Condo just sent entire building no smoking violation. Not sure if they talking about me but I'm worried. Should I stop vaping or take a break?

[PPN]

Just to share my point of vue, when I started to vape in 2012 I was convinced vapor doesn't stink at all... coming from spilffs&bongs. But now, living with a non-smoker/ non-vaporist wife also (and childs!), I'm noticing how much vapor stinks, especially flowers vapes, concentrates based devices are a little less stinky though.

Although I'm glad I don't have such neighbours!

 

[MegaMan2k]

You can get a carbon filter and an inline fan for next to nothing if u just go for a small size which is all you need in ur situation.

Turn it on when u vape and maybe let it scrub the air in the room for a few minutes.

You can build a box for it and paint it white or whatever colour ur wall or cieling is and hang it out of the way
I use one of those remote outlet controllers to plug it into so i just keep the remote nearby and switch it on if needed.

 

[3l3tric]

Hey yall so I copied and pasted the email word for word cause my gf is worried about evictions and all type of things. Here is the email word for word. Let me know what yall think. Is it something to be concerned about? Here is the entire email here:

Reading through this whole email, it doesn't seem to indicate the smell they're referring to is even for sure cannabis. The closest they come is saying "we the management team, do not tolerate any type of smoking activity, legal or illegal".

Now, if they knew for certain that the smell was one of cannabis (either from some preliminary investigation or from that being mentioned in complaints they received), and they wanted to send out a scare email, it would seem pretty prudent to lean heavily into mentioning that, no? I'd imagine if they had any kind of inkling that it was a weed smell, that email would contain multiple mentions of the substance by name, as well as some mention of contacting law enforcement. They'd really emphasize the scare element of it (probably say some other hyped-up stuff like "We at [Apartment name] do not tolerate illegal drug use of any kind" or "Using drugs is a crime, and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law").

IMO, reading through the letter, it sounds directed at a particularly heavy tobacco smoker. Since tobacco smoking (probably) isn't illegal in your area, threatening with fines and eviction is all they can do without their bluff becoming immediately obvious to the target. If they were targeting a cannabis user, they couldn't have resisted adding some appeal to law enforcement to their bluff. And as others have said, the generic, vague nature of this email indicates that they really have no idea who's causing the problem and want to scare them into stopping on their own.

As you mention, multiple other tentants obviously smoke tobacco/cannabis, and unless you live in some bizarre arrangement with a shared HVAC system with other tenants, I absolutely 100% guarantee that your contributions to a "strong smoke smell" are negligible at most, and more likely nonexistant. They'd have to evict/fine every cigarette smoker and everyone that smokes weed without vaping (which, if we're being honest with ourselves, is most people that consume weed) before you'd even come close to their radar.

TL;DR: This letter probably isn't even directed at a cannabis user. Anxiety about these things is absolutely valid, but taking a step back and trying to analyze the situation objectively seems to indicate that there isn't really anything for you to be concerned about. The main thing to remind yourself is that, if you were causing a problem with vaping smell, and this letter were targeting you specifically, it would have been worded WAY differently.

If you want total peace of mind, I'd recommend not vaping in the room with the door leading outside, and getting an air purifier of some kind. But IMO, even those steps are ultimately unnecessary.

 

[jeffp]

Fuck this... Whoever is dumping their roaches in the hallway/stairwells has the RIGHT idea for the most passive aggressive win possible.

Make it absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for management to pin it on any specific unit. leave roaches EVERYWHERE, hide them on top of doorways, in planters, under mats. Make the common area air stale like a teenager's university dorm room.

They won't kick out a whole floor, there is too much rent to be lost... May your corridors be covered in duff/ABV.


....[drops mic].

That's really funny!

 

[Reez79]

Yeah forget the incense haha that was a stupid idea of mine, I don't even use it myself, sorry!



