Increasingly, landlords throughout New York are adopting no-smoking policies and realizing the benefits. According to a community survey of property owners in 6 upstate NY counties, 97% of landlords who have a no-smoking policy are satisfied with their decision. It’s clear why. No-smoking policies attract tenants, minimize maintenance costs, reduce fire risks and decrease the potential for legal liability due to non-smoking tenants’ exposure to secondhand smoke (see Reasons to Pursue Smoke-Free Housing).

A no-smoking policy does not exclude smokers; it protects the health of all residents from harmful secondhand smoke. Just as you can restrict loud noise in your rentals, you can also have a no-smoking rule for individual units, common areas and even outdoors. A no-smoking policy requires smokers to smoke outdoors in areas specified in the lease.

Below you will find a New York State Landlord Toolkit which includes tips for implementation and enforcement as well as sample leases, surveys and tenant communications to help you successfully go smoke-free. You can also contact your local community partnership for free policy assistance and signage.

The U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) encourages no-smoking policies. As of January 2011, over 230 public housing authorities throughout the country have adopted no-smoking policies for some or all of their units. If you are a public or affordable housing provider, you will find on this site helpful resources such as Housing Authority of Portland’s No-Smoking Policy Toolkit and Sample House Rules Language.