The City Council is looking to turn up the heat on landlords.
In a bid to reduce the use of space heaters like the one which caused the Bronx blaze in January that killed 17 people, Councilwoman Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn) introduced legislation that would require building owners to raise the minimum temperature in all residential units during the eight-month “heat season.”
Under current city law, apartment buildings must be at least 68 degrees between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. and at least 62 degrees from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., from October through May. Hudson’s bill would bump minimum temps to 70 and 66 degrees, respectively.
“We must ensure the Council takes all steps possible to prevent another tragedy like the one we saw last January in the Bronx,” Hudson said.
The bill, introduced Thursday, was referred to the Council’s housing and buildings committee for consideration.
Councilwoman Pierina Sanchez (D-Bronx), who chairs the committee, said she’s supports the legislation because “across the city, there are landlords who choose to provide the bare minimum amount of heating, and insufficient heating during the coldest temperatures, leaving too many to resort to dangerous space heaters.”
“Tenants should not live in frigid conditions that place them in harm’s way,” she said.
The Fire Department has identified at least nine fires linked to space heaters so far in 2022, which is on pace to exceed to 11 space-heater-related fires reported in 2021.