As a rental property owner or manager, maintaining the integrity of your property and ensuring a safe, enjoyable environment for tenants is a top priority.
In recent years, vaping has become a popular alternative to traditional smoking, which has created a new challenge for property owners – how to manage vaping within rental properties.
We’re going to look at whether landlords and property owners should install vape detectors in their rental, and the benefits for going down this route.
Understanding vaping and its implications
Vaping is sometimes referred to as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) or similar devices designed for users to inhale vapourised liquids. Unlike traditional cigarettes, vaping does not produce smoke, instead creating a vapour that often contains a mix of nicotine, flavourings, and other chemicals.
Although vaping has been marketed as a safer alternative to smoking, it’s not without its risks and controversies.
For property owners, the key concerns revolve around potential damage to property and assets, health implications for tenants and visitors, and compliance with smoking policies and regulations.
Why should I install a vape detector in my rental property?
Potential damage to your property
One of the main reasons landlords install vape detectors is to prevent property damage. Although vaping does not produce smoke, it can still cause issues, including:
- Residue buildup: the vapour from e-cigarettes can leave an oily residue on walls, ceilings, and furniture. Over time, this buildup can be challenging and expensive to clean, often requiring repainting or deep cleaning between tenants. It’s especially tricky if you have a high turnover of visitors, such as in Airbnb’s.
- Odours: While vape scents are generally more pleasant (they’re commonly fruity, sweet flavours) and less persistent than cigarette smoke, certain substances can still leave a noticeable smell. This can be problematic when trying to maintain a fresh and neutral environment for new tenants, or for creating a strong business reputation from paying visitors.
- Electrical and fire hazards: It’s less common than with traditional cigarettes, but there’s been instances of vape devices malfunctioning and causing fires, especially if discarded incorrectly. The devices use batteries, which need to be disposed of safely. Ensuring tenants and visitors do not misuse vape pods and devices is crucial for property safety.
Potential health and safety concerns from vaping
While vaping is often considered less harmful than smoking, it’s definitely not without health concerns, and these concerns are continuing to grow with more research and data being discovered:
- Second-hand vapour: studies suggest that second-hand vapor, while less harmful than second-hand smoke, still contains nicotine and other potentially harmful substances. Some other toxic substances and particles, such as lead, have been found inside vapes. Non-vaping tenants may be exposed to these chemicals, leading to potential health issues and complaints (which can impact your property’s reputation and impact your earning potential).
- Regulatory compliance: though not illegal indoors, or in public and private spaces just yet, some areas might enforce regulations. And as a landlord, you must stay compliant with local policies and emerging laws to avoid fines and legal issues.
Potential tenant dissatisfaction and retention impact
Creating a comfortable and safe living environment is crucial for tenant satisfaction and retention, as well as repeat customers and positive word-of-mouth for Airbnb sites. Vape detectors can play a role in this:
- Clear policies: having vape detectors in place can help enforce no-smoking policies, ensuring that all tenants adhere to the rules, leading to fewer conflicts between tenants and helping to maintain a harmonious living environment.
- Appealing to non-smokers: many tenants, especially families with young children, prefer living in or visiting smoke-free environments. By installing vape detectors, you can attract and retain tenants who value a clean and healthy living space.
Things to consider when choosing a vape detector
So, you’ve decided you want to install vape detectors in your property. The next step is to consider some practical factors:
- Cost: vape detectors can be more expensive than traditional smoke detectors. Get an idea of budget and assess your options. Take a look at our StaySecure vape detectors to get an idea of what should expect from a vape detector.
- Placement: the placement of your vape detector is very important. Strategic placement plays a key role in effectiveness, you’ll want to focus on areas where vaping is more likely to occur, such as living rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms.
- Tenant communication: clearly communicate the presence and purpose of vape detectors to your tenants. Include information about vaping policies in the lease agreement (or in a guest handbook) and ensure tenants understand the consequences of violating these policies.
- Privacy concerns: some tenants may have privacy concerns about the installation of any monitoring devices. Address these concerns transparently, ensuring tenants that the detectors are solely for enforcing no-smoking policies and maintaining a safe environment.
Weighing the pros and cons of vape detectors
Let’s recap over the pros and cons of installing vape detectors in your rental property:
Pros:
- Property protection: vape detectors prevent residue buildup and potential damage, reducing maintenance costs.
- Health and Safety: they minimise exposure to second-hand vapour, promoting a healthier living environment.
- Policy enforcement: they help enforce no-smoking policies, ensuring compliance and reducing potential conflict with tenants or visitors.
- Tenant attraction: having vape detectors can be appealing to non-smokers and families looking for a smoke-free environment.
- More sensitive than smoke detectors: standard smoke detectors are not sensitive enough to detect vape smoke, and as vaping laws are changing all the time, it’s better to invest in a device that can detect vape vapour.
- Can double-up as a smoke detector: vape detectors don’t just detect smoke, they can also detect cigarette smoke, which means you only need one device instead of two.
- Positive reputation: having smoke detectors can not only prevent a turnover of tenants and loss of funds over disputes and maintenance issues, they can also increase your business revenue by generating positive visitor experiences.
- Robust and vandal-proof: our StaySecure vape detectors are designed to be robust and vandal-proof, giving you full peace of mind that your units aren’t easily tampered with.
Cons:
- Cost: there’s an initial upfront cost, which can look like units and installation fees, but the potential benefits will outweigh the financial investment over time.
- Privacy concerns: some tenants may view detectors as invasive, potentially leading to dissatisfaction. Strong communication is key.
- False alarms: vape detectors, like any technology, can sometimes produce false alarms, causing inconvenience for tenants.
Choosing a vape detector for your rental property
Ultimately, the decision to install vape detectors in your rental property depends on your specific circumstances and priorities, and for how long you intend to have the premises.
If you prioritise maintaining a clean, healthy, and compliant living environment and are willing to invest in the necessary technology, vape detectors can be a valuable addition to your property management toolkit.
Just be sure to find effective, high-quality devices, and pre-empt the potential inconveniences for guests by generating a handbook that offers clear communication, guidelines and boundaries.
Choosing to install a vape detector serves the interests of your property and its residents and is a strong investment in a changing regulatory landscape.
StaySecure vape detectors with Cirtec
Here at Cirtec, we provide vape detector solutions for every budget, charging per unit to allow you to scale if needs be.
With cloud management, app and text alerts and voice prompts, plus proven robust, vandal-proof units, our StaySecure vape detectors give you the tools you need to protect your property.
You can test the technology to see if it’s right for your needs by utilising our 30-day free trial.