- What is NYC heat season?
- When does heat season start and end in NYC?
- What temperature must NYC landlords keep apartments?
- What are the hot water requirements in NYC?
- What to do if your NYC apartment has no heat
- How to file a no-heat complaint with 311
- What happens after you report: HPD inspections and violations
- What penalties do NYC landlords face for heat violations?
- Can your landlord retaliate for a heat complaint?
- Heat season checklist for landlords and building managers
- FAQs about NYC heat season
Freezing in your own living room? NYC Heat Season sets exact indoor temperatures your building owner has to hit from fall through spring. Below you’ll find the heat season dates, the day and night heat requirements, hot water rules, how to report no heat, and what happens once HPD gets involved.
Key takeaways on NYC heat season rules
- NYC Heat Season runs October 1 through May 31 every year, and the heat season law comes from the city’s Housing Maintenance Code, with HPD doing the enforcing. Hot water is a separate story: it’s required all twelve months, not just those eight.
- The day and night heat requirements split the clock in two. From 6 AM to 10 PM your home needs at least 68°F whenever it’s below 55°F outside, and from 10 PM to 6 AM it needs at least 62°F regardless of the weather.
- When your apartment is too cold, check with neighbors, tell your super or management company in writing, keep a dated temperature log, then file with 311. Your own readings matter, because a chilly home can warm back up before anyone arrives.
- A 311 complaint routes to HPD, and if heat isn’t restored an HPD inspection follows. A reading under the legal minimum produces a Class C immediately hazardous violation, which brings daily penalties, emergency repairs billed to the owner, and possible Housing Court action.
- Breaking the nyc heat law gets expensive, and retaliating against you for a good-faith complaint is illegal under Real Property Law § 223-b. Open violations stay in the public record, so checking a building’s heat history and renter reviews helps you know before you sign.
What is NYC heat season?
Heat season is the stretch of the year when NYC building owners are legally required to heat apartments. It comes from the city’s Housing Maintenance Code, and HPD (the Department of Housing Preservation and Development) enforces it. Outside those months, heat isn’t required by law, but hot water always is.
The rules don’t care whether your boiler is old, whether fuel prices went up, or whether the super is on vacation. If your apartment is too cold during heat season and the building is covered, that’s a violation of the nyc heat law.
Which renters are covered
- Rent-stabilized apartments and rent-controlled apartments
- Market-rate apartments in multiple dwellings
- Renters in small buildings, in most cases, though rules for certain owner-occupied homes can differ
Heat and hot water also sit inside the warranty of habitability, a statewide protection that says your home has to be livable. That means a long stretch without heat can support a rent abatement claim in Housing Court, separate from anything HPD does.
When does heat season start and end in NYC?
Heat season runs from October 1 through May 31, every year. Same dates in 2026, same dates the year after. Those eight months are when the temperature rules below apply.
| Period | Dates | What’s required |
|---|---|---|
| Heat season | October 1 – May 31 | Heat at the legal minimum temperatures, plus hot water |
| Rest of the year | June 1 – September 30 | Hot water only |
A common mix-up: renters assume heat kicks in automatically on October 1. It doesn’t. The requirement is tied to temperature, not the calendar alone, so a mild October day may not trigger the daytime rule at all. The nighttime rule, on the other hand, applies no matter how warm it is outside.
If your building’s boiler has a history of going down mid-winter, that’s exactly the kind of thing current and former renters write about in building reviews on Openigloo. Checking a building profile before you sign tells you whether cold apartments are a one-off or a yearly pattern.
What temperature must NYC landlords keep apartments?
The heat season law splits the day into two windows with different rules. Here are the day and night heat requirements in plain terms.
| Time window | Outdoor temperature | Required indoor temperature |
|---|---|---|
| Daytime: 6 AM – 10 PM | Below 55°F | At least 68°F |
| Nighttime: 10 PM – 6 AM | Any outdoor temperature | At least 62°F |
How to check your apartment temperature the right way
- Use a basic indoor thermometer placed away from radiators, drafty windows and exterior doors.
- Read it at chest height, in the middle of the room, not on the floor or windowsill.
- Log the date, time and reading every time, including the outdoor temperature during daytime hours.
- Take a photo of the thermometer with a timestamp if your phone supports it.
