Smoke between semi-D's

N

noobie99

Registered User
Messages
67
Hi,

I rent an early 90's semi-D in Dublin and recently my neighbour has been in contact complaining that there is a smell of cigarette smoke in his house that can only be coming from the tenants in mine.

Smoking is confined to the sunroom at rear of the house but my neighbour says he can smell the smoke in his sitting room and in his hotpress upstairs in the centre of the house. He has blocked up under his skirting boards and all vents in his house but says he can still smell the smoke.

There is a smell of smoke it the kitchen and sunroom in my house (the rented one) but nothing upstairs or the front of the house.

I've had a builder friend look over the house with me and the party walll is intact from ground through to the roof in the attic.

Is there any way I can put this to bed and/or rectify it? I'm pannning on getting an engineers report so suggestions there would be appreciated as well.

Thanks.

noob
 
You might want to educate him on the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning which can arise from blocking vents.
 
Thanks Rainyday. I may do that at some stage.

I also have an update. I've spoken to a firm of structural engineers and they agree that it is extremely unlikey to be a problme in the pary wall. However a survey and report will cost in the region of €600. Am I entitled to ask the neighbour to split his with me or do I have to do it at all?

Cheers,

Noob.
 
Is there anyway it's coming through with the windows in both houses open? I've noticed in work that when people go outside to smoke, then you get a noticeable smell of smoke anywhere there's an open window. Blocking vents seems like a very silly thing to do.
 
I'd tell him to forget it.
There's a smell of cigarette smoke in his house ? Unless someone is blowing it in his vents, I'd find his idea that it's your tenants fault very hard to believe.

Is he sure his kid ain't smoking on the sly ?
 
You got to be kidding, your not seriously thinking of splitting the 600 with him ? He's got to be paranoid beyond belief if he is blocking vents etc. Rainyday is right, that's dangerous.

I reckon his kids or his Mrs is having a few on the sly. Maybe he's having a few himself and this is all part of the charade to cover it up after the mrs found him out :)
 
Has anybody (e.g. you) other than the neighbour verified the presence of this smell in his house? Maybe he's imagining it or, as mentioned above, it's being caused by somebody IN his house. Is your neighbour otherwise, er, "odd"? I certainly would not be running out to spend €300-€600 for a survey unless there was some other problem.
 
We'd often smell smoke in our house then the neighbours are puffing away out on their decking. It's not nice, but that's life.
 
Thanks for all the replies. Ringing council after lunch. They guy is a little "odd" - once blamed us for the mouse in his attic, said it had come in from ours!

Citizens Advice and engineer I contacted as well as anyone else I've spoken with echo the comments here.

Will update thread when I know more.

Cheers,

Noob
 
Just an update for those interested.

Council said I've done enough and so not need to pay for a survey. Tobacco smoke in a private residence is not managed by them and that there is very little chance of this being taken on by a solicitor let alone getting to court.

I'm now in process of drafting a polite response to my old neighbour.

Thanks for all the input. It is appreciated.

Noob.
 
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