No Water, Low Water Pressure, or Water Temperature Complaint

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Tenants can report no water, low water pressure, scalding hot water, or no hot water in an apartment and no water or no hot water in an entire building.

Property owners can report no water, high water pressure, or low water pressure in a residential  or commercial building.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert

Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety concerns, Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) staff will wear masks if inspection is required/attempted. Tenants are also asked to wear masks during any inspection.

Tenants can report no water, low water pressure, scalding hot water, or no hot water in an apartment. When making a water complaint for your apartment, you must provide your contact information.

Residential Hot Water Requirements

Hot water must be provided 365 days per year at a constant minimum temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Before filing a complaint, you should try to resolve the issue with your landlord, managing agent, or superintendent. If you live in a co-op or condo, you should first report apartment maintenance issues to the owner, management company or board before filing a complaint with HPD.

What Happens Next

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) investigates maintenance complaints and tickets owners who break the law.

HPD will attempt to contact your building's managing agent to advise them that a complaint has been filed and that a violation may be issued if the condition is not corrected immediately. HPD will also attempt to call you back to see if the condition was corrected. If you indicate that the condition was corrected, HPD will close the complaint.

Learn more about HPD complaints and inspections.

Learn more about housing quality and safety issues on the HPD website.

Inspections

If it was not corrected or HPD cannot reach you, a uniformed Code Enforcement inspector will be sent to inspect the reported condition. If English is not your primary language, let the Inspector know and they can call a translator to help.

The owner/agent is not notified of the inspection date. Inspectors will also check for the following violations: smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, lead-based paint (if there is a child under six), window guards (if there is a child under 11), double cylinder locks, and bars on the fire escape windows.

Additional Assistance

There is additional support available for tenants in rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartments. To learn more, go to the Rent Regulated Apartments page.

For more information about residential property maintenance requirements and tenant rights and responsibilities, use the Housing Rules for Owners and Tenants page.

Copies of maintenance complaints are available for both Tenants and Landlords. For additional questions about a complaint or to get copies of complaints, go to the HPD Building Information and Code Enforcement Borough Service Centers page.

Housing Court

If you made a complaint and your landlord didn't fix the problem, you can take legal action in Housing Court. Document all contact with your landlord and HPD about the conditions in your apartment so you can use it in court.

To learn more about Housing Court, go to the Housing Court for Tenants and Landlords page.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert

Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety concerns, Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) staff will wear masks if inspection is required/attempted. Tenants are also asked to wear masks during any inspection.

Tenants can report no water or no hot water in an entire building.

Residential Hot Water Requirements

Hot water must be provided 365 days per year at a constant minimum temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Before filing a complaint, you should try to resolve the issue with your landlord, managing agent, or superintendent. If you live in a co-op or condo, you should first report apartment maintenance issues to the owner, management company or board before filing a complaint with HPD.

What Happens Next

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) investigates maintenance complaints and tickets owners who break the law.

HPD will attempt to contact your building's managing agent to advise them that a complaint has been filed and that a violation may be issued if the condition is not corrected immediately. HPD will also attempt to call you back to see if the condition was corrected. If you indicate that the condition was corrected, HPD will close the complaint.

Learn more about HPD complaints and inspections.

Learn more about housing quality and safety issues on the HPD website.

Inspections

If it was not corrected or HPD cannot reach you, a uniformed Code Enforcement inspector will be sent to inspect the reported condition. If English is not your primary language, let the Inspector know and they can call a translator to help.

The owner/agent is not notified of the inspection date. Inspectors will also check for the following violations: smoke detectors, carbon monoxide detectors, lead-based paint (if there is a child under six), window guards (if there is a child under 11), double cylinder locks, and bars on the fire escape windows.

Additional Assistance

There is additional support available for tenants in rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartments. To learn more, go to the Rent Regulated Apartments page.

For more information about residential property maintenance requirements and tenant rights and responsibilities, use the Housing Rules for Owners and Tenants page.

Copies of maintenance complaints are available for both Tenants and Landlords. For additional questions about a complaint or to get copies of complaints, go to the HPD Building Information and Code Enforcement Borough Service Centers page.

Housing Court

If you made a complaint and your landlord didn't fix the problem, you can take legal action in Housing Court. Document all contact with your landlord and HPD about the conditions in your apartment so you can use it in court.

To learn more about Housing Court, go to the Housing Court for Tenants and Landlords page.

Property owners can report no water, high water pressure, or low water pressure in a residential or commercial building.

Property owners are responsible for the water and sewer lines from the building up to the connection to the main line in the street, including the lines that run under the sidewalk.

If a licensed plumber has found that the problem is not your responsibility as the property owner, you can ask the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to investigate.

Hot Water in Commercial Building

Commercial tenants must contact the building's owner or manager for hot water supply disputes.

Frozen Pipes

If you own a building, it is your responsibility to maintain the water pipes and keep them from freezing. The City does not provide a service to assist with thawing frozen pipes. You should contact a licensed plumber for assistance.

What You Need

You must provide your contact information so DEP can contact you, if necessary. DEP cannot action the Service Request without it.

Report a water problem in a residential or commercial building:

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert

Check the COVID-19 Guidance & Resources for NYCHA Community for the latest on NYCHA's response to help keep residents safe, alleviate hardships, and stop the spread of COVID-19.

Learn about COVID-19 Guidance & Resources for NYCHA Community.

You can report water issues in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) public housing buildings to the NYCHA Customer Contact Center.

  • Agency: New York City Housing Authority
  • Division: Maintenance Hotline
  • Phone Number: (718) 707-7771
  • Business Hours: 24 hours, 7 days a week
  • Staff is available at all times to handle emergencies and schedule routine maintenance repairs for Mon - Fri: 6:00 AM - midnight. Automated assistance is also available in Mandarin, Russian, and Spanish.

To report unresolved maintenance issues, use the NYCHA Borough Management Office page.

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