For an NYC building owner, winter is not one deadline. It is a boiler filing in September, a legal temperature standard from October, a freeze plan in November and a run of filings between late December and mid-February, all while tenants call when something goes wrong at night.
What the law asks of your building
HPD calls it Heat Season, and it runs from October 1 to May 31. During those months, according to HPD:
- Day (6am to 10pm): when the outside temperature is below 55°F, the inside temperature must be at least 68°F.
- Night (10pm to 6am): the inside temperature must be at least 62°F, whatever the temperature outside.
- Hot water is separate and year-round: 365 days a year, at a constant minimum of 120°F.
Tenants report heat problems to the city, and HPD inspectors take the outdoor temperature on every inspection. Our heat and hot water guide covers enforcement in detail.
The season, in the order it lands
Each item below links to the page on this site that covers it in full.
Boiler inspection and filing
The annual boiler inspection is filed with the Department of Buildings, and any defects have to be corrected and documented back. A service visit is not the inspection, and repairs are far easier in September than in January.
Inspections before the year-end crunch
Several annual obligations only require annual performance, not year-end performance. Running those inspections in September and October takes them out of the busiest weeks of winter.
Heat season starts: the legal temperatures
From 6am to 10pm, apartments must be at least 68°F whenever it is below 55°F outside. From 10pm to 6am, they must be at least 62°F regardless of the outside temperature. Hot water is required all year.
Energy grade label
Covered buildings over 25,000 square feet download and post their energy efficiency grade in October, where every prospective tenant can read it.
Budget season for co-op and condo boards
Heating fuel, insurance and recurring compliance filings are among the lines that move. The guide covers building next year’s budget from a replacement schedule instead of a percentage.
Winterizing: pipes, envelope and sidewalks
Protect pipes from freezing, check the roof, windows and common areas, line up a snow-removal plan before the first storm, and give tenants an easy way to report problems.
No-heat and burst-pipe emergencies
No heat during heat season and active leaks are emergencies, not next-week repairs. Know what counts before the call comes at night, and who responds when it does.
Year-end and winter filing deadlines
Several obligations land between late December and mid-February, across more than one agency, through the holidays and the worst weather of the year. The calendar shows which apply to your building.
What to ask a manager before winter
If you are deciding who runs your building this season, the useful questions are specific:
- Who arranges the boiler inspection, and who confirms the defects were closed out? Service and inspection are different things.
- Who keeps the compliance calendar? Several winter obligations generate no notice, so they only happen if someone is tracking them.
- What happens when a tenant reports no heat at 11pm? No heat during heat season is on our maintenance emergency list, alongside active leaks and gas odors.
- How do you, the owner, find out? Our owners see their building's financials and documents in an AppFolio owner portal.
Yak Management is a boutique, principal-led firm serving Brooklyn and greater NYC, with deep experience in rent-stabilized and subsidized buildings. If you are weighing a change before winter, our getting-started guide walks through onboarding, or you can send us a note below.