When a new tenant moved into an apartment with a covered balcony for smoking, they never expected a confrontation over it.
But soon enough, an upstairs neighbor demanded that the smoker change their routine, claiming the smoke drifted into his home and disrupted his fresh air.
With tensions rising, the smoker refused, sparking a heated debate.
Check it out.
AITA for refusing to inconvenience myself over somebody else’s problem?
Recently I moved in to a new flat with my friend.
We’ve looked into renting a flat specifically with a balcony, cause we are both smokers.
To be honest, I’d probably be okay smoking in my room, since I roll my own cigarettes (MacBaren Choice, if anyone’s interested) that don’t have any horrid smell, but usually landlords (ours including) forbid this, and I don’t wanna risk it.
The flat is on a second flood out of 4, that’s gonna be important (tho I guess just in a way that it’s not the last floor).
For two months everything was good and dandy, but yesterday I’ve had my first encounter with our upstairs neighbor.
Can’t wait for this one.
I went for a smoke after coming home from work (~ 2 am) and as I’m standing on my balcony and enjoying my last ciggie of the day, I hear someone going “Good evening. Can you not smoke on your balcony?”
I look above me, a little bit confused and see someone sticking his head out of the window. “Evening. And why should I not do it?”
The neighbor then started a rant about how the smoke goes up and into his apartment, woke him up.
He’s been patient for a while, but now can’t take it anymore, how he has a right to a healthy life and doesn’t want my filthy habits to impact it, and so on.
He then suggests that I should smoke in a kitchen or go completely outside, cause he doesn’t like the smell.
“So you’re saying I can’t smoke in my apartment on the balcony, because you don’t like it?
You mentioned you have a right to a healthy life, don’t I have a right to do with mine whatever I want?
I didn’t come to your home and start smoking after all, can’t you just close your window and move on?”
To which he replied “But it’s hot outside! I don’t wanna close my window.”
Beggars can’t be choosers?
Now at this point, I’m not confused anymore, just startled from his sheer audacity.
“So let me get this straight, you don’t like me smoking here, at my place, but you don’t wanna inconvenience yourself by closing the window. Instead, you want me to do something differently, even tho it’s you who has a problem with how things are, that about right?”
“Yes.”
“Well okay then,” I replied and lighted another roll-up, ignoring his following threats to pour cold water on me whenever I’m smoking. Since by the time I finished he was still going on about pouring water, I simply said “Yeah, you do that,” and headed inside.
So I guess the question is, am I the wrong one here, or is he just an entitled jerk after all?
Caught between their right to enjoy the balcony and the neighbor’s desire for an open window without smoke, neither side seems willing to budge.
Who should back down here?
Reddit thinks the poster has to, because she’s being an inconsiderate jerk.
This person says it like it is.
This person says this is totally rude.
And this person says it’s definitely nice to think about neighbors in this context.
Sometimes, it’s not just the smoke that’s clouding the air—it’s the egos too.
No one likes smokers except other smokers.
If you liked this post, you might want to read this story about a teacher who taught the school’s administration a lesson after they made a sick kid take a final exam.