SILVER SPRING, Md. — For two weeks now, several Summit Hills residents in Silver Spring have been living in what they call ‘unbearable’ conditions.
“I don’t know if you can see but I’m beating sweat. I have fans all over the place to try and circulate heat,” one resident said.
Even though the AC was turned on Wednesday morning, it’s still 81 degrees inside some resident's units. They told WUSA9 the inside temps have made it difficult to cook, work, and sleep.
Montgomery County Law states a landlord is not required to turn on the AC until June 1. After that date, the temperature inside the apartment must be kept below 80 degrees.
Montgomery County officials said the June 1 date is because of the inconsistent weather in May and how difficult it is to switch a system from hot to cold.
In the past week, the DMV has gone from highs in the 80s and near 90s to 50s over the weekend before returning to the 90s.
“May is a tricky month. There could be hot days, overnights, it can be cool. The problem is if it’s cold over night, you can’t convert to heating system, you need about three days to switch so obviously it’s a challenge for landlords,” said Earl Stoddard, Montgomery County Assistant Chief Adm. Officer.
For now, county officials are gathering data. Stoddard said those regulations will likely need to change to accommodate the current climate. There is no word on how long that could take.
“Because of climate change our temps are adapting and our regulations are likely going to have to adapt to match them,” Stoddard said.
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