New York Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules
New York rules on mold, pests, heat & ac for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: No statewide mold statute — the warranty of habitability applies. Every residential lease includes a non-waivable warranty that the premises are fit for human habitation and free of conditions dangerous, hazardous, or detrimental to life, health, or safety. N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b
The rules in New York
| Mold | No statewide mold statute — the warranty of habitability applies. Every residential lease includes a non-waivable warranty that the premises are fit for human habitation and free of conditions dangerous, hazardous, or detrimental to life, health, or safety. New York has no statewide mold disclosure or remediation standard for private rentals. Local housing codes (including New York City's) may impose additional requirements. Source: N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b |
|---|---|
| Pests & bed bugs | In multiple dwellings, the owner must keep the building and its lot, yards, and passages clean and free from vermin, dirt, filth, and garbage; tenants are answerable for conditions they cause. Failure to rid an apartment of an insect infestation is an example of a breach of the warranty of habitability. No statewide bed-bug disclosure statute. The Multiple Dwelling Law applies automatically in cities of 325,000 or more (New York City) and in localities that adopt it; the Multiple Residence Law covers smaller cities, towns, and villages. Local codes may add bed-bug disclosure or extermination rules. |
| Heat | Yes, in multiple dwellings: from October 1 through May 31, the owner must heat all living areas to at least 68°F from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. when it is below 55°F outside, and at least 55°F from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. when it is below 40°F outside. Local regulations may require higher temperatures. Local regulations, including New York City's Housing Maintenance Code (Admin. Code § 27-2029), may require higher temperatures. Single-family and two-family rentals are governed by the warranty of habitability and local codes. |
| Air conditioning | No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. Air conditioning provided under the lease must be maintained under the lease and the warranty of habitability. |
Related questions
- Does a landlord have to fix mold?
- Who pays for pest control and bed bugs in a rental?
- Does a landlord have to provide heat?
- Does a landlord have to provide air conditioning?
New York vs. neighboring states
| State | Mold | Pests & bed bugs | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | No statewide mold statute — the warranty of habitability applies. Every residential lease includes a non-waivable warranty that the premises are fit for human habitation and free of conditions dangerous, hazardous, or detrimental to life, health, or safety. N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b | In multiple dwellings, the owner must keep the building and its lot, yards, and passages clean and free from vermin, dirt, filth, and garbage; tenants are answerable for conditions they cause. Failure to rid an apartment of an insect infestation is an example of a breach of the warranty of habitability. No statewide bed-bug disclosure statute. N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 80; N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 174; N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b | Yes, in multiple dwellings: from October 1 through May 31, the owner must heat all living areas to at least 68°F from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. when it is below 55°F outside, and at least 55°F from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. when it is below 40°F outside. Local regulations may require higher temperatures. N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 79; N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 173 |
| Connecticut | No statute — general habitability/repair duty applies. Connecticut has no mold-specific disclosure or remediation law for rentals. The landlord must comply with the tenement-house law and all building and housing codes materially affecting health and safety, and make all repairs needed to keep the premises fit and habitable. Stricter local codes take precedence. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7(a)(1)-(2), (b) | Connecticut has a detailed bed-bug statute. The tenant must promptly tell the landlord orally or in writing about a known or suspected infestation. Within five business days the landlord must inspect (or have a qualified inspector inspect) the unit and contiguous units it owns, and if bed bugs are found, begin effective treatment within five business days. The landlord pays for inspection and treatment; the tenant pays to prepare the unit and must cooperate, and can be liable for extra treatments caused by knowing, unreasonable noncompliance. The landlord may not rent a unit it knows or suspects is infested, must disclose current infestations in the unit or contiguous units before renting, and on request must give the date of the last clean inspection. Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-7a | Yes. The landlord must supply reasonable heat, unless the building is not required by law to have heating or the heat is generated by equipment in the tenant's exclusive control or supplied by a direct utility connection, and must keep heating facilities in good and safe working order. If the landlord fails to supply heat for reasons within its control, the tenant may give notice and buy heat and deduct the cost from rent, or get substitute housing if not restored within 48 hours. Conn. Gen. Stat. §§ 47a-7(a)(4), (6), 47a-13 |
