Plugging and Purifying to Fight Cigarette Smoke

Edited questions from Apartment Life, Sara Gebhardt's online discussion about rental issues.

Q: Arlington: How should I deal with cigarette smoke wafting in from neighboring apartments?

Every night between 10 p.m. and midnight, the smell of cigarettes seeps into my kitchen, which drives me crazy because my bed is next to the kitchen in my studio apartment.

I've talked to my building's management repeatedly, but there doesn't seem to be anything that can be done because it's an older building and would need extensive renovation to rectify the problem. So I've been forced to open the windows a lot and buy an air purifier.

A: This is a constant issue. In my research, I've found that plugging holes, gaps and cracks -- even wall electrical outlets -- helps stop the flow of smoke. Air purifiers, particularly HEPA filters, tend to get good reviews, too. Because smoke is so persistent, it is a difficult problem to deal with.

Washington: I am getting ready to move out of a large complex into an apartment within a house that is being rented to me by an individual. It appears that the current tenant won't be out until the end of the month, and I have to move in the first few days of July because my current lease will expire. What's an individual landlord's responsibility to clean, repaint, etc.? It just doesn't seem as if he'll have time to do that kind of cleaning before I move in.

When an apartment turns over, a landlord is responsible for cleaning the unit and getting it ready for the next tenant. Even private owners can arrange to have this done quickly, so make sure you tell him that you intend to move in right away. Most likely, he has planned for this, but just in case, give him some warning that he will need to have it done before your move-in date.

Alexandria: I've been living in my apartment for seven months, and the managers have failed to fix our windows, which leak every time it rains. We've asked them about the delay, and every time they say they're waiting on contractors and that they've ordered new bricks that haven't arrived. Meanwhile, the leaks have caused paint damage and an ever-increasing buildup of mold and would have damaged the carpet and some personal property had I not put down plastic and moved my electronics.

I checked the handbook and called the local office that handles tenant-landlord issues. Is there anything else I should do to get the apartment company to fix the leaky windows?

You checked the handbook and called the local office, and what happened? Did you file a complaint against your landlord? Just calling and reading won't make your landlord step into action.

You could mention that you have investigated the management company's responsibility to fix the issue and are contemplating filing a complaint. That may get them to take your problem seriously.

Sara Gebhardt's Apartment Life column appears biweekly in this section, and her Web chat appears monthly onhttp://www.washingtonpost.com. The next chat is scheduled for July 5 at 2 p.m.