Getting Started on Smokefree Multi-Unit Housing

VIEW PDF

Residents living in multi-unit residential buildings, like apartments and condominiums, are frequently exposed to secondhand smoke drifting into heir home from other parts of the building. Tobacco prevention partners and communities around the country are working to adopt smokefree policies so that residents in multi-unit buildings can have a cleaner, safer, smokefree living environment.

Tobacco prevention partners, public health groups, and advocates can learn more in this document about how to get started on smokefree multi-unit housing efforts in their communities.

Form a taskforce or working group of smokefree housing stakeholders.

Who is interested in smokefree living environments in your community?

o   Residents
o   Landlords & property owners & managers
o   Property management companies
o   Tobacco prevention & cessation
o   Asthma programs
o   Healthy Housing organizations
o   Housing developers
o   Green building associations
o   Faith communities
o   Community development corporation

o Public housing agencies/authorities
o   Affordable housing providers
o   Fair housing councils
o   Homeowners associations (HOAs)
o Rental housing/apartment associations
o   Housing industry trade groups
o   Housing industry publications
o   Community health workers
o   City/county housing department
o   Nutrition & physical activity initiatives

A smokefree building helps create a healthier living environment for all residents, including people who smoke and their families.

A smokefree building is a good business decision for housing providers because it helps their line by reducing maintenance costs, damage, and risks, and helps attract and retain residents by providing a marketable amenity.

Smokefree housing is a social justice issue and can reduce health disparities among lower-income families and communities of color, who are more likely to live in multi-unit housing and have higher rates of secondhand smoke exposure, which is a reason for affordable housing providers in particular to implement smokefree policies.

Smokefree housing policies reinforce a community’s core values of prioritizing healthy living and a smokefree lifestyle for all residents.

All residents, regardless of their financial situation, deserve to have a stable and healthy living environment, including the right to breathe smokefree air at home.

People are interested in smokefree housing from a variety of perspectives, so think broadly about who in the community may be interested in getting involved.

Learn your housing stock and building ownership/management:

Multi-unit housing comes in all types and sizes of buildings. Apartments, condominiums, and townhomes are common types of multi-unit housing, and the buildings can take any formation that shares walls or ceilings: high-rise towers, row houses, lofts, etc.

Who are multi-unit housing providers?

In general, multi-unit housing can be divided into market-rate and affordable providers.

Market-rate multi-unit housing is privately owned by individuals or for-profit companies and does not receive government subsidies or other financial rental assistance.
- Market-rate housing may be either renter-occupied (e.g. apartments) or owner-occupied (e.g. condominiums and other common-interest communities).

Affordable housing takes several forms and is available to for low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled.
- Public housing authorities are public agencies that own and manage buildings, and receive federal subsidies.
- Housing Choice Voucher programs provide federal subsidies to public housing authorities, which administers vouchers for families to rent units in privately owned buildings.
- Community development corporations may also own and manage affordable housing.

Tribal housing includes multi-unit properties that are owned by or serve Tribal members. These properties may be market-rate or affordable.

Who makes the decisions?

Market-rate housing: landlords, property owners, management companies, homeowners associations, or condominium or co-op board.

Affordable housing: the individuals, companies, non-profits, or public agencies that own or manage the properties, including public housing agencies, community development corporations, and affordable housing developers.

Tribal housing: The Tribal organizations who own the housing and/or the property owners.

Are there any applicable smokefree laws?

Does your city, county, or state have any laws that already regulate smoking in multi-unit properties that you should be aware of? Some laws regulate smoking in common areas of multi-unit buildings, and some of these laws also include vaping and/or cannabis.

Since 2018, HUD has required that all public housing agencies have a 100% smokefree policy for their public housing properties. This policy does not cover other types of HUD-funded properties and programs.

Local laws in more than 100 cities and counties in California restrict or prohibit smoking in private units of multi-unit housing throughout the jurisdiction.

What is your goal?

Smokefree multi-family housing is being approached from a number of angles, and you should consider which option(s) may be best to undertake in your community.

