I have lived in a lot of apartments and have never noticed a problem. Maybe they need to look at the structure of the building. Either way, if it was allowed when they moved in , they shouldn't have to stop IMO.
I totally agree with both your points, dear CindyDawg!
No smells permeate the mandatory firewall between our townhouses. I can barely hear my neighbor run his bath at 5:45 every morning, and presumably he can hear a trace of my nightowl television viewing. As for smells, the vegetarians in our townhome neighborhood better not start in about the slabs of meat grilling on the numerous side-by-side decks!
Nothing like having an joining patio with a cigar smoker whose wife makes him go outside to the patio to smoke. Eeewwww! His cigars did stink.
When neighbors smoke on their balconies, it comes in my windows. Since I live where there's no airconditioning (Pacific NW), you can't really close the windows in summer, so that really isn't an option in hot weather.
I lived in another building where the smoke would travel up the bathroom vents and into my bathroom. I'd open the bathroom door and it would be as if I had just finished a cigarette, and this was in a well-built luxury building.
I am all for people having the freedom to smoke, but in a group living environment, I'm not sure where the smoker's freedom meets my freedom not to be annoyed by the smell or exposed to carcinogens. Maybe I'm a bit picky about all this. But then, my stepfather is dying of lung cancer.