November 6, 2026 at 2:55 pm

Her Downstairs Neighbor Keeps Smoking in a No-Smoking Apartment. She Told the Landlord

by Jayne Elliott

woman holding her nose due to a bad smell

Shutterstock

Imagine renting an apartment in a building that is non-smoking. What would you do if a neighbor moved in and started smoking? Would you talk to them about it, tell the landlord, or mind your own business?

In this story, one teacher is in this situation, and she can’t really ignore the smell since it has taken over her entire apartment. She tried talking to the neighbor about it, but that didn’t really work very well.

Now, she’s wondering if it was wrong to tell the landlord.

I think she did the right thing, but keep reading for all the details to see if you agree.

AITA for reporting my downstairs neighbors for smoking weed to the landlord

Here’s some context. Apartment is in a three floor townhouse.

I live in the upper two floors and the downstairs neighbor lives on the first.

I’ve lived here for half a year and the downstairs neighbor moved in last weekend. (9 days ago).

This is a big problem.

Ever since they moved in, my apartment has reeked of weed.

I have two air purifiers and it still smells.

I am a teacher and if I were to ever smell of weed, I would lose my job and certification.

She tried to talk to the neighbor about it.

The first day I went and talked to him about the weed. He said he would stop but sometimes his mother in law stops by and she smokes weed for her cancer.

I didn’t want to be a jerk so I just asked if they could mask the smell when she is over and let me know in advance.

The smell continued and got worse and I heard nothing from the downstairs neighbor.

She looped in the landlord.

I left a note a few days ago asking them to stop or find a way to mitigate the smell.

This morning the smell was terrible, it was so strong throughout my entire apartment.

I went ahead and let my landlord know since it’s a no smoking apartment.

Did I escalate this too quick?

The fact that it’s a no smoking apartment is the real issue here. The neighbor never should’ve moved into this apartment if he planned on smoking. No, I don’t think she escalated too quickly, especially since the smell could impact her job.

Let’s see if Reddit agrees.

This person would’ve reported it even sooner.

2026 11 05 at 10.32.58 AM Her Downstairs Neighbor Keeps Smoking in a No Smoking Apartment. She Told the Landlord

I completely agree with this comment.

2026 11 05 at 10.33.22 AM Her Downstairs Neighbor Keeps Smoking in a No Smoking Apartment. She Told the Landlord

This person thinks she did everything right.

2026 11 05 at 10.33.29 AM Her Downstairs Neighbor Keeps Smoking in a No Smoking Apartment. She Told the Landlord

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a man who finds his parking spot at a hocket game in jeopardy from a rude driver.

Someone who smokes weighs in.

2026 11 05 at 10.33.37 AM Her Downstairs Neighbor Keeps Smoking in a No Smoking Apartment. She Told the Landlord

There was really no other way to handle it. Obviously, at this point, it’s clear that the neighbor wasn’t going to stop smoking just because she asked nicely or left a note. It’s fair for the landlord to know that his tenant is breaking the rules. Hopefully, the landlord handles it.

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Jayne Elliott | Contributing Writer, Life & Drama

Jayne Elliott is a contributing writer and editor for TwistedSifter specializing in human interest stories, internet culture, and family dynamics. With over 12 years of editorial experience in digital publishing, Jayne excels at analyzing complex online communities and transforming viral social debates into thoughtful, highly engaging narratives.

Rather than simply aggregating internet drama, Jayne brings a sharp, empathetic editorial eye to everyday dilemmas. She has a unique talent for unpacking the nuances of pop culture and online conflicts, providing readers with relatable, well-researched commentary.

Based in California, Jayne spends her free time outside the newsroom exploring theme parks with her family or beach-combing along the coast.

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