When are landlords required to turn on heat?

Last updated 2026-07-25

When are landlords required to turn on heat?

There's no single national heat law. Heat requirements come from state building codes, state landlord-tenant statutes, or city housing codes, and the dates and temperatures differ by jurisdiction. That said, a pattern shows up in most mandatory-heat cities: a "heat season" that starts somewhere between October 1 and November 1 and ends between April 15 and June 1, during which the landlord has to maintain a minimum indoor temperature. New York City is the clearest example and the one most other cities get compared to. Under the city's Housing Maintenance Code, "Heat Season" runs October 1 through May 31. During that period, if the outdoor temperature falls below 55°F between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., landlords must keep indoor temperatures at least 68°F. Overnight, from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., indoor temperature must stay at least 62°F regardless of outdoor temperature ^[1]. Chicago's heat ordinance runs September 15 through June 1. Landlords must keep units at 68°F during the day (8:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.) when it's cold outside, and 66°F overnight ^[2]. Philadelphia requires heat from October 1 through April 30, with a minimum indoor temperature of 68°F from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 62°F overnight ^[3]. These are three of the most-cited ordinances. Even among just these three, the season length and the overnight minimum both shift by a few weeks and a few degrees, which tells you something: there's no shortcut here, you actually have to look up your own city. If you own in a smaller city or a state without a big-city ordinance, don't assume there's no rule. Check with your city's rental licensing office or building department, because plenty of mid-size cities have their own heat season written into a housing or property maintenance code, often based on the International Property Maintenance Code language discussed below.

What is the legal minimum temperature a landlord must provide?

New York City	Oct 1 - May 31	68°F (when outside <55°F, 6am-10pm)	62°F (10pm-6am, regardless of outside temp)	NYC Housing Maintenance Code [1]
Chicago	Sep 15 - Jun 1	68°F (8:30am-10:30pm)	66°F	Chicago Municipal Code 13-196-410 [2]
Philadelphia	Oct 1 - Apr 30	68°F (6am-10pm)	62°F	Philadelphia Property Maintenance Code [3]
IPMC baseline (adopted by many cities)	varies by local adoption	68°F when outside temp <55°F	not specified in base code	2021 IPMC Section 602 [4]	If your city has adopted the IPMC without amendment, check the local amendments section of your code. Most cities that adopt IPMC tack on their own season dates and nighttime minimum. "Confirm with your city rental licensing office" is the honest answer whenever you're outside NYC, Chicago, or Philadelphia and don't have the exact ordinance number in front of you.

Most heat ordinances set two numbers: a daytime minimum and a nighttime minimum, and they only kick in when it's cold outside. The International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), which many mid-size and smaller cities adopt as their baseline housing code, sets a default of 68°F during the day when outdoor temperature falls below 55°F, and no minimum overnight requirement in the base code (individual cities often add one) ^[4]. NYC's rule, by contrast, requires 68°F daytime and a hard 62°F floor at night no matter what it's doing outside ^[1]. Chicago's overnight floor is 66°F ^[2]. Here's a comparison of a few well-documented ordinances: | City | Heat season | Daytime minimum | Overnight minimum | Source |

Do landlords have to provide heat year-round, or just in winter?

Just during heat season, in cities that define one. Outside that window, the general habitability standard still applies (a functioning heating system that could produce heat if needed) but there's usually no minimum indoor temperature requirement. That's the whole point of a defined season: it lets code enforcement measure compliance objectively (thermometer reading, outdoor temperature, time of day) rather than argue over what "reasonably warm" means in September. Outside the season, a broken furnace is still a maintenance problem you have to fix, but a tenant complaining that the apartment is 66°F in July generally isn't a heat-code violation anywhere with a defined season. A few states handle this differently and impose a duty to maintain heat capability year-round rather than a seasonal temperature floor, tied more to the general warranty of habitability than a specific ordinance. If you're in a state without a big-city seasonal ordinance, your obligation is more likely to come from a state landlord-tenant statute's habitability clause than a temperature chart. Read that statute directly rather than assuming NYC-style rules apply.

What happens if a landlord doesn't provide heat on time?

