Information  /  Smoking in the home

You do not have to wait until everyone has quit smoking to make the home safer. The rule that works is simple: smoking happens outside, every time.

Last reviewed: 30th September 2026

Not by an open door or window. Move away from the building so smoke is less likely to drift back inside.

Children’s lungs, airways and immune systems are still developing. Second-hand smoke is linked with asthma, chest infections, ear infections and other illness.

A smoke-free home also means children see smoking less often as part of everyday family life.

Keeping the home smoke-free matters during pregnancy and after birth. If the pregnant person or someone else in the household smokes, free support is available.

If smoke is drifting into your home from another flat, shared area or neighbouring property, the route depends on where it is coming from.

Shared areas in blocks of flats: communal lifts, stairways and other shared parts of a dwelling are required to be smoke-free in Wales. If smoking is happening there, report it to the landlord, housing association or building manager.

Smoke from another private home: private dwellings are generally not covered by Wales’s smoke-free law. If smoke is repeatedly entering your home, keep a simple record of when it happens and where it seems to enter. If you rent, report it in writing to your landlord or housing association and ask whether shared ventilation, gaps, ducts or other building routes can be checked. Avoid blocking required ventilation yourself.

If the problem is persistent or affecting health: your local council’s environmental health team can advise. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, councils in Wales must take reasonably practicable steps to investigate complaints about potential statutory nuisance. Whether tobacco smoke reaches that legal threshold depends on the circumstances, so not every complaint will lead to formal action.

Our 2026 social-housing report also includes new survey findings on smoking inside the home among social-housing respondents.

Tobacco smoke leaves chemicals on clothes, hair, furnishings and surfaces after the cigarette has gone out. This is sometimes described as third-hand smoke.

Smoking outside is still the most useful immediate step if someone is not ready to quit. Washing hands and avoiding smoking immediately beside babies or children can reduce additional exposure, but these steps do not make indoor smoking safe.

Making the home smoke-free is still worth doing. It can be a separate decision from quitting cigarettes completely.

When you are ready to think about quitting, you can start with a conversation rather than a commitment.

Help Me Quit offers free NHS support, quit aids and practical help across Wales. You do not need a GP referral.