In 2008, there was just one New York City rental listing in a “smoke-free” building and zero sales listings. But since last year that number has jumped to roughly 1,488 rentals, 100 condos and 66 co-ops listed in smoke-free buildings, according to StreetEasy data.
And the number of smoke-free listings this year looks like it will surpass those figures, with 1,200 rentals, 71 condos and 34 co-ops listed in the first five months of 2014, according to DNAinfo.
“When one person smokes, the whole building smokes,” NYC Coalition for a Smoke-Free City executive director Sheelah Feinberg said. “Secondhand smoke permeates walls and crevices in multi-unit buildings and poses a significant health threat.”
But significant challenges await buildings that want to ban smoking.
“There are little tricks of the trade that go far in addressing the problem,” attorney Steven Sladkus said. “[A ban] is a big step to take and it usually takes a big problem to prompt the board to do something like this. You’re essentially telling somebody what they can or can’t do in their apartment, and a lot of people feel strongly about the restriction of liberties.” [DNAinfo] – Christopher Cameron