Smoke-free apartment complex in Almere: “The lease will be terminated if you smoke”

The “antisocial behavior of smokers” was an important motivation for project developer Robert Oostmeijer to build a smoke-free apartment complex. Oostmeijer told EditieNL: “I found out that on vacation we were all smoking in the morning during breakfast. Then we were surrounded again on the beach and on the terrace. You were really scared everywhere,” he said.

social control

The rental price clearly states that smoking is not allowed in and around the apartments. In this case, the tenant can collect his belongings. It sounds ridiculous, but the contract has not been renewed or terminated.”

But tight control is not necessary, according to Oostmeijer. Social control should already ensure that residents are deterred from smoking. According to him, there will be people who hate the smell of cigarettes anyway. “I know an assistant who no longer opens her office windows because there is smoking outside.”

middle lane

Bente London, manager of Beterburen, says it is a common problem that people are bothered by the smell of cigarettes from their neighbors. “It’s about the smell that comes into the house from top to bottom, or the smoke of someone smoking on the balcony or in the garden,” she explains to EditieNL. “On one side is the smoker who says, ‘This is my house’. On the other hand, there is a person who is ashamed and says that he is causing problems at home.”

That’s why it’s impossible to really ban someone from smoking, London thinks. The best solution is to talk about it with your neighbors to find common ground. A supporter of the Oostmeijer project knows that a smoking ban is de facto also legally difficult. “If you evict someone from the apartment, they can still take legal action.”

But he expects smoke-free apartments to be a success. According to him, there are even plans for 250 non-smoking apartments in Amstelveen.