Should You Allow Smoking in Your Rental?

Send us Fan MailIf you've never had a smoking tenant, consider yourself lucky — and unprepared. A smoking policy for landlords isn't just a nice-to-have anymore. It's the industry standard. But if your lease only says "no cigarettes," you may have more gaps than you realize. Vaping, e-cigarettes, cigars, and cannabis all need to be spelled out — and most older leases don't cover them.Here's what often gets overlooked: the stakes are completely different depending on what kind of property you own. A single-family home carries primarily financial and fire-related risk. But in a duplex or multi-unit building, secondhand smoke travels through shared walls, vents, and HVAC systems — and a non-smoking tenant who's being exposed may have grounds to claim a breach of the implied warranty of habitability. The bigger the building, the higher the legal liability.In this episode, Kevin and I cover why smoke-free is now the industry standard, what your no-smoking clause actually needs to say, how enforcement works when a tenant violates it, and a real story from our Sacramento six-plex during COVID that made the cost of a weak smoking policy very, very clear.Nothing on this podcast is legal advice. Please consult a real estate attorney in your state before finalizing any lease language.Links & References Mentioned in This EpisodeEpisode 128  AI Is Your New Business Partner American Nonsmokers' Rights Foundation ChangeLab Solutions (Smoke-Free Housing Resources)EZ Landlord Forms State Specific Leases for LandlordsConnect with Us: 🌎 Visit our website 📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.👆 FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447📩Email us at: [email protected], [email protected] ➡️ Give us a review: Apple or on Spotify or YouTube ✔️Course Waitlist📱 Instagram, Facebook, &  Private Facebook group