No they don't, what evidence could that be? Special filters that detect smoke odor by changing color? Not a thing that I know of at least not that I know of everything lol



Does this stupid rider mention vaping?



This line is bullshit, odor permeating from the apartment, is not evidence of smoke...



Seems clear that seeing the joints and cigarette butts in the hallway is what would cause them to send this...



Reminding the source, which they narrowed down, but sent to everyone, again seems clear they do not actually know who the source is and are trying to get them to stop or reveal themselves...



Furthermore here, they are asking for other tenants help, to help the concierge, in catching whoever it is, "provided instructions how to investigate" and "what information to report back" This sounds insane when you're talking about catching someone smoking, what kind of special training is needed for that, but also seems clear they need the concierge to help report who is leaving those cigarette butts in the hallway, imagine them training the concierge to sniff joints and then trace it back to apartment lol



Okay then I think it's clear that you have nothing to worry about, this is a standard email they sent, when they see evidence like that of smoking, to stop the people from doing it or scare them into getting caught, either way it sounds like a standard bullshit thing they do to try to enforce their bullshit rules, I mean no smoking is good I hate smoking that's why I'm here vaping, but I hate that it is giving your girlfriend such anxiety that you both can't fucking relax in your own damn home... I would look to move ASAP, good luck!

Reading through this whole email, it doesn't seem to indicate the smell they're referring to is even for sure cannabis. The closest they come is saying "we the management team, do not tolerate any type of smoking activity, legal or illegal".

Now, if they knew for certain that the smell was one of cannabis (either from some preliminary investigation or from that being mentioned in complaints they received), and they wanted to send out a scare email, it would seem pretty prudent to lean heavily into mentioning that, no? I'd imagine if they had any kind of inkling that it was a weed smell, that email would contain multiple mentions of the substance by name, as well as some mention of contacting law enforcement. They'd really emphasize the scare element of it (probably say some other hyped-up stuff like "We at [Apartment name] do not tolerate illegal drug use of any kind" or "Using drugs is a crime, and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law").

IMO, reading through the letter, it sounds directed at a particularly heavy tobacco smoker. Since tobacco smoking (probably) isn't illegal in your area, threatening with fines and eviction is all they can do without their bluff becoming immediately obvious to the target. If they were targeting a cannabis user, they couldn't have resisted adding some appeal to law enforcement to their bluff. And as others have said, the generic, vague nature of this email indicates that they really have no idea who's causing the problem and want to scare them into stopping on their own.

As you mention, multiple other tentants obviously smoke tobacco/cannabis, and unless you live in some bizarre arrangement with a shared HVAC system with other tenants, I absolutely 100% guarantee that your contributions to a "strong smoke smell" are negligible at most, and more likely nonexistant. They'd have to evict/fine every cigarette smoker and everyone that smokes weed without vaping (which, if we're being honest with ourselves, is most people that consume weed) before you'd even come close to their radar.

TL;DR: This letter probably isn't even directed at a cannabis user. Anxiety about these things is absolutely valid, but taking a step back and trying to analyze the situation objectively seems to indicate that there isn't really anything for you to be concerned about. The main thing to remind yourself is that, if you were causing a problem with vaping smell, and this letter were targeting you specifically, it would have been worded WAY differently.

If you want total peace of mind, I'd recommend not vaping in the room with the door leading outside, and getting an air purifier of some kind. But IMO, even those steps are ultimately unnecessary.

Yea they never mention what kind of odor it is exactly. The lease does say no vaping included. Weed is legal here in New York so I don't think they can call law enforcement. My girlfriend now says she wants us to put a pause on vaping to give this time to blow over even though the didn't directly mention us. She also told me she occasionally smoke a cigarette in the bathroom some mornings for the past few months. I asked her how do you know they ain't talking about that. Bathroom has a ceiling vent, don't know where it leads too. The email says continuous smoke odor and I have no idea what that could mean. I know the Dynavap can get smelly sometimes though. Not sure about Nova and POTV One.