Communities are working with individual market-rate housing providers to adopt smokefree policies for the buildings they own and/or manage.

Communities are working on affordable housing by working with Public Housing Agencies, affordable housing developers, and other affordable housing providers to adopt smokefree policies for the buildings they own and/or manage.

A smaller but growing number of communities are enacting ordinances at the city or county level to require smokefree multi-unit housing community-wide. If a jurisdiction-wide ordinance is the goal, the outreach recommended below is an integral part of developing community engagement and support before seeking legislation.

Additional approaches can be considered to help increase the demand for smokefree housing:

Disclosure: Local and state disclosure laws require housing providers to disclose to prospective renters or buyers if smoking is permitted in or on the property, and if so, where. Requiring disclosure of smoking status and location allows nonsmokers to make a more informed decision when looking for housing.

Nuisance: Declaring secondhand smoke a nuisance gives nonsmokers a tool to address drifting secondhand smoke by allowing the impacted resident to take steps to abate the nuisance in small claims court. A nuisance provision does not restrict where smoking can occur, but it does provide a means for people to mediate the situation if they are affected by drifting smoke.

Low Income Housing Tax Credit: Tax credits and other financial incentives are offered by governments to developers of affordable housing. Developers need a certain number of tax credits to get their building project approved. Some health partners have worked with their city or state to create a tax credit for making new or renovated affordable housing buildings smokefree.

Build a list of local housing providers:

Creating a spreadsheet of multi-unit housing providers in your area, including their contact information, helps you reach out to providers, establish a baseline of information, and track your outreach and progress.

Use the spreadsheet to track information about the properties and smokefree policies.

To obtain a list of housing providers, see if they are required to register with a local or state authority. Other sources for provider contact information may be rental housing/apartment associations, affordable housing registries, and rental housing websites.

Conduct a survey of housing providers to learn if they have a policy addressing smoking/vaping and if so, the policy details including areas where it applies and how it is enforced. Ask for a copy of their policy or lease addendum. If they do not have a policy, ask if they have interest in adopting one, any barriers they see to adopting a policy, and any concerns or questions.

Outreach to housing providers & industry trade organizations:

Send housing providers a postcard or email highlighting the benefits of a smokefree building policy. Encourage them to visit your website for information and tools, or to attend an informational meeting.

Pitch a story about the benefits of a smokefree building to housing industry newsletters, magazines, websites, and blogs.

Reach out to industry trade organizations such as state or local rental housing/apartment associations, rental housing developers, and affordable housing associations.

Attend housing provider and industry meetings and listen to their priorities and concerns.

Host an informational booth at a housing industry conference.

Request time to present on the benefits of a smokefree policy at meetings, webinars, or conferences.

Host informational meetings and trainings for housing providers including property owners and managers, homeowners associations, public housing agencies, and other providers or trade groups who are interested in learning about smokefree policies.

Run educational ads or announce trainings in housing industry media and on social media.

Create a webpage. Easily accessible tools and resources help make adopting and implementing a smokefree policy an easier choice. Provide sample smokefree signs. Advertise upcoming trainings and meetings. Encourage housing providers to promote their smokefree buildings by advertising this much-desired amenity. Offer to promote smokefree buildings by listing them on the webpage.

Use the right messages:

It is critical to educate housing providers and the housing industry on the benefits of a smokefree building from their perspective.

The financial benefits are much more persuasive than the health benefits.

Housing providers are motivated to adopt a smokefree policy because it reduces maintenance costs, reduces turnover costs and time, reduces fire risk, and improves marketability.

Use the right messengers:

Cultivate relationships with smokefree housing pioneers—local property owners, building managers, public housing agencies, homeowners associations, and other providers who have already implemented a smokefree policy.

Encourage trend leaders to share their experiences with other providers who are considering a smokefree policy.

Peer-to-peer outreach resonates stronger and has more influence than advice from health partners. Look for voices in multi-unit housing developments to amplify.

