NYC Comptroller Finds 901 Buildings Left Freezing for 7 Years; HPD Must Turn Up Heat Against Landlords with Strategic & Targeted Code Enforcement

New York, NY – In an updated report to his office’s 2023 Turn Up the Heat report, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander still finds significant shortcomings in the City’s efforts to address heat complaints from tenants in the chronically coldest buildings. While the Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s (HPD) interventions (e.g. issuing violations, litigation, emergency repairs, and the heat sensor program) are effective in addressing heat complaints, HPD too often fails to apply them in a small subset of buildings with persistently inadequate heat. 

The Comptroller’s original report identified 1,283 buildings where tenants complained of a lack of heat more than five times each winter between 2017 – 2021. The updated report found that since then, 901 of those 1,283 buildings remain on the list as chronically underheated for seven winters in a row. Alarmingly, 20% of those 901 buildings had had no intervention from HPD for the entire seven-year period from 2017-2024.  

“The City still has not turned up the heat on landlords who leave their tenants in the cold,” said Comptroller Brad Lander. “Far too often, buildings remain cold year, after-year, after-year. 901 buildings—primarily in neighborhoods in the Bronx—have not had heat for seven years, causing tenants to turn to space heaters or running up gas bills that can pose serious risks of fires like the Twin Parks fire.” 

The report compared the 2017-2021 findings with the most recent heat seasons from 2022-2024. Overall, tenants filed 203,920 more complaints annually about a lack of heat and hot water in the past two heat seasons. During the seven-year period, an annual average of 5,325 complaints (3%) became violations after an HPD inspection. Heat complaints and violations were predominantly concentrated in communities of color. The five community districts with the highest volume of 311 complaints related to a lack of heat are 90% people of color on average. The five districts with the most violations issued average 89% people of color. 

The Comptroller’s office released its original report on the one-year anniversary of the fire at the tragic Twin Parks development in the Bronx that took the lives of 17 New Yorkers and injured dozens more. Deadly fires in neglected buildings continue to destabilize communities. In January 2025, a Bronx building burned–leaving over 250 residents, including 58 children– displaced from their home. Since the Comptroller’s office released its original report, space heaters caused 50 fires. Living without heat for an extended period can lead to a serious decline in tenants’ mental and physical health, and residents will often turn to unsafe methods, such as portable heaters, to keep themselves and their families warm. 

The report found that when deployed, the City’s enforcement strategies for addressing heat complaints are generally effective. Issuing violations, litigation, use of the Emergency Repair Program, and the Heat Sensor Program reduced the number of heat complaints in the following heat season. However, HPD is not effectively deploying the tools of the agency in the subset of 901 buildings that have chronic and persistent issues due to the lack of heat for seven years.  

The Comptroller’s report reinforces the first report’s recommendations including more strategic use of data and technology to prioritize inspections, streamlining the inspection scheduling process, conducting comprehensive site inspections jointly with HPD and DOB, and expanding proactive code enforcement and targeted escalation.  

However, given the stubborn subset of buildings with persistent heat issues, HPD must immediately escalate its enforcement mechanisms to transfer building ownership away from owners that disregard tenant health and safety and into the hands of responsible owners.  

Lander continued, “Slowly freezing your tenants is a cold move and landlords who endanger tenant lives should be held to the highest account. If landlords are unwilling to turn up the heat, HPD must turn up the pressure, take away their ownership and give it to someone who will.”  

To tackle the number of buildings with persistent heat issues, the report makes additional recommendations to improve or create programs to help get these buildings out of the hands of neglectful owners:   

• Expand the use of the 7A Program to appoint non-profit administrators to operate buildings where conditions are dangerous to a tenants’ life and safety.  

• Immediately relaunch and adequately fund the Neighborhood Pillars program to enable non-profits to acquire and rehabilitate buildings with chronic and persistent heat issues.  

• Pass Intro 1063-2024 of the Housing Rescue and Resident Protection Act (HRRPA) to create a new pathway for the City to pursue foreclosure to address issues in physically and financially distressed properties while protecting tenants in place. 

“The findings in this report are deeply troubling and highlight the ongoing crisis many of our residents face,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. “Despite the City’s enforcement tools, thousands of tenants, particularly in low-income communities of color, are still enduring inadequate heat year after year. The fact that over 900 buildings across the city have had persistent heat issues for seven years is unacceptable. We must do more to hold landlords accountable, ensure timely enforcement, and prioritize the well-being of our most vulnerable communities. Every New Yorker deserves a warm, safe place to live, and we will continue to fight for the resources and attention necessary to address these critical issues.” 

