Jump to content

How to deal with neighbour's cigarette smoke?


IlonaM

Recommended Posts

Has anyone found a way of coping/dealing/ameliorating cigarette smoke seaping from neighbouring flat/s through a converted house into their flat? It is not just the smell, over the last few weeks I have developed a cough and noticed symptoms in my chest/breathing. I am the only non-smoker in a house of three flats and three smokers.


There are boarded up fireplaces with vents, which presumably aid the movement of smoke, as well as other unknown routes between floors.


I have had to buy an air purifier (with good reviews re neighbours' cigarette smoke), but I was wondering whether anyone had found any good solutions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it is partly coming through the vents in the closed off fireplaces/chimneys. I have had that problem in another conversion which had a shared chimney with next door house, but in a terrace. This time it is a problem within one converted detached house. When I googled the problem there seem to be lots of people affected and suggestions of smoke coming through gaps in floor boards, wiring/pipe channels etc. Mostly things that cannot be fixed easily.


Any practical suggestions gratefully received!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Much like tinnitus, you'll not cure it, but silicon sealing up the gaps will help. You could close of the vent in the chimney. I reckon if you're sandwiched between flats then one of the 3 closed of wouldn't hurt.


I feel for you tho.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for your advice Seabag. I was wondering about sealing the fireplace vents - the one in the bedroom looks as if it has been painted over, but the one in the sitting room is open.


I am on the ground floor and the smoke has only become a problem since my upstairs neighbours moved back a couple of weeks ago. Previously there was the smell of smoke in common ways from the top flat, but not inside my flat.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another here sending sympathies .Interesting that the problem has altered - I wonder what is responsible for the change ( I'm presuming that before your neighbour went away the smell wasn't in your flat ) .Could the recent hot weather be a factor ? Open windows ?


Is there asny way you could raise it with the neighbour ? I doubt I could ,it's hard to avoid causing offence .


And Seabag "Much like tinnitus, you'll not cure it, but silicon sealing up the gaps will help" - that's also interesting ,I have tinnitus which I hate . But I fear filling my ear with silicone may be a step too far .

Link to comment
Share on other sites

intexasatthe moment Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I wonder what is responsible for the change ( I'm presuming that before your neighbour went away the smell wasn't

> in your flat )


I have been fortunate not to have had anyone in the flat above me since I moved in!!!! Unfortunately there are a number of issues that have arisen since they moved back! Ah, the joys of living in flats ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's an interesting article uncleglen. A lot of the private landlords I have had experience of in the past have had similar bans, but more on grounds of protecting fixtures and fittings rather than public health!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, I'm coming round to the inevitability of raising it with the neighbours!


I'd like to show I've taken steps to mitigate it as well though. Forking out ?90 on an air purifier is one such step!


Thanks everyone for your advice.


That's an interesting idea RH - sorry I missed it initially in the cross-posting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • We were hoping to have a meal at Monkatsu  last night (Sunday), after having been out all day. Online information gave the closing time as 10pm. We got there around 8.30pm and they wouldn't give us a table because "the kitchen closes in half an hour." Surely it doesn't take half an hour to make a meal? We've never had to wait that long when we've eaten there before. Has anybody else had this happen? We ended up going home and getting a delivery, which wasn't how we had envisaged the end of a nice day 🙄
    • That place did only have pizzas on the menu, to the best of my recollection. We ate there once, the pizzas were ok but the room was not exactly atmospheric. Il Mirto has  a lot of pasta dishes on the menu,  but that also never seems busy. It's small and out of the way,  and easily forgotten if you're looking for somewhere to eat, I suppose.
    • London's Fallen. The Mayor, was, is and will remain a disaster for London "Sadiq Khan’s legacy: 772 six figure earners in TfL alone, 18 TfL employees on over £250,000 Sadiq paid himself £171,587 in 2022-23, up £21,000 from four years ago, What do you get? 4.99% council tax increase, ULEZ tax, Mayoral tax doubled to £471, Knife crime up, Acid attack capital of the world, Shoplifting up 48% Muggings and picketing up x3 He’s filling his mates and his own pockets, laughing at you in his bullet proof Range Rover Sentinel paid for by the taxpayer." "More than 1000 of his City Hall staff are on a salary of £100,000 or more per year" So were is the value of money in that , and you know what, we all pay for it from our council tax. More administration and more of a burden on the people. He is out of touch with reality.  And as for Susan Hall, her campaign was only about Ulez, it was the only thing she ever brought up, when London has so many other problems that she didn't ever mention once. Her hope was that the voters in the outer London Boroughs would get her over the line, she failed miserably.   And why does the new mayor think Londoners should provide school meals for children, not his, or our responsibility, or does he now control the running of schools as well.  And as for air quality, its been proven Ulez has made practically NO difference. Where is all the money he's generated, certainly not back into London, otherwise he wouldn't have raised his part of the council tax for 2024/25 by 8.3%. WE pay more and get less each and every year.  Well if that's the case, the scrutiny of borough councils needs to increase 1000+ fold and be held to account for the actions they take and the decisions they make.  His "winners" speech was no more than hot air, saying how he represents all Londoners, I'll tell you what, lets switch Mayors and have Andy Burnham, Manchester can have Khan, At least Burnham is a proper politician with proper values who actually cares about people.  
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...