PHOENIX — A newly introduced bill, SB 1608, would establish statewide temperature requirements for rental properties in Arizona, requiring landlords to keep units below 82 degrees.

The legislation, introduced by state Sen. Lauren Kuby alongside Attorney General Kris Mayes, comes after several documented air conditioning outages in apartment complexes across the Valley during extreme heat last summer.

The Attorney General’s office stepped in after a person died and another was hospitalized while living in a Phoenix complex that had a broken AC system.

While Phoenix and Tucson already have local laws requiring temperatures to stay under 82 degrees in rental units, it’s not statewide.

“It’s leading to illness and death and we need to take action,” Kuby said. “There’s a lot of good actors in the area landlords who do the right thing, but there are bad actors too, who are not cooling their rental units appropriately.”

The bill not only contains the temperature requirement, but also shortens the time allotted to get AC fixed or provide a temporary solution from five days down to two days before a tenant could break their contract. It would also prevent evictions in the hottest parts of the summer.

“Landlords can provide accommodations, so that can be putting somebody up in a different unit of the multifamily complex, or they could put somebody in a hotel or they could bring in a window air conditioner,” Kuby said.

The Arizona Multihousing Association said in a statement that Arizona property owners take safety seriously and already have clear legal guidelines and remedies if they aren’t followed.

“We remain committed to working with lawmakers and stakeholders to ensure policies that balance the needs of renters and property owners without creating unintended consequences for the Arizona housing market.”

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