When can i legally shut off heat in NY?

Question

I have some rental and commercial properties in upstate NY and curious to know if May 1st is the date to shut off heat legally? your response is appreciated.

Aman Kaur · Answer

Thank you all for your input.  Controlled thermostat sounds like a great idea.  we will explore that further.

Jason Lee · Answer

I think the cutoff is May 31 for residential. No idea about commercial.

Filipe Pereira · Answer

Hi @Aman Kaur I don't know about NY specifically but I know that CT requires a landlord to maintain a minimum of 65 degrees if the landlord is providing heat in the rental amount. I say this to indicate that we don't have a date shutoff. Being that NY is even more tenant friendly than CT, I would be surprised to hear that they have a date shutoff rather than a temperature minimum.

I recommend against turning the heat off, regardless. I'm not sure I see a benefit here (besides savings for the landlord) and it's probably only going to tick off your tenants. God forbid you ever have to go to court and the tenants report you shut the heat off on them...

If you're looking to save heating costs in the future I recommend installing a locking thermostat, or a thermostat that only goes up to a certain temperature.  We have had great success with these thermostats in our units where heat is included.Best of luck!