HPD Essential Workers Issue more than 9,300 Violations to Buildings for Inadequate Heat and Hot Water During 2020-2021 Pandemic “Heat Season”

July 1, 2021

Inspectors work through pandemic to keep New Yorkers warm, responding to more than 114,000 heat and hot water complaints and supporting additional Citywide efforts to combat COVID-19

NEW YORK, NY
–  The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) closed out an unprecedented “heat season”, responding to more than 114,000 heat complaints across the five boroughs at a time when most New Yorkers were sheltering at home. Every year, from October through May, all residential building owners are required to follow “heat season” rules to ensure New Yorkers can stay warm during colder months. Hot water must also be provided all year round. In buildings where adequate heat was not provided, HPD inspectors wrote 3,855 heat and 5,454 hot water violations. In addition to continuing to complete essential inspections and emergency repairs for housing maintenance issues, HPD’s enforcement team also supported Citywide efforts to combat COVID-19 through initiatives like Business Inspections for COVID Clusters.

When owners fail to restore heat and hot water after receiving a violation, HPD takes further to correct the condition as soon as possible. In cases that required emergency repairs, enforcement staff pushed owners to make necessary repairs and checked with tenants to verify actions, ultimately resulting in owners correcting conditions in more than 2,000 buildings. If owners do not respond, HPD writes work orders to bid and award work to qualified vendors to restore utilities and heat in a timely manner. This season, HPD completed a total of $1.3 million in heat-related emergency repairs, which are billed to the negligent property owners. HPD’s Housing Litigation Division also initiated nearly 3,000 cases in Housing Court against owners who were not providing heat or hot water or allowing access to HPD to make repairs. HPD uses a variety of tools to address housing code violations, also conducting outreach to owners of building with high numbers of complaints and/or violations.

“HPD’s Enforcement team is among the unsung heroes of this crisis, carrying out inspections and emergency repairs for the most serious conditions throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” said HPD Commissioner Louise Carroll. “I want to thank them for keeping up essential services despite physical, emotional, and logistical challenges, and for going above and beyond to serve New Yorkers in new ways through the pandemic.”

Enforcing heat and hot water laws to keep tenants warm during the colder months is just one of the many ways HPD Housing Inspectors help keep New Yorkers in safe and secure homes. Between March 2020, when the pandemic began, and May 2021 (the end of heat season), HPD’s enforcement team conducted 550,000 inspections and issued 650,000 violations, for everything from heat to lead-based paint to mold and pests. HPD Inspectors have continued to respond to complaints across the five boroughs, taking the necessary safety precautions to ensure critical housing needs are being addressed while families spend significant time at home.

Tenants experiencing issues with heat, hot water, water leaks, pests or other types of housing quality issues, should first attempt to notify the building owner, managing agent or superintendent. If service is not restored or repairs made timely, the tenant should register an official complaint via 311. To file a complaint, tenants can call 311, visit 311 online or use the app 311 Mobile (on Android and iOS devices) to file a complaint. Hearing-impaired tenants can register complaints via a Touchtone Device for the Deaf (TDD) at (212) 504-4115. HPD encourages tenants to check the HPD webpage and to learn the result of the complaint. Tenants can also receive complaint status updates via text if a phone number is provided when a complaint is submitted.

During the 2020-2021 “Heat Season” (October 1st 2020 – May 31st 2021):

177,307 total heat and hot water problems were reported to the City through 311 (this number includes duplicate calls)

  • 114,247 unique heat and hot water problems were reported (this number does not include duplicate calls).
    • 114,247 unique heat and hot water problems were reported (this number does not include duplicate calls).
  • HPD inspectors attempted 112,650 heat and/or hot water inspections (this number includes multiple inspection attempts in response to a complaint).
  • HPD inspectors wrote 3,855 heat and 5,454 hot water violations
  • HPD completed a total of $1.3 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 893 heat and hot water cases in court accounting for almost 3,000 violations and has collected $450,000 in civil penalties.
  • Additionally, for FY2021 through May, $193,750 was collected in heat settlement penalties and HPD collected $198,000 in heat inspection fees for a total collection of almost $850,000. 

As the pandemic continued to pose great risks to New York City during this time, HPD inspectors were also tapped to help support initiatives launched by the Mayor’s Office to help combat COVID-19. Since September 2020, inspectors across City agencies, including HPD, were asked to inspect businesses operating in COVID-19 clusters, including restaurants with indoor dining. At its height HPD had 90 inspectors allocated to this program who were trained and retrained as restrictions continued to evolve. Inspectors checked for issues such as employees not wearing masks, maximum capacity requirements, alcohol consumed at bars, and other safety measures aimed at restricting the spread of COVID-19. As restrictions have eased, the program wrapped up last month after having conducted inspections at over 300,000 stores and restaurants and issued 86,000 warnings. Inspectors are now able to return to their normal duties, marking the end of a truly challenging but important season of work

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The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) is the nation's largest municipal housing preservation and development agency. Its mission is to promote quality housing and diverse, thriving neighborhoods for New Yorkers through loan and development programs for new affordable housing, preservation of the affordability of the existing housing stock, enforcement of housing quality standards, and educational programs for tenants and building owners. HPD is tasked advancing the goals of the City's housing plan – a critical pillar of YOUR Home NYC, Mayor de Blasio's comprehensive approach to helping New Yorkers get, afford, and keep housing in these challenging times. For full details visit http://www.nyc.gov/hpd and for regular updates on HPD news and services, connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @NYCHousing.