why not? A change of scenery would be nice for me. Free health care perhaps?

Are you an officer Sam? If so, just rent to enlisted men.

You can charge him for any damage, that includes smells and stains from smoking. It's similar to saying "well there is no clause for smearing shit all over the walls" I smoke, and I'll be the first to tell you its freaking nasty. I would never smoke in my house.

I'll switch you spots...from November to April

My last tenants made one of the room in my rental into a "smoking" room. This was only during 6 months and looking at the walls/ceiling/light switches you can see the gum and general of colour of the entire room.

Unfortunately, tenants do not have to tell you they smoke (if you don't ask), and even if they are "smokers" you can't legally not rent to them because of it. But you can enforce any no smoking rule you like once they do move in.

And this is sad for me to say, but unless you have a designated smoking area that is supervised, come the colder/winter months, I have NEVER seen a smoker yet follow rules. Places to smoke inside/outside become rampant. Most choose to crank your precious heat included apartment while opening a window or choose a corner spot like the furnace room. They're like rats....only eviction can get rid of them. After you evict them and keep the damage deposit. You'll still be out big $$ because you'll have to repaint the apartment and be left with no tenants because the renting "season" is finished.

/rant.


Cheers!

As a smoker, I've always followed rules. Never smoke in an apartment/rental. Don't smoke in my own house. Outside only....even when it's 25*F outside, I'll toss on a jacket and shoes and deal with the cold. Most of the time I even avoid tossing my butts just anywhere and carry them to the garbage can in the garage.

25F isn't even cold yet(I haven't even thrown on a jacket yet in that weather).... you'd be hanging out the window smoking tossing your butts out in no time... then you'd move out and I'd be left with a room that smelled of smoke and was stained along with butts all over the driveway/lawn. I mean, you pay good money in rent to be able to do that, who cares about the "rules", you can bend them a little.

Absolutely. I'm already planning on keeping the entire security deposit as damages. I've done some homework and there is almost zero "rules" on what the landlord can/can't claim is "damages". I didn't know before, but the landlord can pretty much say anything he wants and keep your deposit... something to think about. Works in my favor this time.

True, "legally", tenants don't have to tell you that they smoke if you don't ask... as in, they don't have to volunteer the info. But what is legally required and what is morally dishonest is not a fine line. Within the military "well, you didn't tell me I couldn't do it" usually instantly loses you the respect of your peers... that kind of shit gets people killed or causes more work for everybody when you fuck it up. As I said, I didn't expect to be outright lied to by a military renter about something that causes permanent long-term damage to the property. And any honorable military officer would have fucking told he intended to smoke in the house. And he knows damn well that not speaking up is the same as lying from a moral/honor point of view. So fuck that guy.

And as for not renting to them... the law has repeatedly said that smokers are not protected in any way when it comes to renting... so you most certainly may "not rent to them" because of smoking. Additionally, in our future rental application, there will be a "do you smoke" question and we will refuse to rent because of it. There will also be an entire page of a smoking clause in the rental agreement. I can't believe I missed that shit in all the homework I did.

In the end, I know we can get the smell out, it's just a matter of money. Repainting/carpeting/extreme-deep-cleaning will work for a price. Their deposit will offset some of it, but the place will still have to sit empty and open for a period of time and that will hurt.

I'm really hoping the I can move back in to the house on my next set of orders so I don't have to go through the rental bullshit again, and we'd get to take advantage of all the newness. The whole thing just fucking sucks, and there's nothing I can do about since it is all "legal" on their end. They've got over a year left on the lease... fuck.

25F is cold enough for Atlanta. Yes, I know other places get cold, this is not a pissing contest.

Its true, smokers are like rats. The one guy used to use our furnace room and the bathroom. Problem was when the heat was on it was blowing it through the house.

I can smell the smokers below me in my apartment. They smoke outside... but I have my windows open and it floats up and into my bedroom. Annoying as shit. I honestly hate smokers. So dirty.

all the haters in this thread make me want to light up.

perhaps y'all just hang with the wrong type of smokers. I smoked a pack a day (usually more) for about five years and most people hadn't the slightest indication that I did if they hadn't seen my burn one. I guess personal hygiene goes a long way.