Check this out though, we were going through some of the old emails from the building and found about 6-7 smoking violations in a 3-4 year span. None of them mentioning anyone directly. Emails worded similar but not all of them the same.


In 2018 they sent two emails on two different occasions specifically mentioning complaints of a marijuana smell. We had never smoked in the building at this time so it wasn't us.


in 2019 two emails came and this time it said continuous smoke odor and that they narrowed it down to a set amount of apartments which is the same as the most recent email we got. One of the 2019 emails was because someone was seen smoking on their balcony. The other one could've been talking about us cause we smoked joints from time to time but unsure.


One email in 2020, one email in 2021 and the most recent one. All worded the same. continuous smoke odor, narrowed down to set of apartments etc. Only ones that was worded different were the 2018 one and the 2019 balcony one.

just something I noticed when going through emails from the building. all were sent different months in the years I mentioned.

 

[chlorophyll_man]

Bathroom has a ceiling vent, don't know where it leads too.

Yeah, my brother set his neighbours fire alarm off when his friend smoked in his bathroom. Not sure how it happened but likely something wasn't completely sealed.

 

[oldfool]

She also told me she occasionally smoke a cigarette in the bathroom some mornings for the past few months.

Tell her to stop that crap now.

I know the Dynavap can get smelly sometimes though.

If you're not combusting, it's not a smoke smell.

Anyone use this?

 

[whatitdew]

I vape every day in an apartment I’m not supposed to.
my elderly mother who stays with me can’t smell it from the other room
nobody from building management has ever said anything, 8 years now
but I understand not all buildings are the same and some might have some super nose detectives living amongst them, lol.

i open a window and use an air scent diffuser, or just vape when cooking if really nervous.

dynavap works really well for not much smell.
any vape you have to stir or open the oven a lot will stink more. Or if you are just blowing huge volcano bags all day.

my mother moved in a bedroom I had vaped in constantly for years and there is no lingering smells or yellow paint, like smoking would cause.

 

[florduh]

Since you're in a legal jurisdiction, your story is you're decarbing flower to make brownies for your sick granny. Problem solved. That's of course assuming management ever singles you out, which is almost certainly never going to happen. I appreciate people wanting to be reasonable to their neighbors. But we're already vaping. That's a more smell friendly option than smoking that 90% of cannabis consumers do not take.

At the end of the day, if you're vaping with your windows and doors closed and the smell is STILL somehow getting into other apartments, that just means there's shoddy construction. Not really your problem, in my opinion. I vape all the time in my home office, the rest of the house never smells. That's within the same house. So if smell is getting into other units, something is wrong.

Also, landlords banning vaping is fucking ridiculous. I can see smoking be an issue, but vaping? At that point they should be regulating what foods you cook or colognes you wear. As long as the rent check cashes, these bottom feeders can fuck off.

 

[cpl5938]

Tell her to stop that crap now.

If you're not combusting, it's not a smoke smell.

Anyone use this?

I use a smoke buddy jr regularly and it works but I'm not a heavy vaper. They do wear out eventually; shake it and if you don't hear the charcoal moving around in it, time to get another.

 

[hinglemccringleberry]

I don’t have the option to open windows because it faces other apartments.

 

[BabyFacedFinster]

If my girlfriend said, "I think we need to take a pause from vaping for a while", what I would hear is, "maybe this relationship needs to take a break for a while."

Maybe see other people... I mean vapes.

 

[darkstar72]

Or just blow the vapor out the window. On what planet is this not possible? I don't care if the chief of NYPD lives in the apartment facing my window, I'm vaping in my own goddamn apartment that I'm paying 8 million dollars a month for, and blowing the damn vapor out the damn window if I'm concerned about smell. You shouldn't have to buy a smokebuddy or devise a contraption to filter smell. The window is right there and it's your window, it's not your neighbor's window. I could give a rat's ass what Karen in the adjacent apartment thinks about it

@mccringleberry I like your attitude. It's legal and I am most definitely not smoking.