That log matters. HPD inspectors measure the temperature when they show up, and a cold apartment can warm back up by then. Your own records help if the case moves to Housing Court or if you’re asking for a rent reduction.
What are the hot water requirements in NYC?
Hot water isn’t seasonal. Building owners have to supply it 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, at a minimum temperature of 120°F at the tap.
What counts as a hot water violation
- No hot water at all, even for a few hours
- Lukewarm water that never reaches the minimum
- Hot water only at certain times of day, such as mornings only
- Hot water in the kitchen but not the bathroom, or the reverse
Some fixtures have anti-scald devices that cap the temperature for safety reasons, which can make a reading look low. If you’re unsure, test more than one tap, run the water for a couple of minutes, and note the readings. A kitchen thermometer works fine.
Report hot water problems the same way you’d report no heat. In HPD’s records, heat and hot water complaints sit in the same category, and both are treated as serious conditions.
What to do if your NYC apartment has no heat
When your apartment too cold turns into a real problem, work through these steps in order. Skipping straight to a complaint is allowed, but the paper trail you build first makes everything stronger.
- Check whether it’s just you. Ask neighbors. A building-wide outage points to the boiler. A single cold apartment may be a broken radiator valve, trapped air, or a blocked line.
- Contact your super or management company. Call first if it’s urgent, then follow up in writing so there’s a record of when you reported it.
- Start your temperature log. Readings, times, and outdoor conditions.
- Give a short, reasonable window. Hours, not days. Heat is an emergency condition under the code.
- File with 311 if nothing changes or no one responds.
Stay warm safely while you wait
Electric space heaters should be plugged directly into a wall outlet, never into an extension cord or power strip, and kept clear of bedding and curtains. Never heat your home with a gas oven or stove. If someone in your household is elderly, very young or medically fragile and the cold becomes dangerous, call 311 and ask about warming options.
How to file a no-heat complaint with 311
311 is the city’s front door for heat and hot water problems, and complaints are routed to HPD. You can file around the clock, including nights and weekends, and you don’t need to give your name to the building owner.
Three ways to file
- Call 311 (or 212-NEW-YORK from outside the city). Interpretation is available in many languages.
- Use the NYC 311 website and search for the heat or hot water complaint form.
- Use the NYC 311 mobile app on your phone.
Have this ready
- Your full address, including apartment number and cross streets
- How long the heat or hot water has been out
- Current indoor temperature reading, if you have one
- Whether other apartments are affected
- A phone number where an inspector can reach you
- Whether you already told the super or management company, and when
Write down the service request number 311 gives you. You’ll need it to track the complaint’s status online, and it’s useful later if you take the issue further. Every complaint filed also becomes part of the building’s public record, which is how patterns eventually show up in city data.
What happens after you report: HPD inspections and violations
Once your complaint lands, HPD typically tries to reach the building owner or managing agent first. If heat is restored and you confirm it, the case can close there. If not, HPD schedules an hpd inspection.
The inspection itself
- An inspector comes to your apartment, often with little advance notice, and sometimes outside normal business hours
- They measure the indoor temperature and check the outdoor temperature
- Someone 18 or older has to be home to let the inspector in, otherwise the inspection can’t happen
- If the reading is below the legal minimum, a violation is issued against the building
How the violation is classified
Heat and hot water violations are written as Class C, immediately hazardous, the most serious category HPD issues. Owners are required to fix immediately hazardous conditions right away and then certify the correction with HPD within a short deadline. False certification carries its own penalties.
Open HPD violations stay visible in public records, and they’re one of the clearest signals of owner responsiveness you can check before you rent. Looking up a building’s violation and complaint history on Openigloo alongside renter reviews is a quick way to know before you sign whether winters there are actually warm.
What penalties do NYC landlords face for heat violations?
Heat violations get expensive, and the costs stack up daily rather than as a one-time fine.
| Consequence | What it means for the owner |
|---|---|
| Daily civil penalties | Fines accrue for each day the condition goes uncorrected, with higher amounts for repeat violations |
| Emergency Repair Program | HPD can send its own contractor to restore heat and bill the owner for the work plus fees |
| Charges against the building | Unpaid repair costs can become a lien collected through the city |
| Housing Court litigation | HPD can sue to force repairs; renters can also bring their own HP action |
| Rent abatement | A court can reduce rent owed for the period the apartment was uninhabitable |
What renters can win
In an HP action, a renter or group of renters asks Housing Court to order repairs. Filing fees are low, you don’t need a lawyer to start one, and the court can set a repair schedule with penalties attached if the owner misses it. Buildings with chronic heat problems can also face appointment of a 7A administrator to manage the building in the owner’s place.
