For most renters, healthy housing may mean reliable HVAC, no visible mold and a well-maintained building. For Dallas resident-owner Patricia Kobes, it means something more specific: a fragrance-free, low-VOC, no-pesticide living environment designed to minimize everyday chemical exposures. 

Kobes lives at Richmond Square, an 18-unit condominium community at 5727 Richmond Ave. in Lower Greenville that has maintained low-toxicity policies and building features for nearly 25 years. Although she appreciates the neighborhood’s restaurants, shops and proximity to downtown, the community’s distinctive health-focused approach is what drew her there. 

“The chemical- and fragrance-free policies are primary,” Kobes says. Just as meaningful is living among neighbors who understand the need for those practices. That shared commitment, she explains, offers mutual support, and makes daily life easier and better health possible for us. 

Indoor air quality can affect everyone, not only people with diagnosed chemical sensitivities. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, where concentrations of some pollutants are often two to five times higher than typical outdoor levels. The American Lung Association reports that fragrances can contribute to indoor air pollution and may cause headaches, dizziness, eye or throat irritation, coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath. People with asthma, allergies, migraines, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or chemical sensitivities may experience stronger reactions. 

At Richmond Square, the healthier environment depends on both community policies and physical design. Smoking and pesticide use are prohibited, and the laundry room is fragrance-free. Incense, scented oils and candles are also restricted. Units feature either tile or laminate flooring, and each condominium has its own all-metal, self-contained central HVAC system. 

Research suggests that reducing household exposures offers measurable benefits for chemically sensitive individuals. A 2024 UT Health San Antonio study reported that structured environmental home interventions helped residents reduce indoor volatile organic compounds, particularly fragrances, and that lower exposure corresponded with symptom improvement in the cases examined. 

Yet housing with comprehensive fragrance-free and low-toxicity standards remains difficult to find in Dallas-Fort Worth. Kobes believes people with health conditions currently drive much of the demand, but the concept may appeal more broadly as awareness of indoor environmental health grows. 

Condominium boards, associations and property managers interested in moving toward healthier housing can begin with practical source-control measures: prohibit smoking and routine pesticide use (substituting alternative pest control when possible), choose low-VOC paints and finishes, offer a fragrance-free laundry area, improve ventilation and communicate policies clearly to residents. Because individual needs differ, prospective residents should ask detailed questions about cleaning products, pest-control practices, flooring, recent renovations, ventilation and whether air systems are shared. 

They can also pilot fragrance-free practices in selected units or buildings, gather resident feedback and train maintenance teams before expanding standards across a property portfolio. 

Kobes hopes developers and property owners will recognize an underserved market. “We shouldn’t leave out the too-often neglected aspect of one’s indoor environment,” she says. For residents seeking safer options, she suggests connecting with environmental-illness housing communities, contacting a CHH (Conscious Healthy Home)-certified realtor, and asking prospective properties about specific policies rather than relying only on broad labels such as green or healthy.