NYC NOW
NYC NOW
WNYC
Know Your Rights: What Tenants Need to Know as NYC's Heat Season Begins
24 minutes Posted Sep 30, 2026 at 8:00 pm.
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October 1st marks the start of heat season in New York City, when landlords are legally required to keep buildings warm... but getting a landlord to actually fix a heat problem can be its own battle. Tenants' rights attorney Leah Goodridge walks us through what tenants are entitled to and the steps she, herself, took to get the hot water back in her apartment. Then, WNYC and Gothamist housing reporter David Brand breaks down landlords' perspective on why heat repairs can take as long as they do and also what the city's new policy requiring inspectors to check every complaint individually means for New Yorkers.

Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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