Portland Renters Outraged Over Leases Prohibiting AC Units In Homes

Rental rights lawyers have been getting multiple phone calls from some Portland tenants about a shocking condition in their leases, according to KATU.

This comes after the Pacific Northwest braved a record-breaking heat dome that saw the City of Roses reach triple-digit temperatures. The heat wave has reportedly claimed at least 95 lives in Oregon alone, according to officials.

What made it distressing for most residents in the region is the lack of air conditioning units in homes. Now, some tenants are revisiting their leases and finding out that they're not allowed to put air conditioning systems in their hot residences.

Lawyer Michael Fuller said he doesn't see landlords taking action against renters at this time, however.

"I don’t think any landlords are going to go to court or try to evict someone if they’re doing their best to cool their apartment and it’s over 100 degrees and there’s not enough natural air flow, so I don’t really see it being much of a contested legal issue," Fuller told reporters.

Seventy-eight percent of Portland homes have air conditioning, according to the 2019 American Housing Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau. Since the Pacific Northwest has a history of very mild summers, residents didn't feel the need to get units until the intense heat wave struck, Wes Davis, the director of technical services for the Air Conditioning Contractors of America, told NPR.