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Reasons to Go Smoke-Free
Going smoke-free makes your building healthier, safer and easier to maintain. In addition to protecting the health of your residents, especially children and the elderly who are most vulnerable to secondhand smoke, going smoke-free can save you money. Some compelling facts:
Maintenance Savings. A study in Sanford, Maine estimated that it costs an additional $500 to $800 to rehabilitate an apartment which has housed a smoker versus a non-smoker. These costs include scrubbing, priming and re-painting walls covered with tar and nicotine; replacing carpet; replacing counter tops that have cigarette burns; and scrubbing fans in bathrooms and kitchens that have tar and nicotine.
 Decreased Risk of Fire. Smoking is the leading cause of household fires. Of the property completely destroyed by fire in the United States in 2002, an estimated $6 billion in smoking-related damages occurred in residential structures. Of that, an estimated $9.26 million in damages occurred in apartments. Smoking is the #1 cause of home fire deaths in the United States, causing 1,000 deaths per year. One in four people killed in home fires is not the smoker whose cigarette caused the fire.
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