I smell the fumes in my apartment.

Suggestions? Help!

This is a seniors building. I could approach him, but there would be bloodshed :(

Me? Call the police. It's an illegal substance. They will get rid of it and shut him down. Nothing more required and they won't know who turned them in, just 'a complaint'.

maybe it's medicinal?

Then the police will advise Margaret it is being used legally. If not, they shut it down.

Yikes. Straight to the cops because of fumes? That's quite a cranky way of dealing with things, especially considering it is legal for some people. It's also a huge waste of resources.

I would contact the super or building manager and get them on the case. If you know exactly where it's coming from they can talk to them or leave a letter. Same outcome as going to the cops without, y'know, going to the frickin police.

Yikes. Straight to the cops because of fumes? That's quite a cranky way of dealing with things, especially considering it is legal for some people. It's also a huge waste of resources.

I would contact the super or building manager and get them on the case. If you know exactly where it's coming from they can talk to them or leave a letter. Same outcome as going to the cops without, y'know, going to the frickin police.

The police deal with people breaking the law. The super or building manager cannot. Simple as that. Break the law, pay the price.

Yikes. Straight to the cops because of fumes? That's quite a cranky way of dealing with things, especially considering it is legal for some people. It's also a huge waste of resources.

I would contact the super or building manager and get them on the case. If you know exactly where it's coming from they can talk to them or leave a letter. Same outcome as going to the cops without, y'know, going to the frickin police.

much more reasonable and measured response. the building management can warn him or accommodate him to smoke on a balcony,courtyard or rooftop.

Personally i think approaching him would be an even better solution before going to management. This is someone you live next to, and IMO it's always best NOT to make enemies of neighbours. Just inform him that the smell bothers you and ask if he could smoke on the balcony or outside, but be pleasant about it.

Oh, I see, one has to be nice to neighbours who break the law? When did that start?

Me? Call the police. It's an illegal substance. They will get rid of it and shut him down. Nothing more required and they won't know who turned them in, just 'a complaint'.

He's well known to the police. He gets beat up frequently, he's a real nuisance and we've reported him several times to the housing authority, but their attitude is that he has to live somewhere.......

maybe it's medicinal?

Medicinal? Not likely. At one time he was on about 30 prescriptions - he's on welfare so meds are free - he stumbles around and mumbles to himself. He's diabetic and on insulin. Would smoking make it better?

I've talked to some others on this floor and they say, live and let live. We have a lot of inebriated women in this building too but they usually keep it contained. This jerk likes to spread his misery around.

I'll raise the issue with the housing authority and hope they do something.

The funny thing is these same people sit around and complain about teenagers. :D

I will

much more reasonable and measured response. the building management can warn him or accommodate him to smoke on a balcony,courtyard or rooftop.

Personally i think approaching him would be an even better solution before going to management. This is someone you live next to, and IMO it's always best NOT to make enemies of neighbours. Just inform him that the smell bothers you and ask if he could smoke on the balcony or outside, but be pleasant about it.

It's way too late for being nice to him. He's angry and aggressive and on so many drugs, booze and toot, that as I said there would be bloodshed.

No balcony, no roof, the fumes waft off him as he walks by my door.

Your first post did not allude to all of that. It seems the housing authority would be the best route for now. The police may or may not be of assistance at this point. Sounds like a crappy situation, and there's much more to it than just smelling a bit of weed from a neighbour.

If you call the cops every time you smell someone smoking weed, then you are most definitely wasting resources and being ridiculous. If they're dealing or growing it's a different story of course. If it's day after day, thats a different story, too. But while you're at it, call the police when you see someone going a few km's over the limit. Or if you see someone drunk in a bar. Or if you know someone jumping on someone else's wifi... All "breaking the law," but calling the police every time would be an overreaction.

Wait, now I remember a past thread about cannabis and I will bow out here before this thread flares up.

much more reasonable and measured response. the building management can warn him or accommodate him to smoke on a balcony,courtyard or rooftop.

Personally i think approaching him would be an even better solution before going to management. This is someone you live next to, and IMO it's always best NOT to make enemies of neighbours. Just inform him that the smell bothers you and ask if he could smoke on the balcony or outside, but be pleasant about it.

Yeah I hate cranky people that just call the cops. There'sa guy like that down the street and no one likes him.

Perhaps they aren't aware of it going far enough to annoy someone else. Let them know (note under the door etc., if not then do something more.

That seems far more reasonable.

Edit: Saw more posts, doubt calling the cops will do much if he's already known to police.

Well, I see not much has changed with the "I'm OK with weed crowd" so that is it for me. Last I checked, it was still illegal in most circumstances.

I don't think it has anything to do with being 'ok with weed' at all, there's no need to turn this into a us and them thing about pot.

