Are landlords required to provide A/C in Topeka?

TOPEKA (KSNT) – With record-breaking heat scorching much of Kansas, going without air conditioning (A/C) can be dangerous. But are landlords required to provide A/C in Topeka?

The City of Topeka’s Property Maintenance Unit enforces the 2012 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC). The code has guidelines on equipment maintenance and minimum temperature requirements, according to City spokeswoman Gretchen Spiker.

Under section 602.3 of the IMPC, landlords are required to provide adequate heating to maintain temperatures of 68 degrees Fahrenheit in all rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms. Tenants should not need to use cooking appliances or portable unvented fuel-burning space heaters to get required heating, according to the IMPC.

Landlords aren’t required to provide air conditioning for units, however. If a unit has A/C it is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure it’s in working order. The IMPC section 603.1 lists fireplaces, solid fuel-burning, cooking and water-heating appliances as appliances that must be properly maintained and in a safe working condition.

For rental units that don’t have A/C, units must have windows that open to the outside. Section 403.1 of the IMPC says each habitable space must have at least one window that opens to the outside and the windows must have insect screens.

“The minimum total glazed area for every habitable space shall be 8 percent of the floor area of such room. Wherever walls or other portions of a structure face a window of any room and such obstructions are located less than 3 feet (914 mm) from the window and extend to a level above that of the ceiling of the room, such window shall not be deemed to face directly to the outdoors nor to a court and shall not be included as contributing to the required minimum total window area for the room.”

The 2012 International Property Maintenance Code section 402.1

Mike McLaughlin with Shawnee County Parks and Recreation said in a press release that as temperatures go above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, people can take refuge from the heat in several different cooling shelters spread across the county. For more information on Topeka cooling centers, click here.