Bill requiring air conditioning be provided in all Montgomery County rental units proposed

ROCKVILLE, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Montgomery County Councilmember Tom Hucker is introducing a bill to require air conditioning be provided in all county rental units.

Hucker says the bill would require landlords to provide and maintain air conditioning service for rental properties located in Montgomery County. Hucker says currently, all landlords are required to provide heat but not air conditioning.

"I think in the old days we thought of air conditioning as a comfort issue," Hucker told FOX 5's Bob Barnard. "It's really a life or death issue." Hucker said Maryland has already recorded one heat related death this year and worries more may occur due to the periods of extreme heat the region has seen. "It's really time to see A/C as a life and death necessity."

In June, the Montgomery County Council unanimously enacted a bill that requires leases for rental housing to allow the tenant to terminate the lease if the landlord doesn't correct conditions that impact their immediate health and safety within 30 days.