Spokane city council expected to vote on ‘Renters’ Right to Cooling’ ordinance requiring landlords to keep rooms 80-degree or lower

Spokane, WASH. — The Spokane City Council is preparing to vote next Wednesday on a “Renters’ Right to Cooling” ordinance that would require landlords to maintain rental units at 80 degrees or cooler within 72 hours of a tenant’s request.

Originally scheduled to take effect in 2031, recent amendments last month would make the ordinance effective immediately, if approved.

For renters like Asmine Lewis, she wants councilmembers to vote yes. Lewis rents a two-story house with an air conditioning unit that doesn’t work. She say’s cameras installed in her home tell her the temperature inside, and it’s usually hotter than outside. On a recent day when outdoor temperatures reached 85 degrees, her home reached 90 degrees inside.

“It gets very very overwhelming. Especially with my kids…they get really hot…They get irritated, they get angry. Most of the time we just honestly sleep it off,” Lewis said.

The Rental Housing Association of Washington opposes the measure, arguing landlords would need more time than 72 hours to install an ac unit.

“Right now it’s this requirement for landlords to immediately meet this…retrofit and come into compliance right away. That’s difficult. That has an expanded expense to it that is difficult for folks to meet,” said Kevin Schilling, government affairs and advocacy director for the Rental Housing Association of Washington.

The city council is expected to vote on the ordinance next Wednesday.