Toolkits to help with tobacco in multi-unit housing
Tenants
You have a right to a smoke-free environment! Just because you rent doesn’t mean you can’t have a say. Read on to find out what you can do to make your home safer.
Protect Your Health
Think you’re safe if you’re not the one smoking? Think again. Secondhand smoke travels through windows, vents, cracks, and more. Being around it regularly is dangerous for you and your family.
It’s a Group A carcinogen.
That means it causes cancer, and there’s no safe level of exposure.
It’s a toxic air contaminant.
That means it’s in the same category as car exhaust and factory smog.
It’s harmful after it leaves.
Smoke residue clings to carpets and upholstery, and chemicals are absorbed into the skin.
It’s as if you were smoking.
Secondhand smoke causes approximately 41,000 deaths annually.
Cessation Assistance/Resources
If you want to quit or know someone who smokes and might be ready to quit, you’re not alone. Delaware offers free, nonjudgmental quit support via phone, in person, or online. You may also be eligible for quit-aid products.
Find helpKnow Your Rights
As a tenant in a rental property, you have the right to live free from exposure to a significant cause of illness in the home and a major cause of preventable death in the United States: secondhand smoke. Smokers, however, do not have a legal right to smoke, meaning that landlords are allowed to prohibit smoking on their properties. As a tenant, this is good for you.
Legal facts:
- Smoking restrictions are NOT discriminatory.
- There is no “right to smoke” under law.
- Nonsmokers with breathing disabilities may have legal protection against exposure to secondhand smoke.
Renter Resources
Getting your apartment smoke-free may be difficult to do alone. Use these tools to help the process.
Sample health care provider letter
Give to your health care provider to make sure they include all necessary info to support your request for a smoke-free apartment.Secondhand smoke communication record
You’ll likely need to talk with multiple parties. Use this to keep track of all the topics you discuss as well as the people you discuss them with.Delaware smoke free housing
List of apartments in Delaware that currently have a smoke-free housing policy.Infiltration of secondhand smoke into condominiums, apartments, and other multiunit dwellings
Law synopsis by the Tobacco Control Legal Consortium.Secondhand tobacco smoke and children’s health
Official information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support a smoke-free environment.
Tools
Smoke-free social media posts for tenants.
Share to remind people of the dangers of indoor smoking and their rights as tenants to a smoke-free home. Posts also contain a link for more information and resources to help tenants fight for smoke-free living. Available for Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram.
