A number of weeks ago, a new tenant moved into the condo directly next to my mother's condo, at which time the strong odor of cigarette smoke began to waft in whenever the air conditioning comes on. It doesn't appear to be coming through the walls, as the odor very distinctly comes in through the ducts.
My mother, who has asthma, had someone look at her unit (on the roof) on a preliminary basis. The guy went up on the roof and said that everything looks "normal" and that her uptake of air is at least 15 feet away from that of the neighboring unit. He said he couldn't see any reason why it would be happening. I'm assuming the ventilation system and ducts of each unit are completely independent, though I'm not sure. (the property management contracted by the Homeowner's Association was no help).
Is it possible for there to be a leak in the ducts of my Mom's system that could draw smoke from the ducts of, or directly from, the neighboring unit? How difficult is it to determine whether this is what's happening?
Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated by someone who's a complete novice when it comes to this stuff! Thanks!