LA County Supervisors Consider Ordinance to Make Landlords Help Keep Rentals Cool

Los Angeles County is looking for ways to make landlords keep rental units cooler.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors last week held an initial hearing on an ordinance to require rental units to maintain indoor temperatures at or below 82 degrees Fahrenheit.

The proposal is intended to protect tenants from heat-related health risks. However, the ordinance as proposed doesn’t take into account a building’s age, or its HVAC system.

The ordinance doesn’t require air conditioners be put into units. It also lets property owners use methods like cool roofs, insulation and shade, to reach the temperature threshold.

A report in 2023 by the L.A. Department of Public Health, which the ordinance is partly based upon, lists ordinances in other cities as an example to follow, including Palm Springs, Phoenix, Arizona, and El Paso Texas.

The ordinance is set to go to a vote next month. If L.A. County supervisors approve the ordinance, it would go into effect in September, and it would apply to units in unincorporated county areas and cities that adopt the L.A. County’s new code.