ESSB 6200
SignedSenate
Tenant cooling devices
Concerning renters' and mobile home occupants' ability to install portable cooling devices.
How does a bill become law?
- Introduced: The bill is filed and assigned a number.
- Committee: A subject-matter committee holds hearings, takes public testimony, and decides whether to advance the bill.
- Floor Vote: The full chamber (House or Senate) debates and votes on the bill.
- Opposite Chamber: The bill repeats the committee and floor vote process in the other chamber.
- Governor: The Governor reviews the bill and decides whether to sign or veto it.
- Signed: The bill has been signed into law.
AI Analysis
This bill guarantees renters and mobile home park residents the right to install portable cooling devices like air conditioners or portable heat pumps, unless specific safety, code, or electrical limitations apply. It prohibits landlords from charging fees for installation or use and requires written lease disclosures about these rights.
- Renters and mobile home park occupants may install portable cooling devices (e.g., window air conditioners, portable heat pumps, evaporative coolers) without landlord permission—unless specific safety, code, or electrical limitations apply.
- Landlords may not charge fees for installing or using portable cooling devices.
- Landlords may restrict installation only if the unit already has a working heat pump, or if installation would violate building codes, safety guidelines, cause unreasonable damage, or exceed available electrical capacity.
- Windows used as emergency exits may not be blocked by cooling devices, and landlords may require devices be drained to prevent water damage.
- Landlords must provide tenants with written notice of cooling device rules in the lease and must give at least 48 hours’ notice before inspecting or servicing a device (except in emergencies).
- Landlords are protected from liability for injuries or damage caused by tenant-installed cooling devices, and may still retain part of a security deposit for legitimate damage.
Who is affected
- Renters — Renters in apartments, houses, and other rental units gain the right to install and use portable cooling devices like window air conditioners or portable heat pumps, unless specific safety, structural, or electrical limitations apply.
- Mobile home and manufactured home park occupants — Mobile home and manufactured home park residents gain similar rights to install portable cooling devices, with protections against landlord restrictions unless safety, code, or electrical limitations exist.
- Landlords — Landlords must update leases to include information about tenants’ rights and responsibilities related to portable cooling devices, and may not charge fees for installation or use.
- Utility customers (via tenant protections) — Electric utility companies are not directly affected, but tenants may request emergency reconnection of power or water during heat alerts, and landlords may require payment plans in those cases.
Pro/Con Analysis
Stronger case for benefits
Potential Benefits (5)
Guaranteeing access to portable cooling devices during extreme heat events directly supports public health — especially for vulnerable populations (elderly, chronically ill, children) — reducing heat-related hospitalizations and deaths, which are rising in Washington due to climate change.
HealthcarePeopleRef: Sec. 1(1), Sec. 2(10)(a)Empowering renters and mobile home park residents to install cooling devices without landlord permission addresses a critical gap in tenant rights, especially in regions like Eastern Washington where summer temperatures regularly exceed 100°F and rental housing stock is often poorly equipped with central AC.
HousingPeopleRef: Sec. 1(1), Sec. 2(10)(a)The bill preserves existing reasonable accommodation obligations under federal law (e.g., ADA), ensuring that tenants with disabilities requiring cooling (e.g., MS, lupus) can still request accommodations — but the explicit right to cooling devices strengthens the legal basis for such requests.
HousingPeopleRef: Sec. 1(9), Sec. 2(10)(a)Requiring written lease disclosures of cooling device rights helps prevent landlord coercion and ensures tenants are aware of their legal protections — though enforcement depends on tenant awareness and willingness to challenge violations, which may be limited among low-income or non-English-speaking populations.
Rights & LibertiesPeopleRef: Sec. 1(6), Sec. 2(10)(a)Linking utility disconnection protections to heat alerts — including the right to request reconnection and negotiate payment plans capped at 6% of income — provides critical financial and health safeguards during extreme heat, but only applies to utility disconnections, not cooling device failures or power outages unrelated to payment.
HousingPeopleRef: Sec. 2(7)(a)-(c)
Potential Concerns (5)
Prohibiting landlords from charging fees for portable cooling device installation and use directly reduces housing costs for renters and mobile home park residents, especially during increasingly frequent heat waves; this is a direct cost savings for tenants with no offsetting cost to landlords beyond administrative burden.
HousingPeopleRef: Sec. 1(2), Sec. 2(10)(a)Allowing landlords to require drainage of devices and retain security deposits for damage provides reasonable protections against property damage while still enabling tenant access to cooling — but the burden of proof and liability remains with tenants, potentially deterring low-income renters who fear losing deposits.
HousingPeopleRef: Sec. 1(4)(b), Sec. 1(11)Landlord liability immunity for tenant-installed device failures reduces legal risk for landlords, but this protection is one-sided — tenants remain fully liable for injuries or damage caused by their own devices, and may face disputes over security deposits without reciprocal protections.
HousingPeopleRef: Sec. 1(7), Sec. 1(10)Mandating 48-hour notice before device inspections and requiring written lease disclosures improves transparency and reduces arbitrary landlord interference, but adds administrative burden to landlords and may delay emergency repairs, potentially worsening heat-related health risks if inspections are delayed.
HousingPeopleRef: Sec. 1(5), Sec. 1(8)Allowing landlords to restrict devices based on insufficient electrical capacity may disproportionately affect low-income renters in older buildings with outdated wiring, as upgrading electrical systems is rarely feasible for tenants and rarely funded by landlords without regulatory pressure.
HousingRef: Sec. 1(3)(d), Sec. 2(10)(a)(iv)
Who Is Most Affected
Renters — especially low-income, elderly, and disabled — benefit significantly from guaranteed access to cooling during dangerous heat waves, reducing health risks and housing instability. However, those in older buildings with limited electrical capacity may still be unable to install devices, and fear of losing security deposits may deter use.
Mobile home park occupants gain similar protections as other renters, but often live in older parks with outdated infrastructure and fewer cooling options; the bill helps but may not fully address systemic underinvestment in park utilities.
Landlords face new administrative burdens (lease disclosures, 48-hour notice for inspections) and reduced ability to charge fees, but gain liability immunity and can still retain security deposits for damage — net effect is modest cost with limited financial upside. Large property management firms adapt more easily than small landlords.
Electric utilities are not directly regulated by the bill, but may see increased demand during heat events; however, the bill does not require utilities to upgrade infrastructure, so load management remains unchanged for most customers.
Local governments gain no new enforcement responsibilities under the bill, but may see reduced emergency medical costs and shelter use during heat waves — a potential long-term fiscal benefit, though not quantified in the bill.