 

[cybrguy]

Just to share my point of vue, when I started to vape in 2012 I was convinced vapor doesn't stink at all... coming from spilffs&bongs. But now, living with a non-smoker/ non-vaporist wife also (and childs!), I'm noticing how much vapor stinks, especially flowers vapes, concentrates based devices are a little less stinky though.

Although I'm glad I don't have such neighbours!

It's all relative, and it matters a lot what vaping device you are using. I have used a cart on a battery across the same room from folks who would comment if they smelled it with no problem. Just a couple hits, but still. I have used a VapCap outside the door of such folks before walking in with no issues. Obviously huge hits with a lot of exhaled vapor will be different, but that isn't usually how I vape when out, tho I may do that at home.

 

[DennisFlonasal]

Reading through this whole email, it doesn't seem to indicate the smell they're referring to is even for sure cannabis. The closest they come is saying "we the management team, do not tolerate any type of smoking activity, legal or illegal".

Now, if they knew for certain that the smell was one of cannabis (either from some preliminary investigation or from that being mentioned in complaints they received), and they wanted to send out a scare email, it would seem pretty prudent to lean heavily into mentioning that, no? I'd imagine if they had any kind of inkling that it was a weed smell, that email would contain multiple mentions of the substance by name, as well as some mention of contacting law enforcement. They'd really emphasize the scare element of it (probably say some other hyped-up stuff like "We at [Apartment name] do not tolerate illegal drug use of any kind" or "Using drugs is a crime, and we will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law").

IMO, reading through the letter, it sounds directed at a particularly heavy tobacco smoker. Since tobacco smoking (probably) isn't illegal in your area, threatening with fines and eviction is all they can do without their bluff becoming immediately obvious to the target. If they were targeting a cannabis user, they couldn't have resisted adding some appeal to law enforcement to their bluff. And as others have said, the generic, vague nature of this email indicates that they really have no idea who's causing the problem and want to scare them into stopping on their own.

As you mention, multiple other tentants obviously smoke tobacco/cannabis, and unless you live in some bizarre arrangement with a shared HVAC system with other tenants, I absolutely 100% guarantee that your contributions to a "strong smoke smell" are negligible at most, and more likely nonexistant. They'd have to evict/fine every cigarette smoker and everyone that smokes weed without vaping (which, if we're being honest with ourselves, is most people that consume weed) before you'd even come close to their radar.

TL;DR: This letter probably isn't even directed at a cannabis user. Anxiety about these things is absolutely valid, but taking a step back and trying to analyze the situation objectively seems to indicate that there isn't really anything for you to be concerned about. The main thing to remind yourself is that, if you were causing a problem with vaping smell, and this letter were targeting you specifically, it would have been worded WAY differently.

If you want total peace of mind, I'd recommend not vaping in the room with the door leading outside, and getting an air purifier of some kind. But IMO, even those steps are ultimately unnecessary.

I lean towards this, i recieved a letter on my door last year as did the whole building, was worded very similarly to this one. I definitely panicked for a few days but after realizing the lady in 1C literally smoked cigarettes in her apartment I concluded that had to be the situation

 

[Nina]

Rule number 1 in these situations is never admit that it's you, I do not know any other other parts of the strategy because I fell at the first hurdle

 

[darkstar72]

I just had an idea that could help with the girlfriend's anxiety. Instead of burning incense, which many associate with hippie culture and draw attention to your cannabis use, you could run an aromatherapy diffuser with lemon grass oil in it. This would make your place smell lemony fresh and clean. I think your lady would appreciate the smell and it would be for making the apartment smell clean and pleasant if anyone notices or asks.

