Glendale versus the surrounding Denver neighborhoods
Glendale
- Mostly apartment and condo complexes, many from the 1960s through 1980s, plus newer buildings
- City of Glendale handles permits and code questions
- Arapahoe County
- High share of renters and frequent turnover
Nearby Denver neighborhoods
- More single-family homes, from early-1900s to new
- Denver Community Planning and Development handles permits
- City and County of Denver
- More long-term owner occupancy
If you own a Glendale condo with smoke odor
- Read the association's rules on smoking in units, on balconies and on patios.
- Find out whether your heating and cooling unit, often a wall or closet unit in complexes of this era, is owner or association responsibility.
- Check the unit's original carpet, pad and closet shelving; many units still have builder materials.
- Ask the manager for contractor requirements before scheduling work.
- If smoke is drifting in, start a written log and contact the manager.
- Before any work that might need a permit, confirm with the City of Glendale.
Renters and landlords
Because so much of Glendale's housing is rental, smoke odor often comes up at turnover. A landlord preparing a unit after a smoking tenant faces the same residue problem as any homeowner: ceilings, closets, carpet and pad, the wall or closet HVAC unit, and window coverings. Paint over unprimed film and the next tenant will smell it the first cold week.
Renters moving into a unit that smells of smoke should note it on the move-in condition report in writing, with photos, and ask the landlord before signing what will be done. Renters bothered by smoke drifting from another unit can document it the same way an owner would and bring it to the property manager. For questions about rights and obligations under a lease, Colorado landlord-tenant resources or an attorney can help.
Complexes along the creek often have balconies and patios close together, so drift through open windows in warm months is a common complaint, separate from the winter pattern of smoke moving through walls and shafts.
Common questions
Do Denver's rules apply in Glendale?
Not automatically. Glendale adopts and enforces its own codes, even though it is surrounded by Denver. For anything involving permits, inspections or local ordinances, ask the City of Glendale directly.
Is odor in an older Glendale complex always from smoking?
No. Units in older buildings can also smell musty from past leaks or stale from neglected wall units. A wipe test on the ceiling and closet shelving usually shows whether tobacco film is part of the picture.
General information for Cherry Creek, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.