“Two years ago, 17 of my constituents tragically lost their lives in the Twin Parks fire, which was sparked by an electric space heater and exacerbated by malfunctioning self-closing doors that ultimately led to this terrible disaster. Today, tenants in my district still grapple with inadequate heat in their homes. No New Yorker should ever have to endure the suffering of living without heat since it is a fundamental necessity,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. “I represent one of the districts with the highest concentrations of affected buildings with chronic heat issues and lack of code enforcement. I urge the City to consider Comptroller Lander’s recommendations including strengthening enforcement, and eliminating any barriers to fully implementing NYC’s Heat Laws.”

“No family should have to choose between freezing in their home or risking their safety using a space heater to stay warm,” said Assemblymember Emerita Torres. “In our community, including Soundview, Parkchester, and Castle Hill, 35 buildings have had persistent heat issues for years. HPD has the tools to address this, but they need to use them more effectively. Stronger enforcement and proactive oversight can ensure that tenants are not left in unsafe conditions. Safe housing is not a luxury; it is a right, and we need to do more to protect it.”

“I have responded to countless residents in my district regarding a lack of heat by conducting walkthroughs, meeting with building management, and demanding that the city’s heating standards are met,” said Council Member Chris Banks, Chair of the Committee on Public Housing. “Unfortunately, this unacceptable problem persists, forcing many residents to suffer in the cold, or turn to alternative methods of heating their homes, including utilizing space heaters, boiling water, or turning on the oven, which can be incredibly dangerous, and in some cases, fatal. New Yorkers and their families, especially the elderly and disabled, must not be left to fend for themselves in battling the cold. The clear racial disparity in heating complaints and violations is intolerable. Building owners must be held accountable for tenant health and safety, and if they cannot meet standards, they must be removed. Landlords have no right to neglect the needs of their tenants, and action must be taken to resolve this issue. I am a proud sponsor of Intro 1063-2024, one of the key recommendations made by this report. I will continue to address this issue in my district, and as Chair of the Committee on Public Housing, in NYCHA buildings across the city. Access to heat is a fundamental right, and we cannot allow this crisis to persist. Our residents deserve warmth and dignity, and we must take bold action to protect their rights.” 

“The continuous struggle with heat related issues and code enforcement is a hazard to the livelihood of New Yorkers,” said Council Member Darlene Mealy. “When we are dealing with conditions such as we have experienced this past winter, people need to know they can have protection in their own homes. Working heat is essential not for comfort but for the health of our constituents, especially those in vulnerable demographics. Without proper temperature regulation in the midst of harsh weather conditions people can face illness, hospitalization, and even worse. This is simply about the wellbeing of New Yorkers, and we must have enforcement mechanisms that ensure tenant health is a priority for building administrators and owners.” 

“I appreciate the efforts of the New York City Comptroller and our legislators who are standing behind the tenants of Robert Fulton Terrace in our demands for better conditions,” said Linda Kemp, President of Robert Fulton Terrace Tenant Association. “I am hopeful that this report will address the needs of vulnerable New Yorkers subject to predatory landlords. As an original tenant of my building, I’ve seen conditions severely decline after the complex left the Mitchell Lama program. We are resilient, will not be forced out, and continue to believe that a change is going to come – especially if the City uses the tools it has at its disposal to restore and/or take buildings away from landlords who leave us in cold, inadequate, and unhealthy living conditions.”   

“Our clients and all tenants who have inadequate heat aren’t just enduring physical discomfort—their basic rights are being violated,” said Jessica Bellinder, Supervising Attorney of the Housing Justice Unit – Group Advocacy at The Legal Aid Society. “It is unacceptable that hundreds of buildings across New York City continue to suffer heat outages year after year during the coldest winter months. It’s crucial that the city takes stronger action to hold landlords accountable and protect tenants from these dangerous conditions.” 

“The Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition strongly supports the Comptroller’s call for urgent action to hold landlords accountable and ensure tenants are not left freezing in their homes. For years, tenants—particularly in the Bronx—have suffered due to systemic neglect. If landlords refuse to meet their basic responsibilities, the City must step in, escalate enforcement, and transition these buildings to responsible, community-led ownership. Tenants and trusted nonprofit partners stand ready to provide the stable, well-managed housing that our communities need and deserve,” said Sandra Lobo, Executive Director of Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition.

“Our building has been without gas service that provides heat, hot water and cooking gas since February 1st. This lack of service has included some of the coldest days of the year. Tenants have been sleeping in hats, gloves and coats to mitigate what the landlord and management have called ‘an inconvenience,” said Liz Quijada, 86 E 7th St Tenant Association. 

Read the full report: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/turn-up-the-heat-2025-update/ 

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