Must heat be free?

My roommate and I are having a little debate about NYC heat regulations. She says that for buildings with more than three units, the landlord must provide heat for free. I think that the landlord just has to make heat available, whether free or additional cost.

I wish that the Housing Maintenance Code made sense to me. http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/hmc/sub2/art8.html

Does anyone have advice?

See the rent guidelines board's fact sheet on heat and hot water here
http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/dhcr/dhcr15.html

As a practical matter in most buildings heat and hot water are included in the rent or common charges. There is nothing to stop a landlord charging separately for heat and hot water for a free market tenant. With regard to rent stabilized tenants, the RGB sets out different rate increases for tenants who pay for their own heat vs. those whose heat is included in the rent (see http://www.housingnyc.com/html/resources/dhcr/dhcr26.html)

The lease has to establish at the commencement of the tenancy whether heat and hot water are included or not. You should pay less rent if heat and hot water are not included. I would not rent an apartment or buy a coop or condo where heat and hot water are not included unless the heat and hot water were billed by an independent utility and the heating was from an energy efficient source. For example, electric base board heating is very inefficient and very expensive.

Lord Jim is correct - but there is a missing factor: do you have control over the heating (i.e., a separate thermostat)? If each unit has control over its own heating unit - the bill will be under YOUR name. The landlord only has control over the common area (or it might be linked to the "Landlord" apartment).

Newer apartments (or cheaply renovated apartments) do go with the baseboard - which is horrific. Best bet: cast iron/steam.

You can usually negotiate the rent down if you are taking on the heating bill - and you will especially luck out if you are on the top floor (heat rises) and you prefer to kept the thermostat low.

I prefer hot water heat rather than steam. Steam is noisy and is either on or off. Hot water is quiet and the level of the heat can be regulated at the individual elements.

I prefer hot water heat rather than steam. Steam is noisy and is either on or off. Hot water is quiet and the level of the heat can be regulated at the individual elements.

Lord Jim you ARE the oracle of all landlord tenant

Lord Jim you ARE the oracle of all landlord tenant

I have base-board hot water that works pretty well and you can't hear a thing. But, I pretty much never used it since I'm on the top floor

I have base-board hot water that works pretty well and you can't hear a thing. But, I pretty much never used it since I'm on the top floor

Mougar wrote: I have base-board hot water that works pretty well and you can't hear a thing. But, I pretty much never used it since I'm on the top floor

Baseboard works, but it's extremely expensive.

Mougar wrote: I have base-board hot water that works pretty well and you can't hear a thing. But, I pretty much never used it since I'm on the top floor

Baseboard works, but it's extremely expensive.

Carnivore wrote: [quote=Mougar]I have base-board hot water that works pretty well and you can't hear a thing. But, I pretty much never used it since I'm on the top floor

Baseboard works, but it's extremely expensive.
Mine uses natural gas to heat the water, not electric, so it's pretty reasonable.

Carnivore wrote: [quote=Mougar]I have base-board hot water that works pretty well and you can't hear a thing. But, I pretty much never used it since I'm on the top floor

Baseboard works, but it's extremely expensive.
Mine uses natural gas to heat the water, not electric, so it's pretty reasonable.

bohuma wrote: I prefer hot water heat rather than steam. Steam is noisy and is either on or off. Hot water is quiet and the level of the heat can be regulated at the individual elements.

You can put a thermostat on a steam radiator

bohuma wrote: I prefer hot water heat rather than steam. Steam is noisy and is either on or off. Hot water is quiet and the level of the heat can be regulated at the individual elements.

You can put a thermostat on a steam radiator

It's either a new building or a totally renovated one. There is a separate thermostat for the apartment. It isn't on the top or bottom floor but sandwiched in between. There are only three windows and they are brand new double-paned windows. The heat is baseboard and I'm trying to find out if it is gas or electric. The rent has already been reduced by about $250 a month because apparently no one wants to live in the South Slope. I've asked for a copy of a February bill for utilities. So, I guess I'll just wait and see what they can produce.

It's either a new building or a totally renovated one. There is a separate thermostat for the apartment. It isn't on the top or bottom floor but sandwiched in between. There are only three windows and they are brand new double-paned windows. The heat is baseboard and I'm trying to find out if it is gas or electric. The rent has already been reduced by about $250 a month because apparently no one wants to live in the South Slope. I've asked for a copy of a February bill for utilities. So, I guess I'll just wait and see what they can produce.

Mougar wrote: [quote=Carnivore][quote=Mougar]I have base-board hot water that works pretty well and you can't hear a thing. But, I pretty much never used it since I'm on the top floor

Baseboard works, but it's extremely expensive.
Mine uses natural gas to heat the water, not electric, so it's pretty reasonable.
It also helps that the boiler is only a few years old and it seems to be tankless (i.e. never have to wait for the water to heat up).

Mougar wrote: [quote=Carnivore][quote=Mougar]I have base-board hot water that works pretty well and you can't hear a thing. But, I pretty much never used it since I'm on the top floor

Baseboard works, but it's extremely expensive.
Mine uses natural gas to heat the water, not electric, so it's pretty reasonable.
It also helps that the boiler is only a few years old and it seems to be tankless (i.e. never have to wait for the water to heat up).

Here is a link to a video clip produced by the city on heat and hot water http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/downloads/misc/heat_hot_water.asx

BTW heat and hot water is never free, it's either included in the rent or billed separately.

Here is a link to a video clip produced by the city on heat and hot water http://www.nyc.gov/html/hpd/downloads/misc/heat_hot_water.asx

BTW heat and hot water is never free, it's either included in the rent or billed separately.