ALBUQUERQUE — An Albuquerque city councilor is pushing to strengthen the city’s rental cooling ordinance, proposing amendments that would set minimum performance standards for air conditioning units and bar landlords from using portable units as a substitute when primary systems fail.
Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn is expected to bring the proposals before the city council on Monday. The key amendment would require all cooling units in rental properties to lower the indoor air temperature by at least 15 degrees when outside temperatures reach 85 degrees or higher.
“I’ll point out that 80 degrees is still pretty warm but that is just the baseline that everyone in our community should expect, no matter how much or how little they can afford to pay for rent,” Fiebelkorn told KOB.
In 2024, Fiebelkorn introduced the ordinance that made it law for all rental properties to have cooling systems. Landlords expressed opposition, but the ordinance passed as city leaders determined it provided necessary protections for tenant welfare.
Albuquerque has experienced a historically warm spring in 2026, and forecasters expect this summer to surpass recent years in heat. Fiebelkorn said she wants to ensure rental tenants can maintain livable conditions as temperatures climb.