 

[gordontreeman]

I have a slightly different perspective @Reez79. I'm not intending this to be rude to you or any other posters. A lot of people are feigning moral outrage and pretending that vapes don't give off much smell. I'm inclined to agree with that last point--I think it smells more when I open my grinder than when I take a puff from my vape, and I don't think vapor lingers for too long. However, you signed a lease which states that smoking nor vaping aren't allowed in the property. If your building manager has reasonable evidence that its you you're facing penalties and probably up to an eviction. Fighting it by claiming you're decarbing flower for a relative or whatever seems difficult and really just not worth getting into to me.

I think your girlfriend has the right idea here. Step outside for a few weeks until this blows over, and absolutely tell her to stop smoking cigarettes in the bathroom--that seems faaaaar more likely to be leading to lingering odor and problems to me. If after a pause and non-tobacco you resume vaping without incident then you made a small sacrifice to ensure you can live at home without stress, which seems like a much better alternative than trying to pursue legal remedies if you're slapped with an eviction or a huge fine. Attorneys value their time a lot higher than sympathetic stoners on FC!

 

[florduh]

However, you signed a lease which states that smoking nor vaping aren't allowed in the property.

Smoking is arguably a reasonable prohibition. Vaping is not. It's like saying "no perfumes, cologne, or cooking with garlic allowed". The landlord can fuck off.

If your building manager has reasonable evidence that its you you're facing penalties and probably up to an eviction.

They don't though.

Fighting it by claiming you're decarbing flower for a relative or whatever seems difficult and really just not worth getting into to me.

LOL, why is it difficult? You just say it, and the landlord has to fuck off. Easy peasy. There will never be any evidence to the contrary. Unless landlords want to start regulating kitchen smells too. I wouldn't put it past them though. Literally never a reason to be honest with these people.

Again, this guy is already being kinder to his neighbors than the vast majority of cannabis consumers by vaping instead of combusting. If smells are seeping into other units, sounds like a shittily constructed building. Not OP's problem. Unless he's blowing vapor out of his window and into his neighbor's. Which he is not doing.

 

[gordontreeman]

Smoking is arguably a reasonable prohibition. Vaping is not. It's like saying "no perfumes, cologne, or cooking with garlic allowed". The landlord can fuck off.



They don't though.



LOL, why is it difficult? You just say it, and the landlord has to fuck off. Easy peasy. There will never be any evidence to the contrary. Unless landlords want to start regulating kitchen smells too. I wouldn't put it past them though. Literally never a reason to be honest with these people.

Again, this guy is already being kinder to his neighbors than the vast majority of cannabis consumers by vaping instead of combusting. If smells are seeping into other units, sounds like a shittily constructed building. Not OP's problem. Unless he's blowing vapor out of his window and into his neighbor's. Which he is not doing.

It’s really easy to say all of this when you are not the signer of a lease subject to financial penalties or eviction and the stress and headaches that these things can bring. You and the op are free to proceed however you like in your homes. I’m just suggesting that not every hill is a hill to die on. This seems like something easy to mitigate, so for me I’d rather do that than stress about it or engage in a tit-for-tat with a property manager/landlord.

ETA: while I agree that prohibiting vaping is arguably unreasonable, the fact remains that op already signed a lease that prohibits it. You’re going to have a tough time convincing an appeals court judge to set a precedent that this is an undue hardship for tenants, and thus unenforceable. I’m not a lawyer and I get the sense that you aren’t either, but if you are feel free to cite some precedent that builds evidence that this isn’t the case. As I said, I’m just suggesting that sometimes making a small compromise is easier than dealing with potentially massive financial penalties and the associated stress, especially when it comes to housing.

 

[florduh]

It’s really easy to say all of this when you are not the signer of a lease subject to financial penalties or eviction and the stress and headaches that these things can bring. You and the op are free to proceed however you like in your homes. I’m just suggesting that not every hill is a hill to die on. This seems like something easy to mitigate, so for me I’d rather do that than stress about it or engage in a tit-for-tat with a property manager/landlord.

