A smoke-free policy is one of the most effective ways to reduce costs and damage to your units. If smoking is permitted in your buildings, you are keenly aware of the damage the smoke does to your property, including:

• The foul odour that permeates the unit and can never be completely eliminated;
• The damage to walls, carpets and appliances; and
• The burns on counters and carpets.

Further, costs can be much greater when turning over a smoking unit where heavy smoking has occurred. Depending on the amount of smoking in the unit, it can cost up to double the amount to turnover a smoking unit, and in extreme cases, the costs can be enormous. (click here for a table of costs)

According to industry sources, one of the biggest challenges is removing the smoke odour and residue from the units. However, keeping them smoke-free will result in significant benefits for landlords and managers, and the results will be more appealing to future tenants.

A no-smoking policy will reduce the risk of fires at your rental properties, which in turn could have an impact on insurance rates over the long run.

According to the BC Office of the Fire Commissioner, smoking and smoking related materials (matches and lighters) are a significant cause of residential fires. In 2007:

• Over one in four fire deaths are due to fires ignited by smokers.
• The damage from fires started by smoker's materials was over $66 Million.

According to Health Canada, smoking remains a leading cause of home fire deaths in Canada.

Cigarette fires are typically the result of careless handling of lit cigarettes, such as leaving a lit cigarette unattended, smoking in bed or smoking while under the influence of alcohol, illicit drugs or medication. As a result, fires ignited by smokers' materials have a much higher fatality rate than those started by cooking equipment, another common ignition source for house fires.

Other facts to consider:

• Fires started by smokers' materials tend to result in more property damage than other fires.
• Two out of five victims of fires started by smokers' materials are not the smokers themselves but individuals who live in the same building. Those who perish are often young children or older persons who are less able to respond to and escape from the fire.

Many landlords report that adopting a no-smoking policy has resulted in a reduction in the number of complaints from non-smoking tenants about second-hand smoke entering their homes from neighbouring units.

Our survey of apartment owners and managers found that:

• Over one in five landlords receive complaints about second-hand smoke.
• The greatest source of second-hand smoke transfer is from balconies and open windows.
• The most effective policy to reduce complaints from tenants is one that bans smoking in all units and outside balconies (versus restricting smoking in units only, or in specific sections only).