Cigarette stains on ceiling

Hi,

I have a tenant who is a heavy smoker who smokes inside the property (he is a good tenant, always pays on time and never causes issues - he is quite open about smoking inside the property). A recent inspection by myself(I am managing the property) identified the stains on the ceilings in kitchen, dining and lounge rooms.

I suspect the stains on the ceiling are cigarette smoke stains (accumulated over four years) however he is trying to blame humidity - the property is on the South coast and it can get humid but the bedrooms and the garage do not have any stains - he has said he doesn't smoke in the bedrooms). There were no stains when I purchased the property 3 years ago.

How can I prove that the stains are cigarette stains?

How can I deal with this situation without 'pi##ing off' the tenant? Can I get the tenant to get the walls/ceilings professionaly cleaned? Is there a professional that can inspect the property and confirm the stains are cigarette?

Cheers
 
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You can run your finger across the yellow stains that will be on the ceiling and air vents in the rooms in which he smokes the most. Then invite him to do the lick test. If it doesn't taste like foul nicotene, then it's the humidity.
I have a no smoking (indoors) clause in my lease agreements. However, I did have a smoker who was a tenant before I bought the property.
It took a lot of scrubbing to get rid of the worst of the stains and when I repaint, it will require some sealer to stop the stains bleeding through. Repainting is the onlu way to get rid of the marks altogether as the nicotene soaks in ans actually discolours the paint.
You will find that the carpet where he sits (if he smokes in the lounge) will be ruined, too. Black stains from where the ash falls on the carpet. The best carpet cleaners in the world won't get that out, either.
Imagine what he looks like on the inside. Yuk!!
If you go to all that bother now, you'll have to ban smoking indoors. Difficult situation.
If you haven't made non smoking a condition of the lease, you might be stuck with the situation until he moves out. You can have him make good then, or use the bond to sort it out.
 
Take it out of his bond and clean it when he leaves. Until then, leave him alone to kill himself.

Go and enjoy yourself worrying about something important.
 
4 years, and you have known about the smoking? I think it would be hard to get anyone to see that as anything more than fair wear and tear. 4 years between painting is pretty good I'd reckon. Perhaps think about a non smoking clause with the next tenant?
 
Methinks this is the "cost of doing business".

I had a tenant who left significant burns in the patio decking which indicated he had an uncontrolled barbeque. The moderator from the relevant state authority asked if I had specifically excluded him from doing so. I said "No" but I did not specifically exclude lighting fires in the lounge room either, but that carried no weight.
 
a tenant who left significant burns in the patio decking which indicated he had an uncontrolled barbeque.

hahahaha,


Sounds like the Woodside CEO when he was trying to cover up a fire on the North Rankin platform a few years ago. It never made the media. It was described officially to all employees as a "high temperature incident". Bewdiful. ;)
 
Sounds like the Woodside CEO when he was trying to cover up a fire on the North Rankin platform a few years ago. It never made the media. It was described officially to all employees as a "high temperature incident". Bewdiful. ;)

Love the petroleum industry jargon.
Made a killing in high school on some shares that went nuts after someone reported "petroliferous odours at the well head".
Turns out someone knocked over a drum of something, causing the odours.
It's all in the use of the language. Love it!
 
Methinks this is the "cost of doing business".

I agree. My ignorance about smoking and stains is clear.

I will be having a chat and inviting him to go halfers in the cleanup cost. If he isn't willing, I will not be willing to give him a new lease. I will also advise that the new lease will have a no smoking clause.

Cheers
 
Take it out of his bond and clean it when he leaves. Until then, leave him alone to kill himself.

Go and enjoy yourself worrying about something important.

I never thought I'd see the day when I am in total agreement with Dazz :p:D.

We bought a house once where tenants had smoked in the living room for 16 years, leaving a lovely coating on the walls and ceiling. Sugar soap, mop, gloves and a fair dose of elbow grease sorted it out, followed by a repaint.

At the same time, we pulled up the shag pile carpet squares in different colours in each room and had the floors polished.

Now, in our houses, there is no carpet to stain or smell, and clean up is easy. Maybe ask him if he is prepared to have the walls and ceiling washed down when he leaves, but be prepared for him to say "no". What will you do then?

Best thing would be (in my opinion) to let him smoke (assuming you don't have carpets to absorb the smell and/or heavy drapes that will be ruined) and try to get some bond for the clean up when he leaves.

We don't put a "no smoking" clause in our leases, because I don't know how they can be policed, but we have found that people tend not to smoke indoors anyway.
 
Even those who do smoke indoors probably keep it to one room. I smoke, but only in my home office. Not in the lounge, bedrooms (yuck) or anywhere else.

Mind you, have a tenant in my previous PPOR and they smoked in the bathroom. I wasn't pleased to find cigarette burns on the vanity unit!
 
Time you lot thought outside the square,
These poor old smokers are a rare lot almost can say they are a dying breed:eek:
so why not advertise your ip as smokers welcome just the same as some advertise that pets are welcome,
You could charge an extra 5 maybe 10 $ a week so they can puff away to their hearts content and lets face it whats a good scrub and a tin of paint in the grand scheme of things.
Like they say if the figures add up its a winner.
Ya never know there might be que of smokers dying to get into your ip:eek:
cheers
yadreamin

ps
l am currently an ex smoker so hold back on the critisism will ya:)
 
With a couple of our mobile homes the previous tenant smoked (we inherited them)If the new tenant wants to smoke inside, we will not paint or replace carpets.
We did have one couple want to paint, and we told them they could.These mobiles are VERY basic.
 
