Spokane's Proposed Cooling Mandate Misses the Mark
Spokane's Proposed Cooling Mandate Risks Making Housing Less Affordable
The Washington Multifamily Housing Association (WMFHA) supports efforts to protect vulnerable residents during periods of extreme heat. Safe and healthy housing is a priority for housing providers across Spokane and throughout Washington.
Unfortunately, Spokane's proposed "Renters' Right to Cooling" ordinance takes an approach that fails to accomplish its stated goal and would create significant unintended consequences for renters, housing providers, nonprofit housing organizations, and the broader community.
At a time when Spokane is facing a housing affordability crisis, policymakers should focus on increasing housing supply and preserving existing affordable housing rather than adopting mandates that increase costs and discourage investment.
Why WMFHA Opposes the Ordinance
It Will Increase Housing Costs
The ordinance creates new costs for housing providers, including potential cooling retrofits, compliance expenses, administrative costs, and liability risks.
For many properties, particularly older buildings, these costs can be significant. Housing providers ultimately have limited options when faced with rising expenses: defer maintenance, reduce investment, increase rents where possible, or exit the market altogether.
The result is fewer affordable housing choices for Spokane residents.
It Allows for Unilateral Action with No Responsibility for Outcomes
Simply allowing a resident to deduct $500 from their rent without a requirement to adequately cool their home, maintain the cooling equipment, or pass it along to the next resident does very little to expand affordable cooled housing stock. This inefficient and wasteful approach will lead to more conflict and worse results than other proven methods that target those in need and create durable outcomes for affordable housing residents.
It Creates an Unfunded Mandate on Affordable Housing Providers
Many affordable housing communities in Spokane are owned and operated by nonprofit organizations and mission-driven housing providers.
These organizations already operate under tight financial constraints and cannot simply absorb new expenses without consequences. Every dollar taken out of their budget with no accountability for cooling outcomes is a dollar that cannot be invested in social services, property maintenance, housing preservation, or the development of additional affordable housing.
If expanded access to cooling is a public priority, it should be supported through public funding, incentives, and partnerships, not through another mandate without financial support.
It Is Not Targeted to Those Most in Need
The ordinance applies broadly across the rental housing market regardless of tenant income or vulnerability.
A more effective approach would focus resources on residents who face the greatest risks during extreme heat events, including seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low-income households who may struggle to purchase cooling equipment on their own.
Targeted assistance programs can deliver better outcomes at a lower cost.
It Bypasses the Building Code Process & Building Experts
The ordinance requires new rental units to provide "adequate cooling" but does not clearly define how compliance will be measured or obtained. The building code process was designed specifically to provide the technical guidance that builders and architects need to safely deliver on such a requirement.
Instead, the A/C ordinance cuts experts out of the conversation and implements the requirement in just a few months.
Vague standards create confusion, increase the likelihood of disputes, and expose housing providers to new liability without providing the clear guidance building codes are meant to provide. Housing policy works best when expectations are clear, objective, and practical to implement.
There Are Better Solutions
WMFHA believes Spokane can improve access to cooling without making housing less affordable.
Potential alternatives include:
- Targeted assistance programs for vulnerable residents.
- Rebates and incentives for cooling equipment and energy efficiency improvements.
- Partnerships with utilities, nonprofits, and community organizations.
- Voluntary programs that help housing providers expand access to cooling.
- Long-term investments in weatherization and building improvements.
These approaches focus resources where they are needed most while avoiding unintended impacts on housing affordability and supply.
Protect Residents Without Making Housing Less Affordable
Housing affordability and resident safety are not competing priorities. Spokane can achieve both.
WMFHA urges the Spokane City Council to pause consideration of the current ordinance, engage with housing providers and community stakeholders, and develop practical solutions that protect vulnerable residents while preserving affordable housing opportunities.
The best housing policy increases housing supply, protects renters, and encourages investment in our communities. This ordinance falls short of that goal.
Resources
View Proposed Ordinance C36877
Coalition Opposition Letters
Take Action
https://speak4.app/lp/ch01psui?ts=1781546362