Smoking ban in social housing?

[Resident 1,193]

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiktu6Ov-beAhXqJcAKHefLDr4QzPwBegQIARAC&url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/05/08/council-house-residents-could-banned-smoking-homes/&psig=AOvVaw0Yd6rJ0N5gvpXfz1dXTenC&ust=1542924314813000

 

Council housing tenants may be prohibited from smoking in their own homes under new rules being considered by some councils.

 

Under the prospective new rules new council tenants would have to sign an agreement pledging not to smoke before taking up residence in a council property.

 

Good idea or encroaching on privacy? 

 

 

Personally I'm all for it. Many private landlords prohibit smoking inside the property becuase of the damage that costs to clean up and the extra fire risk & it's no different for social housing except for the fact that it's the tax payer that foots the bill.

 

There's a lot of clamour from the pro-smoking groups that say that you should be able "to do what you want in your own home"

 

Now key for me is that "own home", it's not the tenant's property.

 

Smoke indoors all you want if you've bought the property. It's your problem when it needs cleaning up.

[Lockdoctor 10]

It seems fair enough because it only applies  to new tenants and they have to sign an agreement otherwise they wont get a chance to live in the property.

 

There is a big cost in cleaning up a property where smokers have lived and smoked in side the property.

[alchresearch 215]

News article is dated 8 MAY 2017

[PRESLEY 1,230]

Who is going to know if someone is  smoking in an house. 

[Lockdoctor 10]

51 minutes ago, PRESLEY said:

Who is going to know if someone is  smoking in an house. 

They will know if someone has been smocking in house by the smell, if there is a reason to enter the property for maintenance work or for a routine inspection.

Edited November 22, 2018 by Lockdoctor

[ANGELFIRE1 10]

As someone who has never puffed a fag in his life, even at school when the bike shed had enough smoke rising from it that would attract the nearest Indian who would mistake it for a smoke signal.

 

Do we not have enough rules to abide by in these times, surely having a fag in your (council) home is your business and not anyone else's, even your Lefty Snowflake Tree Hugging PC council. It's quite obviously unenforceable even though it is from 2017, it's simply a barmy idea.

 

Angel1.

[apelike 10]

2 hours ago, alchresearch said:

News article is dated 8 MAY 2017

Yeah another non news story that beggars belief and has also been rejected.

[carosio 186]

A friend inherited a small modern 2 bed from his aunt; she was a heavy smoker and all the walls and ceilings, particularly the lounge, were stained brown with nicotine. Every surface had to be scrubbed and the whole house re-decorated. 3 years later there are still areas on the ceiling were nicotine stains have bled through the emulsion.

[lil-minx92 10]

The owner of the house should always be able to dictate the rules- even if its a local authority or housing association.  No dogs, no cats, no smokers, no kids -its right that its up to the owner to choose.

 

 

[Mister M 1,625]

There are all kinds of behaviours that could potentially impact on the condition of the flat / house - pets, parties, drinking, hoarding habits, whether the renter dries their clothes inside the house - which causes condensation then damp, what is cooked, whether they have the windows open which lets in unacceptably high levels of carbon monoxide from traffic fumes.

I no longer smoke, and I live in socially rented housing, I clean my property thoroughly  and regularly(including sugar soap to clean walls). It is cleaner now than when I moved in and in much better condition

I know it's not fair on everyone else, but I do think people should be allowed a bit of freedom in their own home - as long as they're not doing anything illegal.

Edited November 22, 2018 by Mister M

[Penistone999 10]

Good luck trying to enforce this. 

[onewheeldave 22]

Just now, Penistone999 said:

Good luck trying to enforce this. 

That's what they said about banning smoking in pubs