I have seen ceilings that bad, that the nicotine is just dripping off the ceilings:eek:

I would leave him alone,even if he moves out now you will have to renovate,
Next lease he signs,just make sure there is a clause cleaning nicotine stains on ceilings in there.

You can't clean it off properly,however when it gets real bad,you need to get a cleaner in before you paint or else you can puke.

I have had great success with an oil based undercoat followed by Solver Duraguard low sheen acrylic (Has tannin stain resistance).

What I recommend can be done without cleaning them first :D
 
Methinks this is the "cost of doing business".

I had a tenant who left significant burns in the patio decking which indicated he had an uncontrolled barbeque. The moderator from the relevant state authority asked if I had specifically excluded him from doing so. I said "No" but I did not specifically exclude lighting fires in the lounge room either, but that carried no weight.



hahahahahaha

Just like the episode in 'Men Behaving Badly' when they built the wooden barbeque!


hahahahahaha
 
You can't clean it off properly,however when it gets real bad,you need to get a cleaner in before you paint or else you can puke.

Yo, Pa1nter!

When I bought Myrtle Cottage the last surviving owner (yes, he outlived all the others) used to lock himself in his bedroom, with his dog, at about 4.30pm each day and smoke Craven A Filter Tip cigarettes.

eeeeeeuuuuuuwwwwww!

I had liquid nicotine running down my arms, dripping through my hair, in my clothes, while I was up the ladder trying to steel wool and Triclenium it off the ceiling and walls

And then I had to get the dog stains off, too!

Eventually I got the walls to 'squeak' then used oil based primer over everything

It all came up a treat, but of course in the process I got totally splattered with the oil based primer and the acrylic washable top coats but hey! that was the room I was most proud of.


I have just had a change of tenants in another house and they whinged about the smell of cigarette smoke in the curtains in the rumpus room. Haven't they hear of Febreze? Earlier, I washed an entire two storey exec house because I couldn't get the cooking smells out any other way.

Another house had King Charles Spaniels. OMG. Give me smokers anyday than people who have wet spaniels in the house


yadreamin, what a brain wave!

Smokers Welcome! I'll suggest it to the pm next time I have a vacancy.

As far as I am concerned, when they rent my property it becomes their home.

If they want to eat curry or smoke or have their relatives come to stay, well, that's what people do in their homes.

If they want a pet - usually after they have signed the lease - then I will consider it but the pet pays rent, too.

However, the worst infestation of fleas came from a visitor bringing his mutt over for an afternoon's visit - we had fleas jumping out of the carpet, and boy! can fleas jump!

Even five cans of flea bombs didn't kill them all off, I think the fleas outlived the next two tenants!

Don't sweat the small stuff, and it's all small stuff.

Your tenant sounds like a nice bloke and if he wants to smoke inside his own home then smile graciously and leave him to it - but don't let him pretend that it's the humidity or the GFC or some other reason.

The stains on the ceiling are occupant induced stains and if he doesn't agree, offer to assist with the ventilation of the place by hardwiring an exhaust fan into every room which will then be permanently switched on.

I think I'd learn to live with the stains!

Cheers
Kristine
 
Difficult to police what people do in your property once they have signed the lease. I haven't got non smoking clauses on my 2 places. Don't know if my current tenants smoke but I would have thought that if the paint is badly stained taking money out of bond to pay for heavy cleaning would be justified.

BTW, nicotine is colourless and odourless, its the tars and all the other crap that stain. But its the nicotine that gets the smokers hooked:)
 
Forget the bond, you'll need your landlord insurance!

Ive never had any success trying to clean off smoke stains from ceilings.

If you try and paint over them they will show thru when the paint dries.

The only way to get them off is to paint over with a stain removing paint (BIN) type, I usually use cans for ease but you will need to ventilate as much as possible as the fumes linger. Then pain with your ceiling paint.

Chatto
 
The stains on the ceiling are occupant induced stains and if he doesn't agree, offer to assist with the ventilation of the place by hardwiring an exhaust fan into every room which will then be permanently switched on.

I think I'd learn to live with the stains!

Cheers
Kristine

Good advice Kristine. I have researched a ventilation system to cover three rooms. Would cost under $1000. Increase the rent by $XX per week to cover the cost over 12 months.

Add a clause in the lease to get the walls, ceiling & carpet cleaned every 12 months - allow smoking in the rooms that have ventilation.

Any flaws in my plan? If you were a smoking tenant, would you be happy/unhappy with such an arrangement?
 
I think Kristine was being a little tongue in cheek about having the exhaust fans running all the time :).

I don't think tenants would be happy to sign what you are proposing to ask them to sign.

I would not put in any sort of ventilation system. You could spend $1000 and have them smoke in another room. The tenant does not care. If they cared, they would smoke outside.

Either get them to agree to paying for a clean on leaving, when they sign up for the next lease, or attempt to get a professional clean out of their bond.

The house that was almost dripping nicotine that I cleaned with a mop and sugar soap was painted with normal ceiling paint and is fine a few years later, so maybe smoke stain is difficult to cover but once the ceiling and walls were clean, normal paint has lasted very well.
 
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