Matt,

The following http://www.smokefreeapartments.org/ is a great resource. Also, Guardian Management located in Portland, Oregon went smoke free as a portfolio a couple of years ago. Here is a link to a good story about it; http://www.multihousingnews.com/multihousing/content_display/industry-news/e3ieb3b32f41100f508e6bfae9c1318274c for more information.

I applaud you and encourage you to go for it!

Matt,

I was just at our CA Apartment Association meeting and visited Rick Caruso's Americana Apartments. They are a completely non-smoking property and have not had any problems with it. With rents up to $3800, it has not hindered their ability to attract residents. I would encourage you to go for it. Think of it as another amenity for non-smokers....

As for the new lease up, I hope it is successful for you. Consider not giving away too many concessions in this environment. You want to create value but that's not only with FREE RENT or CASH. Consider alternatives, thinking outside the box, that will allow you to keep a high perceived value without all the expense, like cruise incentives. Check out http://www.AIMcruise.com. They also provide great marketing materials (free)for properties, and it should save you a lot of money on your lease up.

Matt, Have you considered the new electronic cigarettes? They are completely smoke free and actually much healthier for your residents. if you do allow smoking you could require only those type of cigarettes in the new building. The property could even make income off of them. If you want to check them out go to worryfreesmokes.com. I have some of my residents who have tried them and love them. Also, It might help with the property insurance bacause there is no risk of fire.

We offer a smoke free building in Oakdale, Minnesota. Our community has seven buildings, and we transitioned one building to smoke free last year. Check out: http://www.mnsmokefreehousing.org. The group will help you set up a smoke free building in Minnesota. They helped us by providing example notification letters and lease addenda as well as signs and promotional materials. Having a smoke free building is a great selling point for many prospects! Go for it!

Matt,

My company built a community a little over a year ago and went 100% smoke free. It was very well received and such a big hit! Our newest property which I work at, they decided to also go with 100% smoke free. I am a leasing consultant here and I'd say 98% of people LOVE it! The 2% who don't being smokers. We sell it as an amenity and it works! We have also incorporated it into our lease as an addendum.