Outreach to additional community stakeholders:

Outreach first to organizations you already know, such as connections within the health department or other city departments, including asthma programs, cessation services, community health workers, and nutrition/physical activity programs.

Outreach next to organizations in the community with whom you may not already have connections, such as Healthy Housing programs, a Community Development Corporation, community-based organizations that serve renters or lower-income families, and faith communities.

Set up meetings and attend conferences. Learn about their priorities, common areas of interest, and how collaborating might be mutually beneficial.

Asthma management programs and other health service outreach programs may have established connections in residential buildings, especially affordable housing.

Healthy Housing organizations and programs work on a broad spectrum of issues, including indoor air quality, asthma triggers, lead, mold, pests, and other conditions that have a negative impact on health and well-being in the home.

City or county housing departments may have valuable input and connections through their work with affordable housing programs, redevelopment programs, home inspections, and code enforcement.

Outreach to residents:

Resident surveys. Help housing providers conduct resident surveys to learn residents’ thoughts on the current smoking policy, if they permit smoking in the apartment, if they are exposed to smoke, and thoughts on potential new restrictions on where smoking cannot occur. Data collection allows you to learn residents’ concerns, questions, and potential areas of conflict. It is an important tool to create meaningful and targeted resident outreach about why and how a policy is being adopted, which will assist with implementation and enforcement. See ANRF’s Sample Survey for Multi-Unit Housing Residents.

Educate about exposure at home. Choose educational messages that will resonate well with residents. Impactful messaging may include information on exposure in the home from other residents’ smoke; the desire to protect the health of babies, children, and seniors; the ability reduce asthma and other health issues; protecting the health of your pets; and the desire to have a healthier and safer living environment for all residents.

Clarify misconceptions about smokefree housing. Residents do not have to quit smoking or vaping, and they do not have to move out. They simply cannot smoke or vape in the areas specified in the policy. It’s not about the smoker; it’s about the smoke. A smokefree policy allows everyone in the building to breathe cleaner air, including people who smoke/vape and their families.

Community meetings: Help host informational community meetings for residents and housing providers, both when a policy is being considered and before it is implemented. Work with community-based partners who have existing relationships with residents to be seen as a trusted resource, such as community health workers, faith groups, or asthma programs. Provide information on how to access cessation resources for people who want to quit or cut back. Allow residents to voice concerns and be heard. Acknowledging and addressing resident concerns can help the adoption and implementation of a new policy happen more smoothly.

Encourage residents to share their stories. Help residents feel comfortable in telling and sharing their stories of being impacted by secondhand smoke. It is their homes and their lives being impacted, and helping empower residents to share their stories and perspectives can both provide more impetus for adopting a policy and create more buy-in from residents.

Culturally appropriate outreach. Aim to have surveys, educational information, community meetings, signage, and other outreach be linguistically and culturally appropriate. Have materials available in all needed languages. Invite bilingual speakers to participate in community meetings. Work with trusted community partners to outreach to residents and attend meetings.

Partnerships and Collaboration

Consider how smokefree housing efforts and existing health and housing programs can work collaboratively to address issues of mutual concern. Building partnerships and collaborating with community stakeholders that are interested in smokefree housing will make your efforts more effective.

Partnerships with groups that have existing relationships with residents and housing providers are very beneficial to becoming seen as a trusted ally. See how developing smokefree housing programs can build upon their expertise, trust, and connections with residents and/or local housing providers.

What are areas of common concern?
How can you collaborate to achieve mutual goals?
How can you share resources and expertise?

For example, consider if questions about smoking in the home and reported smoke exposure from other units could be added to checklists or surveys done by asthma programs, code enforcement inspectors, or healthy homes outreach.

Reach out to the network of smokefree housing expertise around the U.S.

As you start work on smokefree housing, you do not need to reinvent the wheel because many tools and resources are available. You can turn to smokefree housing projects and partners around the country for advice and experience.

For additional information, resources, and links to smokefree housing projects around the country, visit our Homes page at no-smoke.org/at-risk-places/homes/