With Mayor Bloomberg's proposed anti-smoking laws for residential buildings on the table, the The Appraisal column in the Times looks into just how hard it is to find an apartment building where residents can light up in their own homes. Turns out, it's pretty hard. A Craigslist search for units that allowed smoking turned up only four listings in all five boroughs. Landlords and co-op boards are increasingly adding no smoking riders to leases, but rarely do they ask about the habit before accepting new tenants.
On the other hand, some owners and realtors highlight smoking-friendliness in their listings, claiming they get more calls when they do. But let's be real, most renters simply hide the fact that they smoke, wanting to avoid the issue altogether. One woman wouldn't even give the Times her name because she didn't want to be outed and judged for being a smoker. But who's judging? "It welcomes you like a cloud of disgustingness," said a managing director at Prudential Douglas Elliman. "Hate, hate, hate." Nope, no judgement here.
· Wanting to Smoke At Home, and Facing Hurdles in Apartment Hunt [NYT The Appraisal]
· Bloomberg's Anti-Smoking Agenda Reaches Homes [Curbed]
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