Creating SmokeFree MultiUnit Housing

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Creating Smoke-Free Multi-Unit Housing
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Secondhand smoke the reality

• Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemical
  compounds, including 50 cancer-causing chemicals.
• An estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths and 35,000
  coronary heart disease deaths occur annually
  among adult nonsmokers in the United States as a
  result of exposure to secondhand smoke.
•  

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Secondhand smoke the reality

• Secondhand smoke can seep in and out of open
  windows, doorways and air vents.
• Exposure to secondhand smoke can aggravate, and
  even cause asthma in children.
• A nonsmokers health is affected every time that
  he or she is exposed to secondhand smoke.

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Benefits of going smoke-free

• Create a healthier environment for your tenants
  and neighbors.
• The cost of building upkeep goes down.
• It reduces the risk of fires, which may also
  decrease insurance premiums.
• Its legal to go smoke-free, it is not
  discriminatory against smokers.

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Steps to going smoke-free

• Survey your residents.
• Whats your plan?
• Notify residents of the new policy.
• Apply the new policy.
• Monitor the policy.

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Smoke-free policies

• It is legal for landlords and condo boards to
  prohibit smoking in common areas and individual
  units.
• A no smoking restriction is similar to a no
  pets restriction in a lease or Covenants,
  Conditions and Restrictions policy.

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Smoke-free policies

• Include no-smoking policies in new leases.
• Work with current tenants and owners to develop
  an amendment to the lease or Covenants,
  Conditions and Restrictions policy when the term
  is renewed.
• Hang no smoking signage in common areas.

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Smoke-free policy example

• In the Definitions section
• SMOKING The term smoking means inhaling,
  exhaling, burning or carrying any lighted cigar,
  cigarette or other tobacco product in any manner
  or form.

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Smoke-free policy example

• In the Restrictions section
• SMOKING Due to the increased risk of fire,
  increased maintenance costs and known health
  effects of secondhand smoke, smoking is
  prohibited in any area of the property, both
  private and common, whether enclosed or outdoors.
  This policy applies to all owners, tenants,
  guests and servicepersons.

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Next steps

• Contact your local health department for
  assistance.
• Health DepartmentNameAddress, city, state, ZIP
  codePhoneE-mail