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SidewalkSnitch / Guides / No heat NYC
SidewalkSnitch · Guide
Last updated: 2026-09-04
SidewalkSnitch is an independent civic tool. Not affiliated with the City of New York and not a government 311 service.
NYC heat season runs October 1 to May 31. Under NYC Admin Code §27-2029, when the outdoor temperature falls below 55°F the landlord must keep the apartment at least 68°F from 6 AM to 10 PM and at least 62°F overnight. Start at the 311 article Heat or Hot Water, and be ready to call 311 — HPD often requires a phone call to complete a heat complaint. Use this page to draft paste-ready text; we never file from this guide.
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We prep the text. You file it on 311. We never file from this guide.
Heat and hot water are handled by HPD, and HPD often requires you to speak with a 311 agent by phone instead of finishing a web form. Treat the 311 article above as the start point, not as the whole filing. Keep your drafted text open, call 311, and read it out. Your complaint is on record only when the city gives you a Service Request Number.
A reading the city can use must come from a normal living space. Follow these steps:
Report the outage to the landlord or the building superintendent, and write down when you told them. HPD asks about that contact. Reporting to your landlord does not replace the 311 complaint — file both, because only the 311 complaint puts the condition on the city record.
HPD can send an inspector to the apartment and issue a violation to the owner. Where an owner does not restore heat, HPD has an emergency repair path. Be reachable: an inspector who cannot get into the apartment cannot record the condition. File again for each new day without heat, because each day is its own failure.
Call 911 for a medical emergency, and never heat a room with a gas oven or an open flame. If you smell gas or the boiler is damaged, leave and call 911. This guide is about reporting the condition. It is not legal advice and it is not a repair service.
No heat in your apartment?
Photograph the thermometer reading in the living area, with the date and time noted.
See it. Snap it. Fix it. We prep the text. You file it on 311. We never file from this guide.
Join the friends & family waitlistPhone number required. F&F access only — not a public neighborhood launch.
Friends & family waitlist — phone number required. Public neighborhood launch is not open yet.
During heat season, the landlord must provide heat when the outdoor temperature falls below 55°F: at least 68°F between 6 AM and 10 PM, and at least 62°F overnight. That rule is NYC Admin Code §27-2029.
October 1 through May 31.
Hot water is a year-round duty, not a heat-season one. NYC Admin Code §27-2031 requires hot water at a minimum of 120°F all year. An extended outage is an HPD violation.
Not always. HPD often requires you to speak with a 311 agent by phone for a heat or hot water complaint. Start on the 311 Heat or Hot Water article, and be ready to call 311 to complete it. We tell you this plainly rather than promise an online-only path.
Record the indoor temperature on a thermometer, the date, and the time. Photograph the thermometer reading. Note the outdoor temperature as well, because the daytime rule depends on it. Keep a log if the problem repeats across days.
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