CURRY ODOR PREVENTION

Rental Property Investor · Closter, NJ · Member since 2015 · 884 posts · 722 votes

I recently listed a brand new, renovated apartment for rent on behalf of my client, the Landlord of an owner-occupied two-family house. The Landlord told me under no circumstances does he want that particular ethnic food cooked in the unit. I was curious if putting a paragraph in the Lease about odors, and curry specifically, could be grounds for a potential discrimination lawsuit?

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Mindy JensenPro Member

BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host · Longmont, CO · Member since 2014 · 7k+ posts · 10k+ votes

@Judy Parker now is a great time to educate your client about discrimination. Follow Fair Housing laws.

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Taylor L.
Rental Property Investor · RVA · Member since 2016 · 5k+ posts · 4k+ votes
6y
Definitely seems like it could be. The federal fair housing act protects tenants from discrimination on the basis of "race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status and disability."

Fair housing law and courts are rather strict, it's not worth playing with fire. If the place is vacated with significant lingering odors, that's one thing - but anybody can be smelly. It's not worth singling out one particular culture or nationality.
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Mindy JensenPro Member
BiggerPockets Money Podcast Host · Longmont, CO · Member since 2014 · 7k+ posts · 10k+ votes
6y
@Judy Parker now is a great time to educate your client about discrimination. Follow Fair Housing laws.
[email protected]Podcast Guest on Show #261
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Dennis M.
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
6y
I’ve rented to Nepalese and they use all that stinky crap in their cooking . You can clean the stove and range hood really good and run an ozone generator for several treatments . It will eventually go away . As far as renting to these types I can’t comment on that in the open forums due to fair housing laws
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Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Dennis M.:
I’ve rented to Nepalese and they use all that stinky crap in their cooking . You can clean the stove and range hood really good and run an ozone generator for several treatments . It will eventually go away . As far as renting to these types I can’t comment on that in the open forums due to fair housing laws
Dennis when I worked for a big syndicator in the early 80s doing their land acquisitions ( great job by the way it was all Comish best of both worlds) any way we had apartments in Stockton CA.. and there were a lot of SE Asian emigrants, and more than once we had them use the sink in the bathroom fill it with coals and use it to BBQ how they did not suffocate I don't know.. but ruined the units.

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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
6y
@Jay Hinrichs that's a new one! We had a Chemical Engineer from somewhere in Africa. Very bright but he thought it was ok to flush trash down the toilet. Literally anything. He also kept the heat on AND ran a space heater in the summer with 80-degree temps outside. Utility bills were ridiculous and the house was trashed by the time he left. Many foreigners have no idea how to maintain a modern home.
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Pratik P.
Flipper/Rehabber · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2016 · 807 posts · 815 votes
6y
Opening doors wide open for a lawsuit there
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Gagan M.
Member since 2019 · 15 posts · 7 votes
6y
Educate tenants to have some airflow in the home especially while cooking. Keeps the odors away.
It’s generally a problem in winter when a small apartment is fully sealed, having a temperature of 72+, and cooking is in progress.
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Dennis M.
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
6y
I’ve dealt with several cultures who keep frying oil in the apartment in gallon containers. They would fry a birthday cake if they could . These people have no concept of cholesterol or saturated fats lol So gross so unhealthy . It made the Place stink to high heaven !all the walls gross and sticky around the stove which in turn eventually brings cockroaches .( don’t ask me how I know)

you can harp on them and do inspections all you want but that’s how they have always been taught To cook and clean so your not going to litigate or force somebody’s culture out of them .screen your tenants folks
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Pat L.
Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y
I feel for you. We had an Asian guy in our dorm who would slow cook chicken gizzards in curry. All day the gut retching smell permeated everywhere. He was eventually told to STOP as we had a high end cafeteria/dining room on the grounds. I assume it was just a cultural thing for him to cook his own. But the final straw was him trapping pigeons at his window sill for the curry cook-in.
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Judy Parker
OP
Rental Property Investor · Closter, NJ · Member since 2015 · 884 posts · 722 votes
6y
Curry is an oil-based substance and it's odor clings to everything. It wafts throughout the entire building, affecting all the other occupants, and is impossible to get rid of.
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Dennis M.
Rental Property Investor · Erie, PA · Member since 2018 · 6k+ posts · 9k+ votes
6y
I got rid of curry with scrubbing walls down cleaning the oven and running my ozone machine like a mad man . The ozone machine really does wonders on curry
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Mark F.
Rental Property Investor · Northern NJ · Member since 2019 · 672 posts · 677 votes
6y
@Judy P. I looked up exemptions and federally if it was a SFR its exempt. It even says multifamily
under 4 units are exempt. However, it also says in the same paragraph the rental advertising must comply. How odd. I'd post the screenshot but dont know how to on the BP app.
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Jay HinrichsBusiness Member
Real Estate Consultant · Summerlin, NV · Member since 2014 · 45k+ posts · 66k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Mark F.:
@Judy P. I looked up exemptions and federally if it was a SFR its exempt. It even says multifamily
under 4 units are exempt. However, it also says in the same paragraph the rental advertising must comply. How odd. I'd post the screenshot but dont know how to on the BP app.
Most big cities will have their own versions that don't allow the federal laws to rule .. but it is one of the main benefits of house hacking a duples or 4 plex in markets you only have to follow fed guidelines.

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Mark F.
Rental Property Investor · Northern NJ · Member since 2019 · 672 posts · 677 votes
6y
@Jay Hinrichs Gotcha. Yeah when I was looking at township ordinances in NJ doing research for rent control, almost all state owner occupied exemptions from 2 to units. Like you said, always good to know your city specifically.
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Ana Marie B.
Rental Property Investor · SF Bay Area, CA · Member since 2015 · 206 posts · 156 votes
6y
Didn’t have a chance to read all comments, but want to say that curry is no joke! In some cases it can be worse than cigarette smoke. I recall attending open houses in SF Bay Area where the vacated, lovely house reeked of curry and the house would not sell. The poor agent tried everything to remove/mask the odor to no avail.
Due to this experience, I asked my property mgr. about adding a clause to the lease that passes fed guidelines but keeps my home “safe.” Our property mgr. added a line to the lease about no “nuisance odors” or something to that effect (I can check the actual language if needed). But it’s been fine and the rental is in very tenant friendly SF Bay Area.
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Shadonna N.
Developer · . · Member since 2014 · 520 posts · 162 votes
6y
Originally posted by @Mindy Jensen:
@Judy Parker now is a great time to educate your client about discrimination. Follow Fair Housing laws.

Educate your client? How does a realtor not know that?
1 Reply
Anthony Rosa
Rental Property Investor · New York City · Member since 2019 · 703 posts · 538 votes
6y
At work, we threw out a perfectly fine microwave because of food odors.
To live with it unwillingly would be considered unfair.
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