B.C. municipalities set bylaws mandating the minimum temperatures rental units must be able to maintain, there are no similar rules for how hot a home is allowed to get.
The call comes as a heat wave blankets much of the province, raising memories of the deadly 2021 heat dome event. It isn't expected to get as hot this week, but the advocates say municipalities need to ensure that tenants don't face deadly risks of overheating in their homes.
"I think in a time of climate crisis, and increasing extreme heat, it's very reasonable to be thinking about maximum temperatures and ensuring that tenants aren't susceptible to heat-related injury and potentially death," she said. Lasse Hvitved, a legal advocate with the Tenant Resource and Advocacy Centre, said under the province's Residential Tenancy Act it's the landlord's responsibility to provide adequate heating and it's up to municipalities to define what those requirements are.
"It's the landlord's responsibility for heating. It's the landlord's responsibility for mould. It's the landlord responsibility that you have water. It's the landlord's responsibility that the place lives up to health and safety standards. "This could include a variety of measures, such as potential changes to the city’s building code or bylaws among others."
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