Unwanted smells caused by your neighbours

What you can do

Apartment complexes are home to people with a range of different needs – meaning that mutual consideration is key to ensuring everyone can live together in harmony. When it comes to smells, it’s worth remembering that not everyone feels the same way about particular odours, and people responsible for a smell might not even notice it any more. Usually, your neighbours aren’t being inconsiderate – it’s possible that they’re not even aware that they’re causing a particular smell. That’s why it normally helps to speak to them directly and ask if they can be a little more mindful.

Cooking, smoking, keeping pets: here’s what to do

Your flavourful lunch might taste amazing, but the smell may well be just too much for your neighbours. If it’s a one-off, it’s reasonable to expect that they will show some understanding. But what if the smell is caused by a neighbour’s everyday habits?

Probably the most common of these daily activities is smoking. In principle, the right to smoke is a personal freedom and cannot be banned. However, the smoke needs to remain within certain limits. If you’re bothered by constant fumes from a neighbour’s flat, chat to them and your property manager about it. 

Barbecuing is permitted in principle. That said, the tenancy agreement or house rules may prohibit the use of charcoal barbecues; check in individual cases.

Like smoke, pets can cause smells (and resentment) in apartments. If multiple residents find the smell to be an issue, it’s worth trying to talk to the tenant in question – which applies in every other situation, too. You need to find out whether the landlord allows pets but also what can be done to minimise the smell.

Contact us or your property manager to discuss what to do in a specific instance.

By the way, you can find more questions and answers in our FAQs.