General Information

Does drifting smoke from another person’s apartment, the hallway or outdoors bother you? If so, you are not alone. Surveys show that many renters experience involuntary exposure to secondhand smoke on a regular basis and it is also a common complaint to the American Lung Association.

As a tenant, you have the right to breathe clean air and live free of involuntary secondhand smoke exposure. Many tenants (renters) have questions about how to ensure a smokefree environment for their family. The American Lung Association in Vermont has provided this site to address these concerns.

On the tenant section of this site, you will find useful information, including strategies for tenants for dealing with your landlord and neighbors, renter resources, links and tools, quick fixes for temporary solutions to smoke incursion and facts about your renter’s rights. Just have a few general questions? Jump to our FAQ page for some of the common highlights on what you need to know about smokefree housing, and if you are looking for further information on secondhand smoke, we have that information available as well.

Below are a few key points, but please visit the pages above for more information.

• Secondhand smoke is a major cause of illness as well as a leading cause of preventable
  cause of death in the United States.
• Nonsmokers with serious breathing disorders or chronic lung conditions such as asthma or COPD have legal protection under federal and state law against secondhand smoke.
• There is no right to smoke under any state or federal law.
• A smokefree policy is not discriminatory — you have the right to breathe clean air!