City Council seeks to lessen heat complaints in NYC apartments with new bill

If passed, the bill would go into effect beginning January 2020

City Council has introduced a bill that force landlords of buildings with the most heat code violations to install heat sensors.

According to Crain's, the bill was introduced today by Councilman Ritchie Torres, Councilman Robert Cornegy, Councilman Mark Levine and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. If passed, it would obligate the city to draft a list of the 150 buildings with the most violations of heat codes every two years. From there, those property owners would be obliged to install "internet-capable temperature reporting devices" in every living room within the apartment. The devices would allow both the landlord and the tenant to read the apartment's internal temperature.

This winter, the city was slammed with 21,984 heat complaints between December 27 and January 3 alone.

"Heat and hot water are not a luxury; they are basic necessities of life," said Councilman Ritchie Torres.

If passed, the bill would go into effect beginning in January 2020.

• City Council bill would force landlords to install heat sensors in apartments [Crain's]