NYC Heat Season 2026–2027: Rules Landlords Need to Know

Radiator under window to represent landlord heat responsibilities — New York City building owners must provide tenants with heat and hot water.

New York City building owners must provide tenants with heat and hot water.New York City’s 2026–2027 Heat Season starts on October 1. In addition to ensuring their heating systems are ready, building owners need to know about an important change in how the city will handle heat complaints this year.

Heat Season Requirements

Heat Season starts on October 1 and continues until May 31. Building owners are required to maintain the following interior temperatures during this time:

Day. Between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m., if the exterior temperature drops below 55°F, owners must maintain an inside temperature of at least 68°F.
Night. Between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., owners must maintain an interior temperature of at least 62°F.

New Requirements for Buildings with Steam Heat

Building owners who rely on steam radiators to meet New York City’s Heat Season requirements now have an additional compliance obligation. Under Local Law 151 of 2025, owners of residential buildings with three or more units and steam heating systems must have steam radiators inspected at least once every two years in common areas and in apartments where a child under age six resides.

Beginning in January 2027, affected owners must also provide tenants with an annual notice to determine which apartments require inspection. For complete requirements, visit HPD’s Steam Radiator Inspection page.

Heat and Hot Water Complaints: Inspections, Violations and Penalties

If the Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) receives a complaint related to heat or hot water, the agency will contact the building owner or managing agent. HPD may also contact the person who reported the complaint to confirm whether service has been restored. If the condition continues, HPD will send an inspector to the building to confirm the complaint and issue a violation.

New for 2026–2027: HPD to Investigate Heat Complaints Individually

Beginning October 1, 2026, HPD is changing how it handles heat complaints from multiple apartments in the same building. Instead of treating subsequent complaints from different apartments as duplicates of the first complaint, inspectors will attempt to inspect each apartment that files a non-anonymous complaint.

For building owners, the change makes prompt investigation of individual tenant complaints especially important, even when the building’s central heating system appears to be working properly.

Heat and Hot Water Violations Require Immediate Correction

Heat and hot water violations are considered immediately hazardous and require immediate correction. Civil penalties can begin accruing as soon as the violation is posted. For eligible first violations, owners who correct the condition within 24 hours may be able to satisfy the civil penalty by submitting a Notice of Correction and a $250 payment within 10 days.

HPD may seek the following penalties, effective on the violation posting date and continuing until correction of the violation:

Initial violation. $350-$1,250 per day for each violation
Subsequent violations. $500-$1,500 per day for subsequent violations at the same building during the same and/or next calendar year or heat season

HPD will charge a $200 inspection fee, starting with the third inspection that produces a heat violation during the same Heat Season (October through May) or a hot water violation within a calendar year.

Bottom Line

With Heat Season starting October 1, building owners who haven’t already prepared should prioritize heating-system readiness. Test systems now, address known boiler, radiator or hot water problems, and make sure tenants and building staff know how to report problems quickly. With HPD now investigating individual heat complaints, prompt response and good documentation will be especially important this season.

Keep track of any heating system maintenance, repairs and upgrades, and discuss significant improvements at your next insurance review. If you have any questions about building insurance, call our office at 877-576-5200.

If you have any questions about building insurance, call our office at 877-576-5200. And remember, keep track of any heating system upgrades to discuss at your next insurance review.