UPDATE at 4 p.m. June 1, 2022
The Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs verified Wednesday afternoon that contractors currently are onsite, replacing the part and making the necessary repairs to have air conditioning restored.
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The Montgomery County Department of Housing and Community Affairs issued a violation notice May 25 to Thayer Terrace Apartments in Silver Spring after receiving complaints that there has been no working air conditioning for several months.
According to the violation, the problem must be fixed by Wednesday afternoon.
“For the past few days Senior and Disabled tenants have been fainted and becoming sick due to the extremely hot weather. Air Conditioner System needs a part made in 1957 it could Be summer before the system is fixed. Volunteers are collecting water and coolers of ice,” a tenant posted on social media.
Alerted by My MCM, Councilmember Tom Hucker and his staff contacted DHCA, which discovered there was an issue with the electrical board and that the property owners are working with HVAC contractors to locate and repair the problem.
If a replacement part is not located in time, the landlord is expected to have a plan to alleviate the situation for residents of the apartments located walking distance from Downtown Silver Spring.
In February of 2020, Montgomery County Council unanimously enacted a bill requiring landlords to provide and maintain air conditioning service for rental housing. At the time, Hucker, who was the lead sponsor of the legislation, said, “Extreme heat can be just as deadly to vulnerable residents as extreme cold.”