Enforcement varies, but it's rarely gentle once a tenant files a complaint. In NYC, HPD (Housing Preservation and Development) can issue violations and the city can even arrange for heat repairs and bill the owner, and repeat or willful heat violations can carry civil penalties that escalate for subsequent violations in the same season ^[1]. Chicago's ordinance similarly allows the city to pursue fines per violation, and heat complaints there are handled through 311 with inspectors dispatched to verify indoor temperature ^[2]. Beyond the fine itself, a documented heat outage is one of the fastest paths to a habitability claim, rent withholding in states that allow it, or a tenant calling code enforcement who then finds five other things wrong while they're in the building. If you got an ordinance notice or a fine, the smart move isn't just fixing the furnace. Pull your city's full rental housing code and check what else it requires (smoke detectors, egress windows, hot water minimums) before an inspector does that for you. This is exactly the kind of moment where a City Rental License & Inspection Prep Packet earns its $79. It's a one-time reference built to walk you through what a city inspector actually checks, so a heat complaint doesn't turn into a five-item violation list.

What can a landlord look at during a rental inspection?

Rental inspections, whether tied to licensing renewal or triggered by a complaint like a heat outage, generally focus on health and safety systems rather than a tenant's belongings or housekeeping. Typical inspection items include working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, a functioning heating system, hot and cold running water, secure locks on exterior doors, safe electrical outlets, no exposed wiring, adequate egress from bedrooms, and no signs of pest infestation or mold. An inspector can generally check systems and safety features throughout the unit, common areas, and sometimes the exterior (railings, steps, roof condition), but the scope depends on your specific city's rental inspection ordinance. Some cities do full walk-throughs of every room on a set cycle (annual, biennial, or on tenant turnover); others only inspect specific systems tied to a complaint. In California, routine rental inspections for licensing purposes aren't standardized statewide the way heat ordinances are in NYC or Chicago. Responsibility for scheduling and conducting a walk-through inspection typically falls to the city or county code enforcement department (in jurisdictions that have adopted a rental inspection or proactive rental inspection program), not a single statewide agency. Los Angeles runs a Systematic Code Enforcement Program that inspects registered rental units on a rotating schedule ^[5]. If you're asking who's responsible for a walk-through inspection in a specific California city, that's your local housing or code enforcement department, and the answer changes city by city.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering for an inspection?

This depends entirely on your state, and it's one of the most misunderstood rules in landlord-tenant law. California requires at least 24 hours' written notice before entering for a routine inspection, absent an emergency, under Civil Code Section 1954, and notice is presumed reasonable at 24 hours ^[6]. Many other states use a similar 24-hour standard, though some (like Florida) specify 12 hours for certain purposes ^[7], and a handful of states don't set a specific number of hours in statute at all, only requiring "reasonable notice." City-mandated rental inspections tied to licensing usually require the landlord to schedule an appointment with the tenant in advance anyway, since the inspector needs someone to let them in. In practice you're coordinating two notice requirements at once: your state's landlord entry notice law, and your city's inspection scheduling process. Always check your specific state statute number rather than assuming 24 hours is universal, since a few states differ.

How do you become a landlord, step by step?

Becoming a landlord is mostly a licensing and compliance exercise before it's a real estate one. If you already own the property, here's the realistic sequence: check whether your city or county requires a rental registration or rental license (most cities with more than about 50,000 people have some form of this, and many smaller ones do too), get a certificate of occupancy or rental inspection scheduled if required, register with your local tax authority if rental income needs a business license, get landlord liability insurance (a standard homeowners policy usually excludes rental use), and screen tenants under fair housing law before you sign a lease. A lot of first-time landlords skip step one and find out about their city's licensing requirement only after a neighbor complaint or a code enforcement letter shows up. If you're asking how to be a landlord the right order, it's: confirm local licensing rules first, get the unit inspection-ready second, and only then start marketing the unit to tenants. Doing it backward (renting first, discovering the licensing requirement later) is how landlords end up facing an operating-without-a-license fine on top of everything else.

What is landlording, and what does a landlord actually do?

Landlording is the ongoing work of owning and managing a rental property, more than collecting rent. It covers legal compliance (licensing, inspections, fair housing law), maintenance (repairs, heat, safety systems), tenant relations (communication, notices, lease enforcement), and financial management (rent collection, security deposits, taxes). A landlord, put plainly, is the person or entity that owns a rental property and rents it to a tenant under a lease or rental agreement, taking on the legal duties that come with that (habitability, repairs, proper notice before entry, following eviction procedures rather than self-help remedies like changing locks or shutting off utilities). Most state landlord-tenant statutes define "landlord" broadly enough to include property managers acting on an owner's behalf, so the compliance duties (heat, inspections, notice) generally follow the unit, more than the deed holder.

What rights do tenants have without a written lease?

