Tri City Rentals, a leading locally-owned apartment management company in the Capital Region, is set to implement a smoke-free policy across all of its properties by September 2025.
The transition began on Sunday, Sept. 1, and will affect all apartments in the area. The conversion is expected to be completed by Sept. 1, 2025, although some communities may complete the transition sooner.
“After years of converting our buildings individually, we’ve decided to implement a smoke-free policy across our entire Capital Region portfolio,” said Julie Massry Knox, Sales and Marketing Manager for Tri City Rentals. “This decision was driven by increasing interest from prospective tenants and the clear benefits to our residents’ health and safety.”
As part of the policy, current residents will be required to sign a smoke-free lease agreement upon renewal, which prohibits smoking and vaping in all indoor spaces, including individual apartments, and within 50 feet of the property.
Health experts, including the American Society for Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineering, have indicated that secondhand smoke exposure poses significant health risks, particularly for children and individuals with asthma and other conditions. The society states that the only way to eliminate indoor exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is to ban all smoking activities inside and near buildings.
The smoke-free policy is also a response to concerns over residential fire safety. Smoking remains a leading cause of residential fire deaths, with an estimated 7,800 fires, 275 deaths, 750 injuries, and $361.5 million in losses reported in 2021 due to residential building smoking fires.
“Everyone deserves to breathe smoke-free air in their homes, not just those who own their homes, but also those renting in multi-unit buildings,” said Jeanie Orr, Director of Capital District Tobacco-Free Communities (CDTFC). “I applaud Tri City Rentals for taking this step to give their residents a healthier, safer place to live.”
Tri City Rentals currently operates 27 apartment communities in the Capital Region, including The Glen at Sugar Hill, Park South Apartments, and 75 Willett, which are already completely smoke-free.
These properties represent 1,500 apartments, or 27% of the 5,600 units in the region. The company has gradually been converting buildings as units become vacant and has fully converted its properties in Buffalo to smoke-free status as of April 2024, with plans to complete the conversion of its Rochester properties this year.
CDTFC has been actively working with property management companies, including Tri City Rentals, United Group of Companies, DePaul Housing, and public housing authorities, to promote smoke-free housing policies throughout Albany, Schenectady, and Rensselaer counties.
The organization assists property owners by providing resources such as tenant surveys, sample policy language, and promotional signage.
“The success of our first completely smoke-free community, The Glen at Sugar Hill, encouraged us to continue offering smoke-free options for our residents,” said Massry Knox. “We are excited to now be able to provide all of our residents with a healthy and clean place to live.”
Tri City Rentals has managed premier apartment communities in upstate New York for over fifty years, with properties in Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga, and Warren counties, as well as significant presences in Monroe County (Greater Rochester) and Erie County (Greater Buffalo).
Capital District Tobacco-Free Communities is a program funded by the NYS Bureau of Tobacco Control and operated by St. Peter’s Health Partners. The program focuses on increasing support for New York State’s tobacco-free initiatives through youth action and community engagement, aiming to decrease youth tobacco use, encourage adult smokers to quit, and eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke.
For more information, visit smokefreecapital.org.
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