If you rent an apartment in Riverdale or anywhere in the Bronx, most repairs are your landlord’s job, not yours. New York City’s housing rules say owners must keep buildings “safe, clean and well maintained”, inside apartments as well as in hallways. This guide covers what your landlord must fix, the steps that get a repair made, and the timelines the city sets. It is based on HPD and court pages checked in November 2026.
What your landlord has to fix
According to the city’s housing agency, HPD, the owner must keep your apartment and the building in good repair, and must provide:
- Heat from October 1 to May 31. From 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., at least 68°F inside when it is below 55°F outside. From 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., at least 62°F, whatever the weather.
- Hot water all year at a constant minimum of 120°F, plus cold water.
- Security measures and good lighting in the building.
- Paint: in buildings with three or more apartments, the landlord must repaint occupied apartments every three years.
- Window guards where a child 10 or younger lives, and in any apartment where you ask for them in writing, for any reason.
- A building free from vermin, leaks and hazardous conditions, such as mold, mice, roaches or peeling paint.
Your side: don’t damage the building, and keep your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors working. Answer the landlord’s yearly notices about window guards and lead paint, and let the landlord in to make required repairs. HPD warns that unreasonably refusing access can be grounds for eviction.
Step by step: getting a repair made
HPD’s advice for tenants is to build a record as you go:
1. Tell the super, managing agent or owner about the problem. 2. If nothing happens, write a letter. Describe the problem and ask for the repair by a specific date. Send it by certified mail to the owner and the management company. Keep a copy. HPD’s website lists the owner’s registered address if you don’t have it. 3. Follow up in person or by phone, and keep notes of every attempt. 4. File a complaint with 311: call 311 (TTY 212-504-4115) or use 311 online or the 311 app. Write down your Service Request number.
For no heat or no hot water, skip straight to 311.
What happens after you call 311
According to HPD’s complaint page, HPD first contacts the managing agent and calls you back. If the problem isn’t fixed, or HPD can’t reach you, a uniformed HPD inspector visits. The landlord isn’t told the inspection date. If English isn’t your first language, tell the inspector and they can call a translator.
If the inspector finds a violation, the owner gets a deadline based on how serious it is:
| Violation | Owner’s time to fix it |
|---|---|
| Class A (non-hazardous) | 90 days |
| Class B (hazardous) | 30 days |
| Class C: heat or hot water | Immediately |
| Class C: lead paint, window guards, mold, mice, roaches, rats | 21 days |
| Class C: self-closing door | 14 days |
| Class C: other immediately hazardous conditions | 24 hours |
If the owner doesn’t fix an immediately hazardous condition, HPD’s Emergency Repair Program may do certain repairs itself and bill the owner.
When the landlord still won’t fix it: Housing Court
You can ask Housing Court to order the repairs. This case is called an HP action, and HPD notes you don’t need a lawyer to start one.
In the Bronx, Housing Court is at 1118 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10456. The HP window for tenant cases is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, closed 1 to 2 p.m., according to the court’s directory.
Free legal advice is available to NYC renters: call 311 and ask for the Tenant Helpline.
Other places to complain
- Rent-stabilized or rent-controlled apartments: you can also complain to the state housing agency, DHCR, at 718-739-6400. It can lower your rent if the problems are confirmed.
- NYCHA buildings: call the NYCHA Customer Contact Center at 718-707-7771.
- Immigrant tenants have the same rights whatever their documentation status. A landlord refusing repairs for that reason is breaking the law; report it to the NYC Commission on Human Rights at 212-416-0127.
Grab bars, ramps and other changes for a disability
If you or someone you live with has a disability, your landlord may have to change the apartment or building so you can keep living there. The city’s Commission on Human Rights lists grab bars and handrails, ramps and roll-in showers as examples of these “reasonable accommodations”.
- Ask in writing. The Commission’s first advice is a formal written request to your landlord or building manager.
- The landlord has to talk it through with you to work out which change would work.
- Who pays: the housing provider covers the cost “in almost all instances”, according to the Commission’s disability rights brochure.
- The limit: the law presumes a change is reasonable unless it would cause the landlord an “undue hardship”.
- If the landlord refuses, call 311 and ask for the NYC Commission on Human Rights, or call (212) 416-0197. Its Project Equal Access team can survey what change is possible.
Work your landlord doesn’t owe you
Some jobs are your own choice, not a repair: shelves, a new light fixture, painting in a color you picked. Check your lease and get the landlord’s OK in writing before any work starts.
If you hire someone and the job costs more than $200, they need a city home improvement license, even in a large building. NYC311 says the license is required for work an owner or tenant hires for their own apartment. Electrical work needs a licensed electrician, and plumbing a licensed plumber. See how to check a contractor’s license.
Licensed businesses in our directory:
- Handyman services in Riverdale
- Painters in Riverdale
- Licensed electricians
- All contractors by ZIP code
Sources
- NYC Commission on Human Rights, Disability Protections page and brochure, checked November 2026.
- HPD, Tenants’ Rights and Responsibilities, checked November 2026.
- HPD, Report a Quality or Safety Issue, checked November 2026.
- HPD, Heat and Hot Water Information, checked November 2026.
- NY Courts, Bronx County Housing Court Directory, checked November 2026.
- NYC311, Home Improvement Contractor License (KA-01808), checked October 2026.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. For your own situation, call 311 and ask for the Tenant Helpline.