A tenant without a written lease usually still has a valid tenancy, typically a month-to-month one, and keeps most of the same legal protections as a tenant with a written lease. That includes the right to habitable housing (working heat, water, and safety systems), protection from illegal lockouts or utility shutoffs, the right to proper written notice before eviction, and in many states the right to the return of any security deposit collected, with interest where state law requires it. What changes without a written lease is mostly proof and specifics: rent amount, due date, and any other terms may need to be established by evidence of past payments and communications rather than a signed document. Most states treat an oral or implied lease as creating a month-to-month tenancy under the general tenancy statute, which usually requires 30 days' written notice to end the tenancy (more in some states, tied to how long the tenant has lived there) ^[8]. A landlord still can't skip required notice periods, retaliate against a tenant for a complaint, or ignore heat and habitability rules just because nothing was signed.

Why do landlords require renters insurance?

Renters insurance covers the tenant's personal property and liability, which the landlord's own property insurance doesn't touch. If a tenant's laptop is stolen, a pipe bursts and ruins their furniture, or a tenant's guest gets hurt in the unit and sues, the landlord's policy generally won't pay for any of that. Requiring renters insurance shifts that risk off the landlord and off the landlord's insurer. It's also cheap for tenants relative to the protection: national average renters insurance premiums run roughly $170 to $200 a year according to industry rate surveys, though the exact number depends on coverage limits, location, and provider. Many landlords require proof of an active policy (often naming the landlord as an "interested party" for notice if it lapses) as a lease condition, which is legal in most states as long as it's disclosed in the lease and applied consistently to all tenants under fair housing law.

What can't a landlord do in Ohio?

Ohio's landlord-tenant law (Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321) spells out several things a landlord cannot do. A landlord can't shut off utilities, change the locks, or remove a tenant's belongings to force them out instead of filing a formal eviction, sometimes called "self-help eviction," and Ohio courts have consistently held these actions unlawful even when rent is unpaid ^[9]. A landlord also can't retaliate against a tenant for making a legitimate habitability complaint or joining a tenant organization, per ORC 5321.02, and can't enter the rental unit without reasonable notice (Ohio's standard is 24 hours) except in a genuine emergency, per ORC 5321.04 ^[9]. Ohio landlords also have affirmative duties under 5321.04, including keeping the premises in a safe and habitable condition, making repairs, and keeping common areas safe. Failing to fix a broken heating system isn't just a bad idea, it's a statutory violation a tenant can act on. Ohio doesn't have a single statewide rental licensing law, but individual cities (Cleveland and Toledo, among others) run their own rental registration and inspection programs, so a citywide license requirement can exist even where state law itself doesn't dictate the inspection process.

What should a landlord do right after getting a heat or inspection violation notice?

First, read the notice carefully for the specific code section cited, the deadline to fix it (called a "cure period" in some cities), and whether it's a warning, a formal violation, or already carries a fine. Don't assume the deadline is negotiable; some cities apply escalating daily fines after the cure period passes. Second, fix the underlying problem (get the furnace repaired, get the boiler serviced) and document it with dated photos, a contractor invoice, or a permit if the repair required one. Third, check whether the notice requires you to request a re-inspection or simply submit proof of repair, since cities handle this differently and missing the re-inspection request can leave the violation open on your record even after the repair is done. Fourth, use the notice as a prompt to check the rest of your compliance picture rather than treating it as an isolated problem. A city that flags you for heat often has other rental registration or inspection requirements you haven't verified lately (license renewal date, required disclosures, smoke detector certification). This is the point where a lot of landlords realize they're guessing at requirements instead of working from an actual checklist, which is the gap a $79 City Rental License & Inspection Prep Packet is built to close: one document mapping what your city actually requires, rather than piecing it together from old notices and neighbor advice.

Frequently asked questions

What temperature is a landlord legally required to keep an apartment?

It depends on your city. NYC and Philadelphia require 68°F during the day (when it's cold outside) and drop to 62°F overnight; Chicago requires 68°F during the day and 66°F overnight. Many cities without a specific ordinance default to a general habitability standard rather than a numeric minimum. Check your city's housing code for the exact figure.

What month does heat season start in most cities?

Most cities that define a heat season start it between September 15 and October 1. Chicago starts September 15, while New York City and Philadelphia both start October 1. A few colder-climate cities start even earlier, so always confirm the exact date with your local housing or building code office.

Can a landlord be fined for not providing heat?

