When choosing tenants for your next let it is essential that you evaluate all the risks but also consider each person as an individual instead of branding them with a label e.g. smoker. Tenants that smoke are often a group that is over looked by landlords because they are seen as too risky when it comes to causing damage to properties. However, there is no point ruling out a whole group of people because they are smokers, they could prove to be wonderful tenants.
Damage
There is no denying that the most common cause of house fires is cigarettes. They usually can be put out quickly but while the fire is burning they can cause a lot of damage. It is not just when the cigarettes set something alight that can cause irreparable damage but the ash can be just as costly.
A small cigarette burn in the sofa or carpet is not unusual. This kind of damage often means a claim on the landlord insurance policy to put it right again, however if you are letting to non-smokers this of course is not a problem.
House Rules
Renting a property to tenants who smoke can be a great partnership if some house rules are set out in the contract first. You are entitled to ask the tenant to not smoke within the property and generally people are happy to adhere to this. By doing this, it means you have instantly reduced the chance of damage caused by cigarettes inside your property.
Precautions
If you are aware that you are letting to smokers then you must ensure you have made extra provisions. Fire alarms are essential in all homes but even more so if you are renting to a smoker, it may even be a good idea to fit a few more in different rooms. Also asking your tenants to regularly clean the property will mean that there is less chance of stains on the ceiling or walls caused by the cigarette smoke.
Generally the smell is held in soft furnishings so if you provide some cleaning tools to help with keeping these clean and smoke free, your tenant is more likely to help you out. Of course renting to smokers is not the only risk you can take in this industry but it is one to consider and not to right off completely.