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Nonsmoking apartments increasing in Chicago

November 22, 2010 - Though it's common for smoking to be banned in certain public places, more families are encountering no-smoking policies when moving into apartments.

The Chicago Tribune reports that rental properties in that city are stepping up their efforts to ban smoking in multifamily units. Part of the appeal is health concerns - tenants in nonsmoking units often bemoan the dangers of inhaling secondhand smoke that seeps into their apartment or comes in through an air vent. The other part is financial - landlords tell the paper that many apartment-seekers would be more keen on moving into a building where smoking is banned outright, and there's money to be made there.

Maurice Ortiz, of the Apartment People rental agency in Chicago, told the paper that among the buildings his company represents, about 2,000 high-rise apartments have gone smoke-free. There are plenty more smokeless apartments in smaller buildings and condominiums, he added.

Some communities in California have banned smoking in all rental buildings and public spaces, though smoker's rights organizations have resisted those efforts.

Regardless, there does seem to be some demand for nonsmoking units from those moving into new apartments. A recent survey by the Chicago Tobacco Prevention Project revealed that 32 percent of local tenants would be willing to pay more to live in a smoke-free building.
 

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