Sin taxes have long tried to prevent people from smoking, but California state law has gone one step further: a law that went into effect this past January grants landlords the right to deny apartment renters from smoking in their units.
Though lawful, few property owners have actually implemented this ban. In recent news, the Towbes Group Inc. stationed in Santa Barbara has decided to impose a no-smoking policy for its nearly 2,000 units in 13 apartment complexes — making it the largest group to prohibit smoking.
Company owners insist that this will decrease the cost of maintaining the apartments, as the removing the smell and cleaning process cost twice as much when the last tenant was a smoker.
But for people who like their cigarettes, this means a harder time finding a place to live and a place to smoke.
In your opinion, do you think landowners are justified in upholding a no-smoking policy?
Read more here: https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-property-report-20120611,0,7927635.story