Yes. Cities with heat ordinances, like New York City and Chicago, can issue violations and fines to landlords who fail to maintain the required minimum indoor temperature during heat season, and fines can escalate for repeat violations within the same season. Some cities can also arrange emergency repairs and bill the landlord directly.

Does a landlord have to provide heat in the summer?

Generally no, unless your local code defines heat season as running that late (Chicago's technically extends to June 1). Outside the defined heat season, the general habitability requirement (a working heating system) still applies, but there's usually no specific minimum indoor temperature a landlord has to hit.

How to become a landlord if you already own a rental property?

Check your city's rental registration or licensing requirement first, schedule any required inspection, get landlord liability insurance, and confirm any local business licensing or tax registration for rental income. Only after those compliance steps are handled should you screen tenants and sign a lease, so you're not renting out an unlicensed unit.

Who is responsible for a rental property walk-through inspection in California?

Your city or county code enforcement or housing department handles rental walk-through inspections, not a single statewide agency. Cities like Los Angeles run their own proactive rental inspection programs (the Systematic Code Enforcement Program), so the responsible office and inspection frequency vary by California city.

What is landlording?

Landlording is the ongoing work of owning and operating a rental property: staying compliant with licensing and inspection rules, keeping the unit habitable (heat, water, safety systems), managing tenant communication and notices, and handling rent and deposit finances. It's a continuous responsibility, not a one-time transaction.

What is a landlord, legally speaking?

A landlord is the person or entity that owns a rental unit and rents it to a tenant under a lease or rental agreement, taking on legal duties like maintaining habitability, giving proper notice before entry, and following formal eviction procedures. Most state statutes also apply landlord duties to property managers acting on an owner's behalf.

What rights does a tenant have without a signed lease?

A tenant without a written lease usually has an oral or implied month-to-month tenancy and keeps the same core protections: habitable housing, protection from illegal lockouts, and required written notice before eviction (commonly 30 days). What's harder to prove without a lease is the specific rent amount and terms, which may rely on payment history and communications instead.

Why do landlords require renters insurance?

Renters insurance covers a tenant's personal belongings and personal liability, which the landlord's own property insurance doesn't cover. It protects both sides: the tenant recovers losses from theft or damage, and the landlord reduces exposure to liability claims. National average premiums run roughly $170 to $200 a year depending on coverage and location.

How much notice does a landlord have to give before entering a rental unit?

It depends on the state. California requires at least 24 hours' written notice for routine entry under Civil Code Section 1954. Ohio also uses a 24-hour standard under ORC 5321.04. A few states use different numbers or just require "reasonable notice," so check your specific state statute.

What can a landlord look at during a rental inspection?

Inspectors typically check safety and habitability systems: smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, the heating system, plumbing and hot water, electrical outlets and wiring, window and door locks, bedroom egress, and signs of pests or mold. Scope varies by city ordinance; some inspect the full unit, others focus only on systems tied to a specific complaint.

What can't a landlord do in Ohio?

Under Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321, a landlord can't shut off utilities or change locks to force a tenant out instead of filing a formal eviction, can't retaliate against a tenant for a habitability complaint, and can't enter without reasonable notice (24 hours) except in an emergency. Landlords also must keep the unit safe and habitable.

Sources

1. New York City Administrative Code, Housing Maintenance Code Section 27-2029: NYC heat season runs October 1 through May 31, with 68°F daytime and 62°F overnight minimums
2. Municipal Code of Chicago, Chapter 13-196-410: Chicago's heat season runs September 15 through June 1 with 68°F daytime and 66°F overnight minimums
3. Philadelphia Code Section PM-602.3 (Property Maintenance Code): Philadelphia requires heat from October 1 through April 30 with 68°F daytime and 62°F overnight minimums
4. International Code Council, 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, Section 602: IPMC baseline sets 68°F minimum daytime temperature when outdoor temperature drops below 55°F
5. Los Angeles Municipal Code Section 161.01 (Systematic Code Enforcement Program): Los Angeles runs its own proactive rental inspection program at the city level
6. California Civil Code Section 1954: California requires at least 24 hours' notice before landlord entry for routine purposes
7. Florida Statutes Section 83.53: Florida sets a 12-hour notice standard for certain landlord entry purposes
8. Ohio Revised Code Section 5321.17: Month-to-month tenancies in Ohio generally require 30 days' notice to terminate
9. Ohio Revised Code Chapter 5321, Sections 5321.02 and 5321.04: Ohio law prohibits self-help evictions, landlord retaliation, and entry without reasonable notice, and imposes habitability duties on landlords