Boston is broiling under a heat dome that is shoving temperatures toward triple digits, and the city is suddenly asking a very pointed question: Should landlords be legally required to keep apartments cool, not just warm?
Right now, Boston’s rules guarantee heat in winter but say nothing about summer cooling. Renters and housing advocates argue that gap leaves tenants, especially those in basement units and top-floor walk-ups, dangerously exposed when the mercury spikes. The push to change that is gaining steam as other cities and states move to cap maximum indoor temperatures and as state and local climate plans start treating extreme heat as a core public-safety issue, not just an inconvenience.
The emerging fight is less about whether heat is a problem and more about the details: who pays for new equipment, how the city would check if landlords are in compliance, and whether smaller property owners would get extra time or special treatment as any new rules roll out…