I've dealt with 'fumes' from neighbours in the past, there's a smart way, and really really not so smart way to deal with things. But it depends on the circumstances and one size fits all solutions can really cause some pretty serious consequences.

Yeah I hate cranky people that just call the cops. There'sa guy like that down the street and no one likes him.

Perhaps they aren't aware of it going far enough to annoy someone else. Let them know (note under the door etc., if not then do something more.

That seems far more reasonable.

Edit: Saw more posts, doubt calling the cops will do much if he's already known to police.

I probably should have given more background. A note under the door would lead to an increase in disturbance. You're assuming this jerk can be reasoned with. We have tried. He's a danger to himself and it wouldn't be the first time he's lashed out with fists at another tenant.

Well, I see not much has changed with the "I'm OK with weed crowd" so that is it for me. Last I checked, it was still illegal in most circumstances.

Weed is not ok with me. If it was just in the hallway I could ignore it, but when it drifts under my door it's too much.

We will call housing tomorrow. And keep calling until they do something.

I probably should have given more background. A note under the door would lead to an increase in disturbance. You're assuming this jerk can be reasoned with. We have tried. He's a danger to himself and it wouldn't be the first time he's lashed out with fists at another tenant.



Weed is not ok with me. If it was just in the hallway I could ignore it, but when it drifts under my door it's too much.

We will call housing tomorrow. And keep calling until they do something.

I hate people like that. Maybe Sonal would have some good advice.

I don't think it has anything to do with being 'ok with weed' at all, there's no need to turn this into a us and them thing about pot.

I've dealt with 'fumes' from neighbours in the past, there's a smart way, and really really not so smart way to deal with things. But it depends on the circumstances and one size fits all solutions can really cause some pretty serious consequences.

I guess if we were a building of way cool thirty somethings this could be handled differently, but this building is for elderly folks to live in peace.

This turkey has disrupted our quiet lives for long enough. Smelling his pot smoke is the last straw.

I guess if we were a building of way cool thirty somethings this could be handled differently, but this building is for elderly folks to live in peace.

This turkey has disrupted our quiet lives for long enough. Smelling his pot smoke is the last straw.

sometimes dealing with way 30 somethings is worse than jerks. ;)

hope you find a solution that works and get some peace.

maybe one of these door draft stops, problem solved no violence and nobodies feeling hurt.

Bottom line is if someone is using illegal substances in any building that offends neighbours, they should be charged with the offence, and then at the super's discretion, evicted. They are afoul of the law.

I smell the fumes in my apartment.

Suggestions? Help!

This is a seniors building. I could approach him, but there would be bloodshed :(

Oh, I see, one has to be nice to neighbours who break the law? When did that start?

My experiences with neighbors.. don't do it unless you want an all out war..
calling the police is not worth it.. as I had a neighbor doing fireworks in the middle of the road and they were landing on everyones homes..
- so I called the police and told them I want to be anonymous.. - They said no .. you have to provide your address and name, or we will not come out.. next thing I know they promised to keep my info private.. that was the last thing they did..
They parked the car in my driveway and then walked over to the neighbors and said I complained..
- I will let you guess how that worked out..
then the police rang my door bell to discuss with us they resolved the issue.. [ biggest joke ever ]

Lesson learned - let someone else complain.. because now I have a life long enemy.. which has lasted over 7 years [ they now try to make our life horrible ].. and Police now say we will not longer come out unless someone is dead or bleeding..

Let it go.. trust me on this one..
criminals will always win in our society..The system is built that way..

Bottom line is if someone is using illegal substances in any building that offends neighbours, they should be charged with the offence, and then at the super's discretion, evicted. They are afoul of the law.

Because we know where it leads...

http://nimbintelevision.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/reefer-madness.jpg

My first thought is that if you are looking for a way to elicit a reasonable response from an unreasonable person, you are going to be looking for a long time. So if you aren't able to live with the situation as is, you need to be prepared to bring the noise, so to speak.

Tenancy laws are different in Saskatchewan vs. Ontario, but this is somewhat advantageous since Ontario has some of the strongest tenant protection laws in Canada, which makes it difficult to do anything about problem tenants. There's probably a number of things similar in spirt, but the process will be different--check locally.

Regardless of province, if this is some kind of government program for housing, however, it's extra-difficult, since they usually don't like moving people out of one place since they will have to put that person somewhere else (assuming there's a spot available) and deal with the situation all over again.

Your best bet is to address the housing authority. Write letters, document things specifically (date, time, place, exactly what happened, etc.) If he's been unpleasant to a lot of people, get other people to write letters as well.... one person complaining about another person simply becomes a "he said, she said" and probably not much will be done. Multiple people complaining may make a difference. Focus on how his actions are interfering with your reasonable enjoyment as a tenant.

