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Good to know · Home & neighbourhood

Wood Smoke from Neighbours

A calm, practical guide for Leiden families

If smoke from a nearby wood stove enters your home or childcare setting, a few clear steps can help you work towards cleaner air and good neighbour relations. Start with what you observe, talk calmly and ask for the right help.

Start with the practical stepsWhere to get help
Teddyverse parents and a child holding a teddy bear talking with a neighbour beside a snowy Leiden canal

Last updated: 27 October 2026

Shared air, clear observations

Wood smoke contains fine particles and other pollutants. It can irritate eyes and airways, and children can be more sensitive. Reducing exposure is sensible. Smell alone does not establish that a particular child has been harmed or that a neighbour has broken the law.

Move to cleaner air first, then investigate the source.
A friendly conversation can start a practical solution.
A compliant chimney does not automatically rule out unlawful nuisance.
Record real events as they happen, rather than relying on memory.

Start with fresh air

Use temporary precautions while the source is investigated. Keep working towards a lasting solution.

  1. Move away from incoming smoke

    If smoke enters a room or the smell is strong, move children to a cleaner-air space. Temporarily close the affected window if that stops smoke entering; arrange another supply of clean air.

  2. Keep ventilation in the plan

    Use a window or air supply on a cleaner side where possible, and air the room when the smoke has cleared. Permanently closing everything is not a healthy ventilation plan. Ask the GGD or a ventilation specialist if smoke keeps entering.

  3. Know the limits of devices

    A suitable HEPA filter can reduce airborne particles, but does not remove all combustion gases or replace ventilation and source measures. Ask for advice before buying a cleaner and avoid ozone-producing devices. A CO alarm detects carbon monoxide, not wood-smoke particles; silence does not prove clean air.

When to get urgent help

Immediate danger: call 112

  • For fire, a CO alarm or suspected dangerous carbon monoxide, get everyone to safety and call 112. With suspected CO, go outside immediately and follow the emergency service's instructions.
  • Call 112 for severe breathing difficulty, such as gasping for air, or if someone becomes unresponsive or blue-purple.

Ask a doctor about symptoms

  • For breathing difficulty that is not immediately life-threatening, contact your huisarts or out-of-hours GP service urgently. Seek medical advice for persistent or worrying symptoms; do not diagnose their cause yourself.

Start with what you notice

The person using the stove may not know where the smoke goes. Describe the observation and suggest a concrete next step.

  1. Try a calm opening

    “We notice smoke sometimes enters this room when the stove is on. You may not have realised. Could we look at it together? A careful test and a qualified stove or chimney inspection might help us find a solution.”

  2. Compare conditions safely

    If safe and practical, agree a controlled comparison of stove-on and stove-off conditions, preferably with a specialist. Note the weather, smoke route and entry point. Do not keep children in smoke or create extra exposure for a test. This comparison is a clue, not a legal or medical conclusion.

  3. Let a specialist diagnose

    Ask a qualified stove, chimney or ventilation specialist to assess the installation and smoke pathway: stove, fuel, seals, flue, outlet and draught. A higher chimney, cowl or fan is not a guaranteed fix; choose measures after assessment.

  4. Agree when to review

    Write down the next action, who will arrange it and when you will check whether it works. Reducing or stopping burning at the source can work alongside temporary measures in the affected room.

Keep a simple, factual record

Start with the next real event. A short entry made at the time helps distinguish observations from assumptions.

Time and duration

When

Record the date, start and end time, and whether this is an isolated event or part of a pattern.

What reached the room?

Observation

Describe visible smoke or odour, the room affected and which window or air intake was open. Keep symptoms separate from conclusions about their cause.

Weather and burning advice

Conditions

Note wind and weather. A dated Stookwijzer screenshot can add context, but is not a measurement of the air in your room.

What happened next?

Action

Record moving to another room, adjusting ventilation, contacting the neighbour or making a report, and whether the situation changed.

Photos and witnesses

Evidence

Where appropriate, take a photo of the smoke from your own property and note independent observations. Respect private spaces and keep the record focused on the smoke.

An independent observation

Expertise

A specialist or municipal observation during actual burning can help establish the source and pattern. Ask for findings to be recorded in writing.

You do not need a perfect file to ask for help

  • Address incoming smoke now and build the record as events occur. Years of stove use do not automatically give someone a right to cause unlawful nuisance.

The rules in plain English

A wood stove is not automatically unlawful. Its use, the actual nuisance and reasonable measures all matter. These are general rules, not a decision about your situation.

