SPOKANE, Wash. — A contentious proposal to mandate air conditioning in rental units returned to the Spokane City Council, drawing testimony from both renters’ advocates and property owners concerned about implementation costs and unclear requirements.
The “Renters’ Right to Cooling” ordinance would require landlords to immediately install air conditioning in at least one tenant room and equip each bedroom with A-C units by 2032. While some attendees voiced support, the majority of speakers represented landlords and property management organizations.
“Spokane has some of the oldest rental housing in Washington,” one speaker said. “In many buildings, safe cooling is not simply a matter of purchasing a portable device. It may require electrical upgrades, weatherization, and significant capital improvements. This ordinance is not perfect, but it is significantly more workable than where it began.”
Property owners emphasized they do not object to accountability but need clearer expectations.
“Housing providers don’t object to being held accountable,” one representative stated. “We simply need to know what we are being held accountable to.”
The ordinance reflects growing concerns about tenant safety during increasingly hot summers. The city council has not yet voted and plans to continue gathering community input as officials work to resolve disagreements between tenant advocates and property management representatives.
COPYRIGHT 2026 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
