On Dec. 14, as New York City received its first snowfall of the season, complaints of heat and hot water came into 311. Prior to the snowfall, from Dec. 1 to Dec. 13, 30, 314 calls were made to 311— a significant number of service requests were from Bronx tenants. This is not unsurprising upon looking at the requests during recent winters as Bronx was the borough with the most complaints. Between December 2023 and March 2024, 52,685 service requests for heating and hot water were for apartments in the Bronx. The following winter, 2024 to 2025, 73,633 requests came from the borough.
The neighborhoods in the Bronx with the most requests are low income households, according to NYC Open Data. The following Bronx community districts are below New York City's median household income of $81,228 and have over 10,000 complaints between the winter months of 2023-2025: Districts 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 12
In addition to low income community districts in the Bronx being among the highest 311 calls, some in Manhattan and Brooklyn stand out such as Manhattan Community Districts 9, 10, and 12 and Brooklyn Community District 9.
According to a report from the NYC Comptroller's Office, entitled "Turn Up the Heat: 2025 Update," there are detrimental effects on someone's quality of life and health if they is living in a cold home. The report cites guidelines from the World Health Organization, which explain how cold homes can lead to increased blood pressure, asthma, and a decline in mental health, and mortality.
In addition to health concerns, no heat in an apartment can lead to fires due to the use of space heaters.
"Far too often, buildings remain cold year, after-year, after-year. 901 buildings—primarily in neighborhoods in the Bronx—have not had heat for seven years, causing tenants to turn to space heaters or running up gas bills that can pose serious risks of fires like the Twin Parks fire," said NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, in a press release for the 2025 updated report.
To ensure New Yorkers, especially low income tenants and people of color who are significantly impacted during the heat season of October to May, Lander offered recommendations for improving inspections, programs, and passing legislation. New Yorkers will see if these recommendations are taken into effect and whether low income tenants will suffer through future winters.