Fair enough. The risk is minute though. There’s almost no chance they’ll be able to tie any smells to his unit. And even if they did, the decarb explanation is basically impossible to disprove. Especially since it’s technically true.


You’re correct. The safest possible move here is to give into the whims of petty tyrants. But given how remote the possibility of a fine or eviction is, you gotta balance that with the certain inconvenience of not being able to vape in your own home.

 

[gordontreeman]

Fair enough. The risk is minute though. There’s almost no chance they’ll be able to tie any smells to his unit. And even if they did, the decarb explanation is basically impossible to disprove. Especially since it’s technically true.


You’re correct. The safest possible move here is to give into the whims of petty tyrants. But given how remote the possibility of a fine or eviction is, you gotta balance that with the certain inconvenience of not being able to vape in your own home.

Yeah, at the end of the day I am inclined to agree that this is likely due to the roaches or cigarette butts op mentioned in the stairwell, or even his girlfriend smoking a cigarette in the bathroom. I would just thinking laying off the indoor vaping for a few weeks isn’t so onerous, and then op is more than likely fine to vape in the comfort of his own home. I really don’t think the smell travels or lingers compared to smoking. It’s just that for me in the short term the cost benefit analysis really comes up in favor of playing it safe for a couple weeks.

 

[FlyingLow]

seriously bombard the hallways/common areas. weed is your friend.

Fuck this... Whoever is dumping their roaches in the hallway/stairwells has the RIGHT idea for the most passive aggressive win possible.

Make it absolutely IMPOSSIBLE for management to pin it on any specific unit. leave roaches EVERYWHERE, hide them on top of doorways, in planters, under mats. Make the common area air stale like a teenager's university dorm room.

They won't kick out a whole floor, there is too much rent to be lost... May your corridors be covered in duff/ABV.


....[drops mic].

CHANGE how you get rid of your duff... shake it out through your pant leg while you walk, like in Great Escape. Cameras will never notice.

 

[Vaporware]

Smoking is arguably a reasonable prohibition. Vaping is not. It's like saying "no perfumes, cologne, or cooking with garlic allowed". The landlord can fuck off.

Not all “vaping” is the same though…I’ve use dry herb vaporizers and occasional cartridges and concentrates inside for like 7 1/2 years now with no lingering evidence it ever happened.

We have a roommate right now though…he used to vape his nicotine e-juice shit outside, but I guess he decided it was too cold a few months ago and he started using it in his room too.

His room and the hall smell like that shit now even when he’s been gone all day, the windows perpetually look like they need to be defrosted from the film on them, and I’m concerned that we’re going to have to pay fines when we move out…

Pure cannabis vapor on the other hand doesn’t seem to leave any noticeable residue. When we moved out of our last place after like 5 years of me using it mostly in one spot I couldn’t find a trace and no one said anything about it.

 

[florduh]

His room and the hall smell like that shit now even when he’s been gone all day, the windows perpetually look like they need to be defrosted from the film on them, and I’m concerned that we’re going to have to pay fines when we move out…

I feel like he's gotta be doing something crazy here lol. For most of my 15 years renting I was blowing both nicotine and cannabis vapors all over the place. Never had a complaint from neighbors. Never lost a security deposit. I definitely had one of he cleaner dude apartments out of people I knew. I'd open a window every now and then and light a candle. No other smell mitigation. Come to think of it, the candle smoke probably stuck to stuff more than any vapor.

The only reason I'm being obstiant about this is, I see the writing on the wall. Home ownership is moving out of reach for more and more Americans. If the future is everyone renting their shelter from some hedge fund, I'd like to limit the regulations they can place on what people can do in their home.

It's all well and good to say "just vape outside". But in most of the country, that's committing an actual crime. When I signed up for the Floriduh MMJ program, I agreed to only vape or smoke at home. I really don't want a future where cannabis is only legal for folks who can qualify for a $600k+ bank loan.