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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    2

    Default Smoke from neighbor coming into condo in Texas

    I rent an individually owned condo. When I first moved in I awoke one morning with a raging headache, My neighbor smokes and it filled up my place. This was 2 years ago.

    Well, I told my neighbor about it and we tried to figure out how it got through. We have sky lights in our place. Sort of double leveled, so there is outside "glass" and then offset inside glass. Well he removed the inside glass because he thinks it looks ugly. Well, this place is old so the gap in between the two windows has no barriers between units. Guess what? The smoke from next door came into my side.

    Ok to combat this I had someone seal the glass in my high ceiling, then I put some expanding foam in my kitchen piping and so forth. This helped a lot, but about a few days a week I'd smell smoke (when the chain smoker next door would come home to gas me).

    Well recently the neighbor started a home business. He's at home a LOT more, so he does all his chemical warfare from home now, meaning smoke leeches in more often, more than I can handle. I have to open my windows a have a fan blow it out in 95 degree weather to deal with it.

    I am pretty sure my sinuses/lungs have been affected. When I am not at home I breath a lot better as far as I can tell. There is a clear difference in my health when I am in my home vs not.

    In any case I should never have to smell his smoke. Oh, and equally as bad is in the pleasant months when I have my windows open to combat it he does too and all his smoke just blows into my windows.

    Anyway, I am telling my landlord about it and he is the type to try to address the situation but I am not sure how much can be done. I suppose we will try to further seal up all the cracks and crevices. I am also going to ask my neighbor to do the same.

    Lastly there is a property management company that deals with stuff that is not specific to a unit. They pay the electricity, handle the air conditioning etc, so that may be an avenue as well.

    So, are there laws about this stuff in Texas? Any ideas about what to do? I really do not want to move, and though I have the means to buy a nice new home I don't want to yet.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    28,906

    Default Re: Smoke from neighbor coming into condo in Texas

    The best result is probaby to find a way to get your neighbor to cooperate and seal up the space around the skylight and other points where smoke can get through. Your landlord can try to have this addressed through the condo board; I'm not sure what they would be willing or able to do, depending their attitudes, policies, and how the "inside glass" is defined under the condo agreement, but it may be worth a shot.

    You can talk to a local lawyer about any laws which apply; I am skeptical that there are any laws which would prevent somebody from smoking in their own home, even if smoke can leach over to a neighboring unit.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    2

    Default Re: Smoke from neighbor coming into condo in Texas

    Quote Quoting aaron
    View Post
    I am skeptical that there are any laws which would prevent somebody from smoking in their own home, even if smoke can leach over to a neighboring unit.
    Thanks, there should be no such laws. People should be able to do what they want in their own home, though I would say if you live in a community property like apartments and condos there are some limits, i.e. 105 decibel stereos, hammering nails at 3AM, etc.

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