SPOKANE, Wash. — Renters who may be feeling nervous staying cool this summer could find some relief if a new law passes. The Spokane City Council will discuss whether landlords should be required to install air conditioning or extra windows in units as part of a requirement to keep rooms cold for tenants’ safety.
If passed, this new policy will require rented rooms to be 80 degrees or lower all year round, but it’s drawing mixed reactions from the community.
After the heat dome that hit the Pacific Northwest in 2021, city leaders and the Gonzaga Climate Institute say they hope to prevent any heat – related deaths with this bill.
“Not having access to cooling was the difference for some people between life and death. Five years ago…. 19 people died. 300 people went to the hospital,” said Brian G. Henning, director of the Gonzaga Institute for Climate, Water, and the Environment.
The institute also mentions that if the city can require heat devices installed for colder months, they should also require cooling ones for the hot months.
But not everyone is on page with how the ordinance is written. The Rental Housing Association of Washington says the cost for landlords could be passed down to the renter.
“You’re going to have rents go up because housing providers are going to have to retrofit their entire buildings, in order to support things like air conditioning units,” said Sean Flynn, RHAWA board president.
A local landlord also shared their take on this issue.
“They keep escalating requirements of property owners and landlords to provide more and more for the tenants. It feels like this is like public housing,” said Alice Moravec, a local landlord.
If passed by the city council, the “Renters Right to Cooling” ordinance will go in effect starting January of 2031.
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