duplex neighbours are filling MY side with smoke! What can I do?

[BlueMax]

Okay gang, I need some advice. I share a duplex and the neighbours on the other side have been filling my entire basement, then the upper living floor once it's saturated. Sometimes it's cigarette smoke, other times it's pot, other times it's something even worse still. My basement smells like a family of skunks move in when they do! I have young kids with asthma and this is affecting them!

There is a no-smoking clause in our leases - I already told the landlord, he doesn't care.

I've asked him once already, the eldest brother was very cooperative and said he wanted the excuse to make his younger brothers stop. They obviously haven't. They already KNOW that it fills MY house with the smoke and it's bothering my kids' breathing - they've continued doing it anyways.

They're having quite a "party" tonight... the smell is rank and the smoke is hazy...

What can I do? Can the police put a stop to this?

(And for the pot activists, doing it is one thing - doing it IN MY HOUSE is another! I wouldn't be griping if it stayed on their side!)

[_Allan_]

Landlord and Tenant act has a clause that Tenants have a right to enjoy their units. You can use that. Also, smoking pot IS Illegal. Contact the police and ask for a couple cruisers to be sent.

[CanadianMike]

unfortunately, you are probably limited in your options.

you've already done the most likely to work solution--that is, talking to them directly, and/or the landlord.

unless calgary's landlord/tenant act is significantly different than here in this regard.....i doubt you will be able to get much recourse that way, and the costs/time may be prohibitive.

being that you mentioned pot....people will advise calling the police, but this could just antagonize matters. first off, unless there is more than meets the eye, the police will be unlikely to take much action. furthermore, i doubt calling the police will help the situation with these neighbours, it will likely just illicit more problems.

as i said initially, the options are relatively limited. its the unfortunate side of renting, if the other tenants are offensive.....often one is forced to move/wait for the other tenants to move, as any official means of recourse are limited.

[angekfire]

Call the fire department and tell them there is a lot of smoke entering your apartment from the neighbors, and that you suspect it might be a fire.

[bubble.tea]

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to control where smoke drifts?

kind of like a magical cocoon you can install over your house/dwelling.

[help_questions]

Okay gang, I need some advice. I share a duplex and the neighbours on the other side have been filling my entire basement, then the upper living floor once it's saturated. Sometimes it's cigarette smoke, other times it's pot, other times it's something even worse still. My basement smells like a family of skunks move in when they do! I have young kids with asthma and this is affecting them!

There is a no-smoking clause in our leases - I already told the landlord, he doesn't care.

I've asked him once already, the eldest brother was very cooperative and said he wanted the excuse to make his younger brothers stop. They obviously haven't. They already KNOW that it fills MY house with the smoke and it's bothering my kids' breathing - they've continued doing it anyways.

They're having quite a "party" tonight... the smell is rank and the smoke is hazy...

What can I do? Can the police put a stop to this?

(And for the pot activists, doing it is one thing - doing it IN MY HOUSE is another! I wouldn't be griping if it stayed on their side!)

I'd call the police and invite them in to smell it.
And I'd do this daily until the police make it stop.

If that doesn't work, call CP24 to do a story and complain that your landlord and the police are doing nothing, and explain that you have kids. CP24 will likely tear the landlord and the police a new one. Let them do the story from your place, while the smoke is present.

[JAC]

Police aren't going to come on a complaint of smoking pot. Now, if you happened to mention that there's dozens of strangers visiting the apartment every day, that might get the cops' attention.

At any rate, since the landlord refuses to enforce the no-smoking clause, I'd say that gives you ample justification to break your lease without penalty.

[Tjalfe]

check your bylaws.. in Newmarket they have a smell bylaw, so they can ticket you, if you cause a smell, which can be smelled off your property ( I guess it outlaws barbecues at the same time though :| )
besides that, you could try and find out where the smell gets through and seal it off with caulking or expanding foam.

[help_questions]

Police aren't going to come on a complaint of smoking pot. Now, if you happened to mention that there's dozens of strangers visiting the apartment every day, that might get the cops' attention.

At any rate, since the landlord refuses to enforce the no-smoking clause, I'd say that gives you ample justification to break your lease without penalty.

really....

pot,smoke, and kids wouldn't get the police's attention?

[boneca]

Have a friend call the neighbor and pretend they are the police. I did this once when I had a problem with a neighbor and it worked great!! Just prepare the script properly lol Originally, I sent the neighbor a letter and spoke to their landlord and nothing happened. You gotta do what you gotta do :lol: