Sample Resident Letter about No-Smoking Rule

Sample Resident Letter about No-Smoking Rule

 

 

Date

 

Dear Residents,

 

We are pleased you have chosen to reside at [name of building/property].  The [name of management company of building/property] have been studying changes that are occurring in condominiums, town homes and cooperatives throughout the country and finding that many are deciding to regulate smoking within their properties.

 

We are considering adopting a no-smoking policy for [our building and individual units; outside within a certain distance; entire property] for a number of reasons:

1. To provide a safe and healthy place to live:  Secondhand smoke is a serious health hazard. Studies have shown that tobacco smoke can travel from the end of lit cigarettes to all other areas of a building. It can travel through the plumbing, electrical system, through cabinets and closets, ceiling fans, fireplaces, ventilation systems, under doors and through holes in the wall.  When residents smoke outside on patios, balconies, and in courtyards, the smoke can enter through windows and doors, even when they are closed.
2. To reduce fire risks:  Cigarettes are the top cause of residential fire-deaths in Oregon and Washington and the leading cause of outside home fires, many of which become structure fires[1],[2].

 

1. To keep property values high:  91% of Oregonians prefer housing where smoking is not allowed (even 69% of smokers don’t smoke in their own homes[3].) 94% of Washingtonians say that no one is allowed to smoke inside their home (76% of smokers in Washington say this)[4]. Today, homes that smell like smoke are at a distinct disadvantage in the market.

 

We would like to hear from you about these proposed changes!  Please fill out the short survey on the following page and return it to [name of office, etc.]

 

Sincerely,

 

[Manager’s/Board member’s name]

	Provided by the Oregon Smokefree Housing Project, funded by the Oregon Health Authority, and Clark County Public Health Find this and other tools at www.caioregon.org (member services/resource center/helpful tools…)

 

[1] http://www.oregon.gov/OSP/SFM/docs/Data_Services/Reports/2005-2009_Oregon_Cigarette_Fires_in_Single-And_Multi-Family_Housing.pdf

[2] http://www.wsp.wa.gov/fire/firemars.htm

[3] http://public.health.oregon.gov/PreventionWellness/TobaccoPrevention/Documents/tobfacts.pdf

[4] http://www.doh.wa.gov/tobacco/data_evaluation/Data/data_summaries/TobFacts-Contr.pdf