New York City landlords, building owners, property managers, and superintendents are responsible for maintaining residential properties in safe and compliant condition under the NYC Housing Maintenance Code.

HPD violations can involve much more than repairs inside an apartment. Building owners must pay attention to heat, hot water, self-closing doors, fire escapes, hallway lighting, window guards, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, plumbing, mold, pests, required signs, floor numbers, street numbers, boiler-room notices, and other safety requirements.

This guide from HPDSIGNS.NYC provides a simple overview of 25 important HPD violation areas NYC property owners should know.

1. Building Not Maintained in Good Repair – §27-2005

NYC property owners are responsible for maintaining their buildings and keeping required building components in good repair.

Landlord Checklist: Regularly inspect the property and promptly correct broken, unsafe, deteriorated, or defective conditions.

2. Blocked Fire Escape, Hallway or Means of Egress – §27-2007(c)

Fire escapes, public halls, stairs, and required means of egress must remain unobstructed.

Items stored in required exit paths can create serious safety problems.

Landlord Checklist: Regularly inspect fire escapes, hallways, stairways, and exit routes for obstructions.

3. Missing, Removed or Damaged Required Signs – §27-2007(d)

Signs required under the NYC Housing Maintenance Code may not be removed, altered, destroyed, or defaced.

Landlord Checklist: Replace required building signs that are missing, damaged, painted over, altered, or no longer readable.

4. Dirty Roofs, Yards or Courts – §27-2010

Roofs, yards, courts, and other open areas must be maintained free from garbage, dirt, filth, and offensive materials.

Landlord Checklist: Include exterior and open building areas in regular maintenance inspections.

5. Dirty Hallways and Common Areas – §27-2011

Owners must maintain public portions of residential buildings in a clean and sanitary condition.

Landlord Checklist: Regularly clean entrances, hallways, stairs, and other shared areas.

6. Painting and Wall Maintenance – §27-2013

Owners have responsibilities for maintaining sanitary wall and ceiling surfaces.

Occupied dwelling units in multiple dwellings generally must be repainted or recovered every three years, subject to the provisions and exceptions contained in the law.

Landlord Checklist: Keep records of painting and inspect walls and ceilings for deteriorated or unsanitary conditions.

7. Mice, Rats, Cockroaches and Pest Conditions – §27-2017.1

NYC law places responsibilities on property owners regarding covered indoor allergen hazards, including pest conditions.

Landlord Checklist: Address infestations as well as holes, cracks, leaks, garbage, and other conditions contributing to pest activity.

8. Indoor Allergen Hazard Inspections – §27-2017.2

Covered owners have inspection and investigation responsibilities concerning indoor allergen hazards.

Landlord Checklist: Perform required inspections and respond when conditions indicating an indoor allergen hazard are identified.

9. Mold Violations – §27-2017.3

Visible mold and underlying moisture conditions can result in HPD violations.

Landlord Checklist: Correct the source of moisture or water intrusion along with properly addressing the mold condition.

Simply covering mold with paint does not correct the underlying cause.

10. Garbage and Waste Violations – §§27-2021 through 27-2023

Buildings must have appropriate waste storage and collection arrangements.

Waste must not accumulate in a way that creates unsanitary conditions or a fire hazard.

Landlord Checklist: Maintain proper garbage receptacles, collection procedures, and clean waste-storage areas.

11. Inadequate Building Water Supply – §27-2024

Owners must provide sufficient pure and wholesome water at adequate pressure for sanitary use.

Landlord Checklist: Investigate inadequate water pressure or interrupted water service promptly.

12. Inadequate Water Supply to Apartments – §27-2025

Dwelling units must have proper means to receive and distribute an adequate water supply during all hours.

Landlord Checklist: Make sure required apartment plumbing fixtures receive adequate water.

13. Defective Plumbing and Drains – §27-2026

Plumbing and drainage systems, including toilets and sinks, must be properly maintained and kept in good repair.

Landlord Checklist: Correct leaks, defective toilets, clogged drains, broken fixtures, and other plumbing problems.

14. Roof and Yard Drainage Problems – §27-2027

Owners must maintain required drainage from roofs, terraces, yards, courts, shafts, and other applicable areas.

Landlord Checklist: Correct drainage conditions that contribute to leaks, standing water, or damp walls and ceilings.

15. Heating System Requirements – §27-2028

Covered NYC residential properties must be provided with a compliant heating system.

Landlord Checklist: Inspect and service the building heating system before and during NYC heat season.

16. Insufficient Apartment Heat – §27-2029

NYC heat season runs from October 1 through May 31.

Generally:

6:00 AM–10:00 PM: At least 68°F when the outside temperature is below 55°F.

10:00 PM–6:00 AM: At least 62°F.

Landlord Checklist: Respond quickly to heat complaints and make sure the building heating system can maintain required temperatures.

17. Insufficient Hot Water – §27-2031

Covered baths, showers, washbasins, and sinks must generally receive hot water between 6:00 AM and midnight.

The code generally specifies a constant minimum temperature of 120°F, subject to provisions allowing lower discharge temperatures for certain approved mixing-valve arrangements.

Landlord Checklist: Check hot-water production and distribution when tenants report inadequate hot water.

18. Boiler Room / Heating System Access – §27-2033

The area containing a multiple dwelling's heating system must be readily accessible to HPD inspectors.

