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PREVIOUS: Houston apartment air conditioning ordinance being considered
Houston City Council is expected to consider a proposal Wednesday that could change what landlords are required to provide to keep rental properties cool. FOX 26's Karys Belger explains.
HOUSTON - Houston City Council passed an ordinance on Wednesday that will expand the requirement for air conditioning in residential rental properties.
While air conditioning was already required in rental homes and apartments, the new ordinance eliminates an exemption that allowed landlords to install window screens instead of air conditioning.
What’s required under the ordinance
Big picture view:
The ordinance does not require landlords to install central air conditioning.
Other forms of refrigerated air, including qualifying window or portable units, could be used as long as the equipment is capable of meeting Houston's existing temperature standard.
Under that standard, the equipment must be capable of keeping the indoor temperature 20 degrees below the outside temperature or at 80 degrees, whichever is warmer.
What's next:
Property owners have 120 days to comply with the ordinance.
Support for AC ordinance
What they're saying:
Councilmember Alejandra Salinas, one of the council members behind the proposal, told FOX 26 on Tuesday that the existing exemption no longer makes sense in a city that routinely experiences extreme heat.
"I don't think a screen and window is the same thing as providing a mechanism to cool an apartment," Salinas told FOX 26. "We've got to get rid of this screened in window exception and ensure that all Houstonians, no matter who you are, no matter what your income level, have a basic health and safety reprieve from the heat."
The Source: The information in this article comes from Houston City Council and previous FOX 26 reporting by Karys Belger.