Summer isn鈥檛 fun for Surrey, B.C., renter Inderjit Singh Ghuman.
It means restless nights with his wife and son in an overheating ground-floor basement suite that lacks air conditioning.
鈥淚t was really uncomfortable here in my unit. It was hot and my family couldn鈥檛 sleep in the nighttime,鈥� Ghuman said, referring to July. 鈥淚t鈥檚 tough here on hot days.鈥�
His 18-year-old son has been struggling to study in stifling conditions in recent weeks.
Ghuman, 48, has been taking medication for anxiety and depression, and he worries that a lack of rest is making matters worse.
When he heard the B.C. government was providing free air conditioners to vulnerable people, Ghuman thought his sleepless nights were over.
Instead, he encountered a hurdle that is preventing some vulnerable people from accessing the program 鈥� the involvement of landlords.
Advocates worry that requiring a landlord鈥檚 consent to obtain an air conditioner is putting up an unnecessary barrier.
Health Minister Adrian Dix announced in late June that the government would provide $10 million to fund the purchase of up to 8,000 free air conditioners for low income and vulnerable people over three years.
The program is part of the government鈥檚 solution to prevent further deaths in response to the 2021 heat dome, where more than 600 residents died as record-setting temperatures blanketed the province for days.
Susie Rieder, a spokeswoman for BC Hydro, the Crown corporation put in charge of the program, said it received more than 2,000 applications under the scheme and 1,200 had been approved.
Ghuman heard about the program from the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), an advocacy group for lower-income renters of which he is a member.
But he realized he couldn鈥檛 apply because he doesn鈥檛 have his own BC Hydro account 鈥� his rent includes utilities.
鈥淣ow I am sad and so even like this month, there might be another heat wave coming 鈥� I think the government should consider (renters like) us,鈥� said Ghuman.
He isn鈥檛 the only one slipping through the cracks.
Another Vancouver-area tenant told of her landlord 鈥渂eing a jerk鈥� and impeding her application by trying to impose his own conditions. She didn鈥檛 want to be named for fear of being evicted.
鈥淚t鈥檚 impossible to sleep and we don鈥檛 have a cold place to go,鈥� said the tenant.
During the heat dome, the woman said the temperature in her one-bedroom low-rise apartment rose to more than 40 C.
She escaped the heat by sitting in a friend鈥檚 car with the air conditioner turned on, she said.
鈥淚鈥檓 a senior on low income, I can鈥檛 afford to buy an air conditioner and even if I could, I don鈥檛 have the physical ability to carry it, to move it,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 need help.鈥�
She said she thought 鈥渋t would be a simple process鈥� to get an air conditioner under the government plan.
Instead, her landlord stood in the way. The tenant said that after a prolonged back-and-forth, the landlord finally agreed to sign the consent form.
But he crossed out various sections he didn鈥檛 like, including a clause committing that the property remain housing for low-income tenants for at least one year after acceptance into the program.
鈥淗e crossed out the sections, which means that I鈥檓 not eligible because you can鈥檛 just randomly start crossing things out,鈥� said the tenant.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 really frustrating,鈥� she said, adding that many others in her building were in the same situation.
鈥淲e have seniors in this building that are in a lot more need than me,鈥� She said. 鈥淪ome of them face south and their place gets really hot. And some of the seniors are not well. I don鈥檛 know what will happen to them.鈥�
New Westminster ACORN chair Monica Bhandari said 鈥渋t鈥檚 not helpful at all鈥� for the program to require a landlords鈥� consent.
鈥淚 think it adds another barrier and possible risk to the situation because having another party having to consent, that gives a greater opportunity for them to be denied,鈥� said Bhandari.
She also said 8,000 units isn鈥檛 enough.
鈥�8,000 is like the population of maybe a really small city, like way up north or in the Interior. So how does that even make sense,鈥� said Bhandari.
The Ministry of Health referred questions to the Ministry of Housing.
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon responded with a statement saying tenants can use air conditioners if not prohibited in their tenancy agreement.
鈥淟andlords and tenants are encouraged to work together to identify a solution that is suitable to the rental unit and property,鈥� he said.
But the statement did not address the free air-conditioner program.
Rieder said when Hydro鈥檚 contractors make upgrades to homes, the landlord鈥檚 consent ensures that the work is allowed within the rental agreement鈥檚 terms.
David Hutniak, CEO of Landlord B.C., said that it recently encouraged members to work with tenants within the program.
But Hutniak said the current online consent form has created confusion because it is the same form used for an earlier program.
鈥淭he issue that has arisen however, and one which we identified to BC Hydro at the outset, is that the language in the proposed landlord consent form is incorrect for the particular program,鈥� said Hutniak.
Rieder said Hydro is now reviewing the terms and conditions to provide more clarity.
鈥淲e鈥檙e sorry to hear about this, and we鈥檙e working on providing an information sheet for landlords and updating the landlord consent form to make it clearer.鈥�
Vancouver Coastal Health said in a statement that a high percentage of people who died during the 2021 heat dome were living alone and without air conditioning.
鈥淟andlords and strata corporations can make impactful decisions to help protect the health of residents,鈥� said Emily Newhouse, Fraser Health Medical Health Officer.
鈥淲e鈥檙e recommending they remove barriers that prevent residents from staying cool.鈥�
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