If you think it is too cold then you need to keep careful records of what the temperature actually is. Take readings three times a day every day, and then notify your landlord, in writing, of your findings, so that s/he can have the chance to bring the temperature up to the city’s regulations. If you do not get a response, you can contact the City’s Heat Hotline (the number is 744-5000) and they will let you know what happens next.
You will know who is expected to pay for the utilities for your apartment by taking a look at your lease and agreement. This should have been agreed upon before you started to rent. If the landlord is supposed to pay for them, but doesn’t, the first thing you need to do is contact the landlord in writing, at the address that was provided on the lease. If there isn’t an address, and you have no idea where the landlord might be, you are allowed to use alternative reasonable means of contact, such as giving your letter to the janitor.
After you have given notification of the problem, you can take action but you must have stated what it is you intend to do. For example, you may decide to pay the bill, repair the problem or get a substitute heating system, and deduct the money that you spend from the next month’s rent; or you could sue your landlord for damages; or move out until the problem has been fixed. Please note that you are not legally entitled to move out if the problems are the fault of the utility company and not your landlord.
