Hey all. I have a question to pose for you all. I have a friend who lives in an apartment in the Austin area. Her apartment is on the second floor, and a guy lives in the apartment below hers. This guy is CONSTANTLY smoking, and the smell is pretty strong in her apartment, especially down INSIDE her stairwell (inside her actual apartment) leading up to her living room. Anyway, she is pretty sensitive to cigarette smoke and all that stuff, so it's clearly making her miserable, and causing her trouble to sleep as well as general discomfort. My question is this- is there anything that can be done on her behalf short of trying to cover the smell with buttloads of candles? I mean, it makes sense that the guy can smoke in his apartment, but if it's seeping through the doors and walls and affecting her, is there anything that can be done? I've told her to talk to the apartment complex people about it, but she's kinda gotten the run around via phone, and she's yet to address it in person. I don't even know or assume that anything can be done on her behalf, but I was curious if anyone had any honest feedback or experience with a similar situation. Thanks in advance- and I'm hoping I don't have to tell her the best bet is to just move since her lease isn't up for a while!
Has your friend not talked to the neighbor face to face? I'm sure if she just talked to him that he might be able to adjust his smoking habits slightly... Another suggestion is to send a complaint letter to the office by registered/certified mail (it costs a few bucks, but this way someone in the office has to sign for it and they can't deny ever receiving the letter)... then in about 10 days, check up on it, and see what they had to say about the situation. If they can't do anything about it, then I don't know what else to tell you, but if they can do something and they don't, then she could possibly notify the TAA and get them involved.
This is an interesting idea. I don't know how much of the smoke comes in through vents and such, but I'm sure the filter might be able to help out....
She should address the issue in person with management and then follow it up with a letter re-capping the meeting. She should be able to transfer to another unit with out any penalties especially if she is a non-smoker and is being seriously bothered by the smell. The key however is documentation especially if she is getting the run around. By personally addressing the issue and following up with letters, she has a solid foundation for taking the issue to the corporate office that manages the complex if the on site management is not taking her complaints seriously.
Thanks for the feedback. I think a good idea would be to talk to the apartment managers in person, and documenting EVERYTHING. I was thinking about the apartment transferral thing- to me, that seemed like it might be a reasonable solution that works out for all parties involved. Anything else is appreciated.