That said, people have a right to be unpleasant. If you are talking about actions he's taking that bother you (e.g., smoke fumes in your apartment) you are standing on firmer ground, but (at least in Ontario) people do have a lawful right to smoke in their own apartments (I'll get to the substance part below). If it's personality issues, then focus on how his behaviour makes you feel threatened, unsafe, frightened, etc., but if the substance of the complaint boils down to "he's not a nice person" that's not much to go on. A lot of factual, written complaints may compel housing authorities to try to do something, but from what you've said so far, their hands may also be tied.... there's a very large category of unpleasant behaviours that don't result in the result in anyone being able to do anything about it.

As for the marijuana angle, yes, it is against the law, but how things are enforced vary from place to place. What I can tell you about here is that calling the police to report your neighbour smoking pot is very unlikely to result in his arrest--your complaint isn't exactly strong evidence. (The police have no idea if your complaint is legit or if you are some mean lady making up stuff to get your neighbour in trouble, you know?) They might come and talk to him, but seeing as they've interacted with him a lot and it's changed nothing, I don't see how one more conversation is going to change much.

In Ontario, illegal actions are grounds for eviction. Practically speaking, however, that's difficult to enforce without very strong proof that something illegal has happened. (i.e., I can give someone a notice that I am evicting them, but that doesn't mean that I can get a legal order to evict without proving it at a hearing.) The best kind of proof is the police charging someone. The police aren't likely to do that without very strong evidence on their own which usually means that the police observed the criminal activity with their own eyes.... unless he's dumb enough inhale and then to blow marijuana smoke in the police's face, that seems unlikely. We have tenants who are drug dealers, where the police know they are drug dealers, but since the police aren't actually inside their apartments observing the transactions taking place, nothing can be concretely proven.... so nothing can be done.

As I said, this will vary from place to place. Writing letters and documenting everything is still worthwhile to pursue, but it will be an uphill battle.

Good luck.

Medicinal? Not likely. At one time he was on about 30 prescriptions - he's on welfare so meds are free - he stumbles around and mumbles to himself. He's diabetic and on insulin. Would smoking make it better?

if he's on that much medication, then there's a good chance that yes, pot would make it better. It's often used to ease nausea.

It's way too late for being nice to him. He's angry and aggressive and on so many drugs, booze and toot, that as I said there would be bloodshed.


well it seems he has some serious issues, but honestly i'd say pot would be the least of them, and IMO if i had a potentially violent and aggressive neighbour the last thing i'd want to do would be for him to stop smoking pot, as at least that would mitigate that type of behaviour.

No advice from me, except that I feel for you. Mrs. ehMax and I lived in an apartment while I was going to college and we had our first newborn child. We had a neighbor that was always smoking up and wafting into our apartment and was very pungent. He was noisy, and had a temper. Once a car was in his parking spot, so he rammed it out of the way.

I tried talking with him, leaving letters and nothing helped. I then went the route of calling the police, and that didn't help much. Even in the instance when he clearly rammed a car, they knocked on his door and wouldn't come out and they just left because they had no eye-witness proof.

My only next move would of been beating the crap out of him :) but not a good path to go down. Our only "solution / resolution" to the problem was moving, and it was a happy day when we didn't live next to him.

We're in a house now, and luckily have had good neighbors for the most part for the past 17 years.

I feel for you and sorry you're going through a bad neighbor. :(

To me, the issue is simply unwanted air pollution. I would be equally upset about legal toxic smoke, such as tobacco. I have no tolerance or sense of humour when it comes to being poisoned in my own living room.

maybe one of these door draft stops, problem solved no violence and nobodies feeling hurt.
http://www.ehmac.ca/attachments/everything-else-eh/24814d1344824344-my-neighbor-smokes-wacky-tabaky-images.jpeg



Based on much of what other people have said and the reasons for why you are facing quite the battle, mitigating the problem is probably your best solution.

So jamesB's idea is probably one of the best solutions to your situation... also there are what are called "air sponges (http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/HomeDecor/HomeFragrances/PRD~0530162P/Air%252BSponge.jsp?locale=en)" that absorb odours and you could also look at an air purifier.

LOL! I just had the craziest picture pop in my head... my mom (who will portray Winwintoo since her name is also Margaret and they're probably close in age) with a Febreze deordorant spray in her hand spraying this guy every time they meet in an elevator or on the stair.

I feel for Margaret... it's bad enough being in a elevator with a smoker, never mind having to live near one. I hate the smell of smoke too.

As a former smoker I hate, (can't stand and makes me puke) the smell of smoke.

