Problems with unwanted drafts

Hey, I moved into a newly built apartment (student dormitory), which is more like a room with a small attached bathroom. Unfortunately, my room is located directly above the entrance, where people smoke very often and a lot. Now I have the problem that when the windows are closed, an extreme cigarette smell comes into my room. Since everything is relatively new, I would say that the window seals still seal well, and I would suspect these "mandatory ventilation" slots above. There are two of them directly above the windows, each with a little dial, which should actually allow me to restrict the airflow. I turned the dials to closed, but the smell is still there, and sometimes I feel a slight draft, although I'm not sure if I'm just imagining it. Now my question was whether you think it's okay if I just tape over the slots and see if the smell hopefully disappears. Would the risk of mold then be so enormous? I'm really desperate by now and would appreciate any replies!

Best regards

First, you report the odor nuisance to the landlord.

First, report the odor nuisance to the landlord.

Yes, I already wrote to the student services about it, but that was several months ago, and the inquiry went unanswered. In general, the student services are not very helpful and also very unfriendly on the phone, but I will try again.

hello,

since these are, as you rightly say, forced ventilators, you can regulate them but not turn them off / completely close them. A fixed exchange of air must always take place to prevent mold.

of course you can tape them up, that way you should at least find out if the smell only comes through here. Otherwise, you can check the draft with a lighter – then you’ll know if you’re imagining it. Since housing companies immediately point to the tenant when it comes to mold, you should only tape them up for testing (e.g. 1 week, but then really ventilate regularly), not too long so you don’t get into trouble.

good luck

Well, it is of course supposed to mean much success, but short texts are forbidden ;)

I tested again just now, and it should definitely be the ventilation slots. My entire apartment is only 16 m^2, the bathroom maybe 2 m^2, and since the bathroom door doesn't close properly, I always keep it open. If I now tape over the slots, maybe the fan in the bathroom will help? It runs every time the light was on, about 5 minutes afterwards, that probably doesn't help much, but if I don't do something about the smell, I'm slowly going crazy :/