Friday, May 9, 2008

My Neighbor Says I Can't Smoke in My Own Home!

I got a call from a distressed homeowner. She just moved into her condo and was unsure about the rules. She said her neighbor was upset at her for smoking. She said the man really just doesn't like her and is going to report her to us. Therefore, she wanted to find out what the rules are. I explained the rules about no smoking in common areas. She said she wasn't; she was smoking in her condo. The neighbor complained that when she smoked in her condo, he could smell the smoke in his. (this is highly unlikely due to the way the condos are built). She went on to say that this guy really just didn't like her and was mean and unfriendly from the day she moved in.

I explained to her that I had not gotten any calls of complaint about her and also shared that many people are afraid of change and it takes them a while to get used to new people or events. She felt better about that, but insisted that he was going to call the Village and file a complaint about her and wanted to know what to do if that happened. I explained that he was unlikely to do that, but if he did, she shouldn't worry. If he called the Village asking them to tell her that she couldn't smoke in her home, they would just laugh at him and tell him that he couldn't dance naked in front of his mirror. This made her laugh and relieved some of her stress. According to her, I made her day. I never heard anything more from either homeowner.