Heat and Hot Water Information For Apartment Tenants From Assembly Member Micah Kellner

Cold Water Heat Requirements Image from NYC HPD

Assembly Member Micah Kellner provides the following information regarding what apartment tenants should know about their rights to be provided with heat and hot water during the winter. From Mr. Kellner's newsletter:

Heat Season is Here: Know the Laws, Know Your Rights

While the first official day of winter may have been in December, New Yorkers are currently facing some of the coldest days of the year and more are sure to come. It is important that tenants know their rights when it comes to heat and hot water. The City Housing Maintenance Code and Multiple Dwelling Law require building owners to provide heat and hot water to all tenants.

Building owners are required to provide hot water 365 days per year at a constant minimum temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. But between October 1st and May 31st, a period designated as "Heat Season," building owners are also required to provide tenants with heat under the following conditions: Between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 PM, if the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, the inside temperature is required to be at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Between the hours of 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, if the temperature outside falls below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the inside temperature is required to be at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you believe that you are not receiving the proper amount of heat or hot water, and attempts to notify your building owner, manager or superintendent have proved unsuccessful please call 311 to lodge a complaint (remember to write down the complaint number the 311 operator gives you). Complaints may be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For the hearing impaired, the TTY number is (212) 504-4115.

If problems persist, please do not hesitate to contact my office by calling 212-860-4906, with the 311 complaint number on hand, so that we may assist you. I always recommend that tenants keep a thermometer in their apartment at all times in order to get an accurate reading of the temperature inside their apartment during the winter. This is just one easy step you can take to make sure that your building owners and managers are respecting your rights to enjoy your home in comfort during the winter. More information on Heat and Hot Water Laws in New York City can be found on the Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) website.

Assembly Member Kellner has additional information of interest to Roosevelt Islanders available at his web site.