# Safe Temperature Act of 2023

This bill requires landlords and property owners to maintain safe temperature levels in rental housing units during winter months. Specifically, it sets minimum temperature standards that must be met in all living spaces, bedrooms, and common areas of residential buildings. The goal is to protect tenants from dangerously cold conditions that can lead to health problems like hypothermia, frostbite, and other cold-related illnesses.

The bill applies to apartment buildings, rental houses, and other residential properties where people rent their homes. Landlords would be required to have functioning heating systems and keep indoor temperatures at specified minimum levels throughout the heating season. If a landlord fails to maintain these temperatures, tenants would have legal protections—they could potentially withhold rent, break their lease without penalty, or file complaints with housing authorities without fear of retaliation or eviction.

This legislation primarily affects low-income renters and people in colder climates who are most vulnerable to unsafe heating conditions. It also impacts landlords and property owners, who would need to ensure their heating systems work properly and meet the temperature requirements. The bill aims to prevent situations where tenants suffer in cold apartments because landlords neglect maintenance or refuse to pay heating costs, which is a real problem in many older buildings and economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Safe Temperature Act of 2023

Rubio, Marco

Safe Temperature Act of 2023 This bill allows the Department of Housing and Urban Development to require units in public housing, supportive housing for the elderly, and dwellings receiving low-income housing choice voucher assistance to maintain a temperature level ranging from 71 to 81 degrees Fahrenheit.