Require that, by June 1, 2030, owners of tenant-occupied buildings provide cooling systems capable of maintaining 78...

This bill would require that, by June 1, 2030, owners of tenant-occupied buildings provide cooling systems capable of maintaining 78 degrees Fahrenheit in rooms in which tenants sleep, upon the request of the tenant. This bill would also require that owners of buildings with systems in which the owner controls the temperature run such systems to maintain 78 degrees Fahrenheit in a cooling season from June 15 through September 15. The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (“HPD”) would provide notice to tenants to characterize the potential impacts of opting into the program on their rent. HPD would further promulgate rules to limit the impact of running cooling systems on utilities and to provide for the proper installation and maintenance of cooling systems. Owners who would be placed in hardship by this bill, including financial hardship, would be able to apply to HPD for an extension. The bill would also introduce more stringent requirements for air conditioners in newly constructed tenant-occupied buildings. HPD would submit to the Speaker of the Council and publish on its website a report on the amount of air conditioners provided through this program and the quantity of complaints received from tenants based on owners’ failures to provide adequate cooling.