The Experience With Smoke-Free Policies in Affordable Multiunit Housing in North Carolina: A Statewide Survey

Smoke-Free Multiunit Housing Policy: Caretakers’ Perspectives on Economic and Personal Impacts

“…This study, therefore, highlights several mechanisms—labor, supplies, and capital costs—by which smoke-free policies may result in cost savings for MUH operators. While previous studies show that MUH operators report cost savings at smoke-free properties [ 11 , 12 ], this study fills gaps in knowledge about what factors may contribute to these cost savings.…”

“…However, we found during analysis that individual property savings were reinvested into property operations, making it impossible to decipher true cost savings related to the smoke-free policy. Other studies have examined the differences in turnover costs by relying on respondents’ estimates of costs rather than actual cost records [ 11 , 12 ]; these estimates may be subject to recall bias and cannot be easily independently verified. Future research should examine whether there are methods to capture the cost savings from smoke-free policies in methodologically rigorous ways.…”

“…Ong et al [ 11 ] found that properties with a comprehensive smoke-free policy experienced fewer smoking-related costs than properties with a partial or non-existent smoke-free policy, with properties experiencing average smoking-related costs of $282 per unit. Further, in a study of affordable housing properties in North Carolina, property managers reported that turnover costs are on average $348 higher in units where tenants have smoked [ 12 ].…”