If we're talking about mitigation, Margaret might want to try creating a positive pressure system in her apartment. This consists of putting a fan in the window closest to the entry door (where the smoke is coming in) and blowing air into her apartment. This will slightly increase the pressure in the room so that instead of air flowing from the hallway into her apartment, any potential airflow will be from her apartment into the hallway. (And then cook something flavourful so everyone on the floor can be jealous of the good smells coming from your apartment.)

Most people make odour issues worse by trying to vent air out (ie turning on an exhaust fan). What this does is creates a vacuum in the apartment, which will draw more air from the hallway into the apartment. If you do turn on an exhaust fan, make sure you have a window open.

Kosh, I might try that! I think I would like your mother.

Sonal, thanks for your analysis of the situation. I value your input.

I don't think I could do the pressure thing. Our hallways are pressurized as a safety measure. I do use my air conditioner most of the time so that should be the same sort of thing.

I spoke to the tenant relations person at housing and she asked me to write a letter describing my observations. I hope I managed to be diplomatic. I focused on what I observe as health problems that he has. They want more information before they can act so they've asked me to document what I can. Whether I call the police or housing does, the police can't act on hearsay. Housing can't act without proof.

When I don't feel like being Miss Marple, I will place a thick bath towel across the bottom of the door. I have Febreeze on my shopping list.

As always I appreciate all of your comments.

I had this exact problem about three years ago.

I lived in a row house and the neigbor sat outside smoking weed on his porch, sure enough the overhang made the smoke waft into every open window along the row.

I was patient initially but then it became an everyday thing. I had a newborn and a young daughter, and was no longer able to open our windows any evening. That was it for me.

I went over an told him that I was no longer going to tolerate it. I didn't ask or say anything suggesting I was open to any discussion. He did spew out that Marijuana counter-culture coolness blather, I simply told him about my children. He go angry, I got angrier. I told him if he was out there the next day I would call the cops. He said he didn't believe me, I told him it was a promise.

No more smoking. Yes he became my enemy for life (our till I moved). I really didn't care. The discomfort from his habit was worse then knowing he didn't like me. Many neigbors actually thanked me after, saying they wanted to say something but were afraid.

So my advice is be careful, but don't let someone's illegal habit change your quality of living or your family's.

^

Excellent input. Thanks for doing the right thing. :clap:

Yes he became my enemy for life (our till I moved). I really didn't care. The discomfort from his habit was worse then knowing he didn't like me. Many neigbors actually thanked me after, saying they wanted to say something but were afraid.

So my advice is be careful, but don't let someone's illegal habit change your quality of living or your family's.

sadly the common denominator is the innocent party always moving..
as criminals are well protected by the lazy police who could careless unless someone is bled out and you have witnesses..

I re read the thread and it seems that two things are common.. 1. the innocent having to move and 2. gaining a life long enemy..

Sadly, the ones that complain or stand up, because others can't be bothered..
will pay for it in the long run.. so I suggest the OP move and make your life easier.. unless you are ready for relentless harassment, once they know it was you.

Good Luck.

BTW - who ever says stand up and do something about it [ think twice ].. as they don't know what its like to go through the legal paths and then have nothing done except gaining an enemy for life.

Pick the fight if you are willing for it to last forever, if not just move.

Margaret, do keep documenting things and sending written letters to the housing authority.

Given what you describe, it could very well be that they would like an excuse to get rid of him too, but need more ammunition in the form of written complaints from other tenants.

It's an ongoing frustration of mine to have tenants complain about some of the more troublesome people in the building, but not put anything in writing. It gives me very little to work with.

A couple drops of concentrated lemon juice on a Kleenix taped to the front of your A/C unit will probably be far more effective than Febreeze. We use this method, if a skunk wanders by on a night when the window is open.

I am pretty sure we found it in small vials near the vanilla in the baking aisle of the Supermarket.

Edit: It was Lemon Extract I was thinking of. We use a small room fan to circulate it around the room.

My apartment management promptly installed extra door seals around my door in the same situation (I thought it might have been effective to seal the smoker's door too, but it solved the problem, mostly).

BTW - who ever says stand up and do something about it [ think twice ].. as they don't know what its like to go through the legal paths and then have nothing done except gaining an enemy for life.

Oddly, the neighbours never band together for this sort of thing. Everyone is afraid to complain themselves, but what if they all do it at once?

Oddly, the neighbours never band together for this sort of thing. Everyone is afraid to complain themselves, but what if they all do it at once?

It's virtually impossible to get people to get together let alone to agree and band together. Just the way human nature is, as they figure some one else will take the brunt of it.

That is the issue because you may come forward to management saying 'everyone' is agreeing with you but the question they will ask where is 'everyone then'.
Then you are the bed guy.

Lesson learned, unless you have few to come forward together, don't as you will suffer the most for everyone.