- Glossary
- /Heat Season
NYC rental glossary
Heat Season
The Oct 1–May 31 window when NYC owners must keep apartments heated to legal minimums; hot water is required year-round.
New York City’s “heat season” runs from October 1 through May 31. During it, owners must keep occupied residential units at or above legal minimum temperatures that depend on the outside temperature and the time of day — a daytime floor and a higher night-time floor when it’s cold out. Adequate hot water is required every day of the year, in or out of heat season.
A tenant without adequate heat or hot water can call 311, which routes the complaint to HPD; an unresolved condition becomes an HPD violation and can support a rent-reduction or repair action. Heat and hot water are the single largest category of NYC tenant complaints each winter.
Because these issues are urgent and time-bound, Urbero treats heat and hot water as a first-class maintenance category — a tenant flags it from their portal and it routes straight to the managing brokerage and owner, with the status tracked rather than lost in a voicemail.
See it in the product
Maintenance in the tenant portalRelated terms
- Warranty of HabitabilityA non-waivable promise, implied in every NYC residential lease, that the apartment is fit to live in.
- HPD ViolationA recorded NYC housing-code violation, classed A (non-hazardous), B (hazardous), or C/I (immediately hazardous).
- Housing CourtThe NYC court that hears landlord-tenant disputes — evictions, repairs, and warranty-of-habitability claims.
This definition is general information about a New York City rental or rent-regulation concept, not legal advice. The rules change and often turn on facts specific to a building, unit, and tenancy — confirm the current rule and consult a qualified attorney before acting on any individual matter.