HOUSTON – Houston City Council Member Alejandra Salinas on Monday introduced a “Right to Air Conditioning” ordinance that would require rental properties to provide and maintain operable air conditioning in habitable spaces. The proposal would eliminate a loophole in the city’s Building Standards Code that allows landlords to forgo air conditioning if window screens are provided.
While most landlords already provide air conditioning, 2023 U.S. Census data show thousands of renters in the Houston area live in units without any air conditioning, according to Salinas’ office. As extreme heat becomes more frequent, renters without adequate cooling face potentially dangerous conditions and elevated health risks, particularly seniors, young children and people with disabilities.
“In a Houston summer, working A/C cannot continue to be a luxury,” Salinas said. “Extreme heat disproportionately impacts Black and Latino neighborhoods, and no tenant should be left without reliable cooling. This ordinance makes working air conditioning a basic health and safety standard because every Houston renter deserves a safe place to live.”…