Where the area is locked, required key arrangements must be maintained and an approved notice identifying the designated person and location must be posted.

Landlord Checklist: Make sure HPD can obtain required access and that the required notice is properly posted.

19. Hallway and Stair Lighting – §§27-2037 and 27-2038

Covered public halls, stairs, fire stairs, fire towers, and other required areas must have legally required illumination.

Landlord Checklist: Inspect common-area lighting frequently and promptly replace failed bulbs or repair defective fixtures.

20. Building Entrance, Yard and Court Lighting – §27-2040

Multiple dwellings must maintain required lighting at exterior entranceways and in yards and courts.

Required lights covered by this provision must generally remain illuminated from sunset to sunrise.

Landlord Checklist: Include exterior lighting in routine nighttime building inspections.

21. Missing Apartment Door Peephole – §27-2041

Owners generally must provide and maintain a peephole in dwelling-unit entrance doors, subject to statutory exceptions.

Landlord Checklist: Check apartment entrance doors for required peepholes and replace damaged or missing devices.

22. Defective Self-Closing Door – §27-2041.1

Where self-closing doors are legally required, owners must keep and maintain them in good repair.

Failure to maintain a required self-closing door is specifically classified as a Class C immediately hazardous violation under this section.

Landlord Checklist: Regularly test required self-closing doors and correct doors that fail to operate properly.

23. Missing or Improper Apartment Door Locks – §27-2043

Owners must provide required locks on dwelling-unit entrance doors.

Class A multiple dwellings are subject to specified requirements for heavy-duty latch/deadbolt hardware and chain door guards.

Landlord Checklist: Inspect apartment entrance-door security hardware during routine building maintenance.

24. Missing or Defective Window Guards – §27-2043.1

Window guards are generally required in multiple dwellings where a child 10 years old or younger resides, subject to statutory exceptions.

The law also addresses tenant requests for window guards.

Failure to provide, install, or maintain a required window guard can constitute a Class C immediately hazardous violation.

Landlord Checklist: Determine which apartments require window guards and verify that required guards are properly installed and maintained.

25. Smoke, Carbon Monoxide & Natural Gas Detectors – §27-2045

NYC law contains requirements relating to approved operational:

• Smoke detectors

• Carbon monoxide detectors

• Natural gas detecting devices, where applicable

Landlord Checklist: Determine the current requirements applicable to the property and verify that required detectors are approved, correctly installed, operational, and maintained.

Natural-gas detector requirements are an evolving compliance area, so property owners should verify the current implementation requirements before purchasing or installing equipment.

Important NYC HPD Signs & Notices Landlords Should Check

Physical building conditions are only part of HPD compliance. Property owners should also inspect their buildings for required HPD signs, notices, identification signs, and safety postings.

Floor Number Signs – §27-2048

Multiple dwellings more than two stories high must have required floor-number identification near stairs and elevators and within applicable stair enclosures.

Building Street Number – §27-2049

The building's street number must be maintained so it is plainly visible from the sidewalk.

Boiler Room / Heating System Notice – §27-2033

Where the heating-system area is locked, the required notice identifying the designated person and location must be posted.

Emergency Information – §27-2051.1

Covered buildings have emergency-information posting requirements during specified emergencies, natural disasters, and certain expected utility outages.

Safe Construction Bill of Rights – §27-2009.2

During qualifying construction work, building owners must provide required information regarding the construction, working hours, interruptions of essential services, emergency contacts, and other required information.

NYC Landlord HPD Compliance Checklist

Before an HPD inspection, property owners and managers should check:

✓ Fire escapes and exit paths are unobstructed
✓ Self-closing doors operate properly
✓ Required window guards are installed and secure
✓ Smoke and CO detectors are operational
✓ Applicable natural-gas detector requirements have been addressed
✓ Heat meets NYC requirements
✓ Hot water is available as required
✓ Hallway and stair lights operate properly
✓ Entrance, yard, and court lights operate as required
✓ Plumbing fixtures and drains are functioning
✓ Roof and exterior drainage systems are maintained
✓ Water leaks and moisture problems are repaired
✓ Mold conditions are properly addressed
✓ Pest infestations and pest-entry conditions are corrected
✓ Common areas are clean and sanitary
✓ Apartment entrance locks are maintained
✓ Required peepholes are installed
✓ Floor-number signs are present where required
✓ Building street number is clearly visible
✓ Boiler/heating-system access requirements are satisfied
✓ Required HPD signs and notices are properly posted
✓ Required signs are readable and have not been removed or defaced

NYC HPD Signs & Building Compliance Signs

HPDSIGNS.NYC provides signs and notices for NYC residential and commercial property owners, landlords, management companies, supers, contractors, and building professionals.

When selecting a compliance sign, property owners should verify that the sign is appropriate for their particular building and current legal requirements.

Provided by HPDSIGNS.NYC

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Disclaimer

This page is provided by HPDSIGNS.NYC for general educational and informational purposes only. It summarizes selected provisions and common violation areas under the NYC Housing Maintenance Code and is not legal advice, an official HPD publication, or a complete statement of all applicable requirements. Requirements can vary by property and may change. Property owners and other responsible parties should verify current requirements with applicable New York City agencies, current laws and rules, and qualified professionals when appropriate. HPDSIGNS.NYC is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the City of New York, NYC HPD, DOB, FDNY, or any other government agency.