We’re not lawyers. We track data. Here’s what 745,273 complaints tell us about what actually happens after you file — and what the data says about whether it works.

Every winter, thousands of New York City renters wake up to cold apartments and reach for their phones to file a 311 complaint. Most believe someone will come. The data tells a different story.

What You’re Entitled To

New York City’s Housing Maintenance Code requires landlords to maintain indoor temperatures of at least 68°F between 6am and 10pm when outdoor temperatures fall below 55°F, and at least 62°F overnight. The heat season runs October 1 through May 31. These requirements are published by NYC.gov.

That’s what the law requires. Here’s what our data shows actually happens.

What Happens After You Hit Submit

Every heat complaint filed through 311 routes to one agency: HPD, the Department of Housing Preservation and Development. There are no exceptions — 100% of HEAT/HOT WATER complaints go to HPD.

Of the 745,273 heat complaints in our database filed since January 2024:

729,009 (97.8%) are marked Closed
16,264 (2.2%) remain Open
0 are listed as In Progress — HPD does not use this status for heat complaints

The average time to closure across all five boroughs is 1.9 days. But that average varies significantly by borough, and it conceals something important about what “closed” actually means.

Borough	Heat Complaints	Closed	Avg Days to Close
Bronx	264,304	256,949	1.5
Brooklyn	196,261	192,817	2.1
Manhattan	177,328	173,442	2.0
Queens	99,483	98,030	2.0
Staten Island	7,897	7,771	1.8

The Bronx files more heat complaints than any other borough — 35% of the citywide total — and has the fastest average closure time at 1.5 days. That combination is worth examining closely.

But averages hide what’s really happening at the fastest end of the distribution.

The Speed Problem — What the Data Actually Shows

A closure in 1.5 days might sound like a responsive system. Our analysis of the fastest-resolved complaints reveals a different picture.

Of the 500 fastest-resolved HPD complaints in our dataset:

Every single one closed in under 15 minutes
405 closed in under 5 minutes
4 closed in under 3 seconds
97% were HEAT/HOT WATER complaints filed during winter months

The most extreme case in our dataset: a heat complaint at 1515 Selwyn Avenue in the Bronx was filed at 6:16:04 PM and marked closed at 6:16:05 PM — one second later. HPD’s own resolution text on that record states: “The following complaint conditions are still open.” They closed it while simultaneously admitting nothing was fixed. Complaint ID #60083342 is publicly verifiable at: data.cityofnewyork.us/resource/erm2-nwe9.json?unique_key=60083342

For the complete analysis of how we found this pattern and verified it against the raw Socrata API, read our full investigation: HPD Closed 500 Heat Complaints in Under 15 Minutes. We Have the Receipts.

One building shows the pattern at its most extreme.

1040B East 217 Street in the Bronx has received 6,365 heat complaints since January 2024 — roughly 12 per day. Nearly all of them — 99.98% — were closed in mass batches: HPD accumulated backlogs of 100 to 200 complaints, then closed them all at an identical timestamp. The largest single batch: 194 complaints closed at the same second.

Search this building on 311tracker.com →

What “Closed” Actually Means

When HPD marks a complaint closed, it means HPD filed a resolution record. That is all it means.

Closed does not mean:

Your heat has been restored
An inspector physically visited your apartment
Your landlord received a violation notice
Any corrective action was taken

The three statuses you’ll see in the system:

Open — complaint filed, awaiting any HPD response
In Progress — HPD has assigned the complaint (rare for heat)
Closed — HPD filed a resolution, which may say conditions are still unresolved

If your complaint shows Closed and your heat is still off:

Check HPD violations separately — violations and 311 complaints are different systems
Search your building at 311tracker.com to see the full complaint and violation history
Refile immediately — each new complaint creates a new timestamp record

How to File in a Way That Creates a Paper Trail

A single complaint that gets phantom-closed is easy to dismiss. A documented pattern across multiple filings is harder to ignore — and is admissible evidence in housing court.

Step 1 — Document before you file

Take a timestamped photo of your thermostat. Text or email your landlord directly — written notice creates a record that predates the complaint. Note the outdoor temperature at the time of filing.

Step 2 — File online, not by phone

Filing at 311online.nyc.gov gives you an immediate complaint ID number. Save it. Phone filings can be harder to track and don’t always generate a confirmation you can reference later.

Step 3 — Mid-week filing reaches an active queue faster

Complaints filed on Tuesdays close an average of 39.5 hours after filing — about 10 hours faster than Friday (49.8 hours) or Saturday (49.6 hours), though the difference is modest. Mid-week filing during business hours gives your complaint the best chance of reaching an active HPD queue.

Step 4 — Refile every 24 hours if heat remains off

Each new complaint creates a new timestamped entry. Three complaints filed on three consecutive days — all marked closed, all with heat still off — is a documented pattern. That pattern is significantly harder to dismiss in housing court than a single closed complaint with an ambiguous resolution.

Step 5 — Check your building’s history before filing

Search your address at 311tracker.com. If your building has a history of heat complaints closed in minutes, document that pattern before your next filing. Knowing you’re in a building with a phantom closure history changes how you should approach escalation.

When 311 Isn’t Enough

HPD Emergency Line

If heat has been off for more than 24 hours, call 311 and explicitly request an emergency HPD inspection. This routes differently than a standard complaint and is more likely to trigger an in-person response. “I want to file a heat complaint” and “I need an emergency HPD inspection” are not the same request.

Housing Court — Emergency HP Proceeding

Tenants can file an emergency HP (Housing Part) proceeding in housing court to compel repairs. Your 311 complaint history — including the timestamps and resolution text — is evidence. Our data shows phantom-closed complaints have been cited in housing court proceedings as evidence that conditions were acknowledged but not addressed. Pull your full complaint history from 311tracker.com, and print it before any hearing, since records can be harder to retrieve under pressure. For more on the phantom closure pattern and what it means for housing court, see our full investigation.

Free Legal Help

Legal Aid Society NYC — legalaidnyc.org
LawHelpNY — lawhelpny.org
Legal Services NYC — legalservicesnyc.org

We track data. These organizations provide actual legal advice.

Check Your Building Before You Sign a Lease

If you’re researching an apartment before signing — not dealing with a current heat issue — search the building address on 311tracker.com. You’ll see the full 311 complaint history, open HPD violations, and whether previous heat complaints at that building were closed suspiciously fast.

The five buildings with the most heat complaints since January 2024:

Address	Borough	Heat Complaints (Since 2024)	Grade
31-35 Crescent Street	Queens	3,480	A
707 East 242 Street	Bronx	2,860	D
225 Central Park North	Manhattan	2,860	A
2176 Tiebout Avenue	Bronx	2,848	F
2802 Frederick Douglass Blvd	Manhattan	1,994	F

Methodology

Data in this post comes from NYC Open Data (311 Service Requests, dataset erm2-nwe9), covering 745,273 complaints filed between January 2024 and present. Complaint resolution times were calculated from filed_at and closed_at timestamps and cross-referenced against the raw Socrata API for the extreme examples. Borough breakdown totals match the citywide figure exactly. Nothing in this post is legal advice. For legal assistance contact the organizations listed above.