Can your landlord retaliate for a heat complaint?
No. Retaliation against a renter for making a good-faith complaint about conditions is illegal in New York under Real Property Law § 223-b.
What retaliation can look like
- An eviction filing that follows soon after your complaint
- Refusing a lease renewal you’d otherwise be entitled to
- A sudden, substantial rent increase aimed at you specifically
- Pulling services like storage, laundry access or parking
- Harassment, including repeated unannounced visits or threats
The law creates a presumption of retaliation when an owner takes certain adverse actions within a year of a renter’s good-faith complaint to a government agency. That shifts the burden onto the owner to show a legitimate reason. Your 311 service request numbers and dated messages become the backbone of that argument.
If you think you’re being targeted, keep every message, note each incident with a date, and talk to a tenant attorney or a local tenant organization. The Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants and HPD both publish guidance on renter protections, and free legal help is available to many New Yorkers facing eviction.
Heat season checklist for landlords and building managers
Most heat complaints trace back to maintenance that got pushed off. A little prep before October 1 saves a winter of emergency calls and violations.
Before heat season starts
- Service the boiler and have a licensed technician inspect burners, controls and safety devices
- Test the heating system end to end, including the top-floor and back-corner apartments that usually run coldest
- Bleed radiators and replace failing valves and steam traps
- Confirm fuel delivery is contracted and scheduled
- Check the hot water heater and verify tap temperatures on multiple lines
During the season
- Post emergency contact information where every renter can see it, including after-hours numbers
- Answer heat calls the same day, and tell renters what’s happening and when it’ll be fixed
- Keep repair records: dates, vendors, parts, and what was done
- Make someone available for an hpd inspection so inspectors can access the building
- Certify corrections on time and accurately once a violation is issued
- Have a backup plan for a boiler failure, such as a standing arrangement with a repair company and temporary heating options
Buildings that handle heat well get noticed. Renters write about responsive management and warm winters in building and landlord reviews, and that reputation follows a building into every apartment search that starts with research.
FAQs about NYC heat season
Quick answers to the heat and hot water questions NYC renters ask most.
How fast does my landlord actually have to restore heat?
Heat is treated as an immediately hazardous condition, so the expectation is right away, not next week. Give your super a few hours to respond, then file with 311. Once HPD issues a violation, the owner has to correct it and certify the fix within a short deadline.
Can I stop paying rent if my apartment has no heat?
Withholding rent on your own is risky and can land you in eviction court. The stronger path is documenting everything and asking a judge for a rent abatement, often through an HP action in Housing Court. Talk to a tenant attorney or a local tenant organization before you do anything.
Will my landlord find out I filed the 311 complaint?
You don’t have to give your name to the building owner. HPD will reach out about the condition itself, and in a small building an owner may guess. Retaliation is illegal either way, so hold onto your service request numbers and every dated message you send.
What if nobody is home when the HPD inspector shows up?
The inspection can’t go forward. Someone 18 or older has to be there to let the inspector in, and visits often come with little notice, sometimes outside normal business hours. Give 311 a phone number you’ll actually answer, and file again if you miss a visit.
Do these rules cover a basement apartment or a small two-family house?
Most apartments in multiple dwellings are covered, and renters in small buildings usually are too, though rules for certain owner-occupied homes can differ. If you’re not sure where your home lands, file with 311 anyway and let HPD sort out whether the building is covered.
My thermometer says 68°F but I’m still freezing. What now?
Drafty windows, a broken radiator valve or trapped air can leave a legally heated apartment feeling cold. Ask for repairs in writing, since the warranty of habitability covers livable conditions beyond a single reading. Weatherstripping and a draft blocker under the door help while you wait.
How can I tell if a building has heat problems before I sign a lease?
Look up the building’s public complaint and violation history, then read what current and former renters say in building reviews on Openigloo. Repeat winter heat complaints tell you a lot about owner responsiveness, and a clean record over several winters is a good sign.