HPD Announces Start of the 2017 Heat Season

Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) Commissioner Maria Torres-Springer recently announced the start of New York City’s “Heat Season,” which legally requires all residential building owners to maintain indoor temperatures at 68 degrees when it falls below 55 degrees outside during the day, and a minimum of 62 degrees indoors overnight, regardless of outdoor temperatures. The 2017-2018 “Heat Season” began on Sunday, Oct. 1 and continues through Thursday, May 31, 2018.

This year will see an increase in the minimum indoor temperatures building owners and landlords are required to maintain for residential units, as a result of a bill that was sponsored by Council Member Jumaane Williams, voted by the full Council, and signed into law in May 2017. This bill increased the minimum indoor temperature requirements (from 55 to 62 degrees) at night (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and removed the outside temperature triggers. The previous mandates required that an apartment be: (1) 68 degrees during the day (6 a.m. - 10 p.m.) when it’s below 55 degrees outside; and (2) at least 55 degrees whenever the outside temperature falls below 40 degrees at night (10 p.m. - 6 a.m.).

“Landlords are required by law to provide heat for residents during the coldest months of the year. Heat requirements have been updated. We are preparing for the changes to this year's heat season by working to notify owners and residents that, beginning this month, the minimum required overnight heat temperature is 62 degrees regardless of the outdoor temperature,” said Torres-Springer.

Here are some statistics from the 2016-2017 “Heat Season” (Oct. 1, 2016 – May 31, 2017):

• 200,182 total heat and hot water problems were reported to the city through 311 (this number includes duplicate calls), a decrease of .03 percent as compared to the previous “Heat Season.”
• 109,425 unique heat and hot water problems were reported (this number does not include duplicate calls).
• HPD inspectors attempted 121,137 heat and/or hot water inspections (this number includes multiple inspection attempts in response to a complaint).
• HPD inspectors wrote 3,449 heat and 5,659 hot water violations, which are decreases of 1 percent and 8 percent, as compared to the previous “Heat Season.”
• HPD completed a total of $1.8 million in heat-related emergency repairs, such as fuel delivery, boiler repairs, or hot water repairs. All ERP costs are billed to the property.
• HPD filed 3,544 heat cases in court and collected $1,793,965.50 in civil penalties. An additional $150,000 was collected in heat settlement penalties for fiscal year (FY) 2017.
• HPD collected $222,000 in heat inspection fees during FY 2017.