Proposed bill requires landlords to provide AC for tenants in New York City

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- Summers in New York City may get cooler, or at least for apartment dwellers.

City Councilmember Lincoln Restler introduced a bill that would require landlords to provide air conditioning for their tenants in the summer months. Under the proposed law, landlords would be required to buy, install and maintain AC units in apartments without central cooling.

“Landlords are required to provide safe and inhabitable apartments for their tenants but in sweltering 103-degree heat, in three heat waves so far this summer -- I don’t understand how a landlord could be meeting those expectations,” Restler said in an interview with PIX11 News.

Landlords would have to maintain an indoor temperature of at most 78 degrees when the outdoor temperature is 82 degrees or higher between June 15 to Sep. 15, the bill proposes. Any building owners found out of compliance would face civil penalties and could pay fines ranging from $350 to $1,250 per day.

About 350 New Yorkers die from heat-related illnesses every summer, with Black residents being at higher risk, as reported by the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Lack of access to home air conditioning was the most important risk factor for heat-related deaths. The agency’s study found that 58% of heat deaths occurred in homes with no AC. 

Councilmember Restler points to other cities like Phoenix and Dallas that have similar laws requiring landlords to provide AC and is confident his proposal will pass the city council. Until then, New Yorkers can apply for free AC units through the city’s Home Energy Assistance Program.