Use can be regulated

National and local

IPLO explains that municipalities can regulate stove use, including restrictions in unfavourable weather, rather than simply ban the presence of the appliance. Building and installation requirements are a separate question; check the applicable local rules.

Neighbour nuisance counts

Civil law

Article 5:37 of the Dutch Civil Code includes smoke in the rule against unlawful nuisance between neighbouring properties, read with article 6:162. Whether nuisance is unlawful depends on its nature, severity, duration, resulting damage and the other circumstances. Technical compliance alone does not decide this.

A duty to take reasonable measures

Leiden

Article 22.18(2) of Leiden's omgevingsplan requires people who know or reasonably suspect their actions in, on or at a building cause or may cause nuisance to take reasonably required measures to prevent or stop it. Smoke is expressly included. The explanation mentions serious wood-smoke nuisance; the municipality must substantiate action in the specific case.

Do not assume what is being burned

Fuel

National waste rules prohibit burning waste such as treated, painted or impregnated wood in a domestic stove, fireplace or fire basket. Raise concerns about fuel only when you have a factual basis.

Where Leiden families can get help

Choose a route that fits the situation. You can take immediate precautions while asking for advice or reporting recurring nuisance.

  1. Your neighbour and neighbourhood mediation

    Share what you have observed and suggest a test or specialist visit. Leiden recommends a calm conversation first. If contact stalls, the municipality points residents to Kwadraad neighbourhood mediation.

    Leiden's neighbour-help routes

  2. Stookwijzer

    Check postcode-level burning advice and report nuisance. Leiden says reports from its area are shared with the municipality to map problem locations. The advice adds context; it is not a ruling on your case, and a report is not the same as a formal enforcement request.

    Open Stookwijzer

  3. Gemeente Leiden

    If serious nuisance continues, ask the municipality about investigation and, if you are directly affected, a formal enforcement request. You can draw attention to article 22.18 and ask for observations during real burning at the affected location, with conditions and findings recorded. Leiden currently requires a complete, signed request by post or handed in; email or a contact form is not accepted for this formal route. Check its instructions.

    Leiden's formal enforcement instructions

  4. GGD health advice

    Ask your GGD's Environment & Health team about exposure and precautions. The GGD advises on health; it does not settle the neighbour dispute. Childcare supervision is a separate GGD role concerned with childcare quality and practice.

    Find your GGD contact

  5. Independent technical or legal advice

    A qualified indoor-air or chimney specialist can assess possible causes and measures. For a persistent serious dispute, a Dutch legal adviser can explain administrative and civil options and whether they fit your circumstances.

If smoke affects a childcare setting

Tell the manager what you observed, without drawing medical conclusions. Childcare centres must keep a current safety-and-health policy addressing significant risks and the measures taken.

What happened and what is the plan?

  • Where and when was smoke observed, and what immediate steps were taken?
  • How are the risk, measures and review reflected in the location's safety-and-health policy?

Who will follow up?

  • What temporary ventilation and room-use arrangement applies while the source is investigated?
  • Who is contacting the neighbour, municipality or specialist, and when will parents hear the next update?

The GGD checks childcare policy and its implementation. This does not replace municipal assessment of a neighbour's stove use.

Questions parents often ask

Does a wood-smoke smell prove a child is being harmed?

No. Wood smoke contains pollutants, so limiting exposure is sensible, especially for children. Odour alone does not establish an individual injury or its cause. Record what happened and seek medical advice for concerning symptoms.

Is closing the window a sufficient permanent answer?

It can help temporarily if smoke is entering there, but the need for clean fresh air remains. A lasting solution may require changes to burning behaviour, the installation, ventilation or several of these together. Ask for an assessment rather than permanently sealing the room.

Why ask for observations during real burning?

Weather and burning practice change how smoke moves. In a 2024 interim ruling, the court found that a short demonstration did not adequately establish whether nuisance occurred and required unannounced investigation during burning. A 2018 civil appeal also shows that technical compliance does not by itself settle unlawful nuisance. Both decisions concern their own facts; neither determines your case.

Official sources & background

Sources checked on 27 October 2026. Most Dutch official sources are in Dutch; check their current text for your situation.

General information for families

This guide offers general health and legal information, not individual medical or legal advice, an inspection report or a finding about a particular neighbour or childcare location. Rules and help routes can change. Consult a doctor about symptoms and a qualified adviser about your circumstances.

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