New Jersey already requires landlords to provide adequate heat in the winter. But as summers grow hotter and last longer, cooling is becoming harder to treat as a luxury. In many older Essex County apartment buildings, tenants are limited to one window air-conditioning unit or a strict BTU cap — even when that unit cannot cool the full apartment. For seniors, children, people with disabilities, and tenants with health conditions, that raises a serious question: when does inadequate cooling become a habitability issue? This Essex County Current article examines whether New Jersey should begin treating cooling the way it already treats heat — not necessarily by requiring central air in every building, but by requiring older apartment buildings to provide safe, adequate means to keep units livable during extreme summer heat. Read the full article on Substack. Link in bio. #EssexCounty #EssexCountyNJ #NewJersey #NJHousing #TenantRights #HousingPolicy #ClimateChange #ExtremeHeat #Apartments #LocalNews