What can I do to prevent smoke from drifting into my townhouse? – Rhonda, NSW

Smoke drift is a common strata problem. If your neighbour is smoking within the boundaries of their property, your owners corporation may not be able to enforce any restrictions as every owner has a right to enjoy their property in their own way.

Your owners corporation can designate other areas of the common property as smoking zones and notify all owners and residents of these areas with clear signages. You could have an open chat with your neighbour about how their habit is affecting you. If that doesn’t help, your owners corporation can mediate the discussion on your behalf.

You may check your by-laws about smoke related clauses and help your neighbour get familiar with them. If your by-laws aren’t covering smoking related information, your owners corporation may adopt a model by-law and make modifications regarding smoke drift to suit your property type.

Here’s an article with more information on the effects of breaching by-laws.