Burlington bylaw would keep the air conditioner running longer for tenants

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Published November 12, 2020 at 4:10 pm

Renters in Burlington will be able to keep their cool a little longer.

A proposal going before City council will force landlords to keep the air conditioning going for tenants a little longer beginning next year.

The change in the bylaw means that heat must be turned on in apartment units by September 15 each year. The current bylaw calls for it to be turned on by September 1.

The move comes as the City deals with older rental units that have slow response times when furnaces switch from air conditioning to heat.

Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward explained that furnaces in older buildings sometimes take two weeks before the heating system kicks in. As a result, the air conditioning can be shut off as early as mid-August while the summer heat continues to rage.

“This can be a problem,” the mayor told inhalton.com. “The air conditioning was being turned off too early as the landlords tried to adhere to the September 1 date.”

Under the proposed bylaw the heat will have to operating from September 15 to May 31.

The mayor said this has been a long standing issue for the City as it comes to terms with the various needs of individuals who may be too hot or too cold come September 1.

“We may need a few more tweaks about this,” she said. “We are just trying to get it right.”

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