Tenant rights group calls for greater protection against dangerous heat

London ACORN is calling on council to keep Londoners from unsafe heat in their homes during the summer.

With summer heatwaves on the way, tenant advocacy group London ACORN held a rally outside city hall.

About 20 members called on City Council to better protect vulnerable Londoners from unsafe temperatures inside their apartments.

ACORN Canada recently surveyed 750 tenants across the country about summer heat and related building maintenance.

It found that 44 per cent of the low and moderate-income respondents lack access to air conditioning.

The cost of energy was the most common reason.

On Wednesday, London ACORN called on council to:

• Implement a maximum heat bylaw that applies to all units in the city, not just those that already have air conditioning
• Implement landlord licensing that applies to all units in the city, not just those in buildings with four units or less

“Having A/C in each unit, that is controlled by the tenant, is incredibly important,” said Farrah Sherrard, Secretary of the London-at-Large Chapter.

“That is something that the landlord needs to do, but in addition, we need regulations that put that cost onto the landlord without having that impact the tenants in terms of AGI’s (Above Guideline Increases) or other expenses.”