| Massachusetts | Yes, under the State Sanitary Code. Owners must keep buildings and structural elements watertight and free from excess moisture or the appearance of mold. After leaks or flooding, the owner must dry all surfaces within 48 hours of being notified or of the end of the event, whichever is sooner. No room may be used for habitation if it is subject to excess moisture. Code violations are enforced by the local board of health, and any violation not otherwise listed is deemed a condition that may endanger health or safety. Occupants must use building elements with reasonable care. No statute requires mold disclosure to tenants. 105 CMR 410.500(A)(1), (B); 410.510; 410.420(A); 410.630(A)(18); 410.020 ('Chronic Dampness') | Set by the State Sanitary Code. In buildings with 2 or more units (and rooming houses), the owner must keep the building free from infestation and is responsible for extermination, including bed bugs. In single-unit residences, the occupant is responsible unless the owner failed to maintain the structure to keep pests out. Owners must inspect each unit for pests before a new tenancy and keep documented results. Occupants must keep units sanitary and give access and follow preparation instructions for pesticide treatments. Commercial applicators must give 48 hours' written pre-notification. Failure to keep premises pest-free is a condition deemed to endanger health or safety. 105 CMR 410.550; 410.630(A)(17) | Yes. The owner must heat every habitable room and bathroom from September 15 through May 31: at least 68°F from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and at least 64°F from 11:01 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. Temperature is measured 5 feet above the floor, more than 5 feet from an exterior wall. A local board of health may shorten the season, ending it no earlier than May 15 or starting it no later than September 30. Failure to provide required heat is a condition deemed to endanger health or safety. 105 CMR 410.180(A), (C), (D); 410.630 |
| New Jersey | No statute — the implied warranty of habitability and state/local housing maintenance codes apply. New Jersey has no enacted mold disclosure, testing, or remediation standard for rentals. Marini v. Ireland, 56 N.J. 130 (1970) (implied warranty of habitability); N.J.A.C. 5:10 (Regulations for Maintenance of Hotels and Multiple Dwellings) | In hotels and multiple dwellings (3+ units), the owner must eradicate insects, rats, or other pests when the infestation is in two or more units or in common areas, keep the building ratproof and free of infestation, and have qualified persons perform preventive pest procedures at least once a year (more often if infestation recurs). The state's Truth in Renting guide lists bed-bug information among the items a landlord should provide to tenants. N.J.A.C. 5:10-10.2 | Yes, for buildings of three or more units: from October 1 to May 15, every unit and habitable room must be kept at least 68°F from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and at least 65°F from 11:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The owner must supply the fuel or energy and keep the heating system in good operating condition, regardless of lease terms, unless the tenant agrees in writing to heat a unit served by its own separately billed heating equipment. N.J.A.C. 5:10-14.3, 5:10-14.4 |
| Pennsylvania | No statute — Pennsylvania has no mold disclosure, remediation or exposure-standard law for rentals. Conditions such as mold are governed by the court-created implied warranty of habitability, which requires the landlord to keep the unit fit and habitable and to fix serious defects affecting safety or the ability to live there; the duty cannot be waived by the lease. Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)), as described in the PA Attorney General's Consumer Guide to Tenant and Landlord Rights | No statute — no state bed-bug or pest law for rentals. The Attorney General lists rodent infestation as an example of an uninhabitable condition under the implied warranty of habitability; the tenant must notify the landlord and allow a reasonable opportunity to fix it. Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)); PA AG Consumer Guide, Part IV.C | No state statute sets a heat requirement or minimum temperature for rentals. Lack of heat in winter is treated as an uninhabitable condition under the implied warranty of habitability. Implied warranty of habitability (Pugh v. Holmes, 405 A.2d 897 (Pa. 1979)); PA AG Consumer Guide, Part IV.C |
| Vermont | No mold-specific statute, but the state Rental Housing Health Code requires every rental unit to be kept free from the regular or periodic appearance of standing water or excessive moisture that may result in visible mold growth, and bars use of humidifiers in ways that raise relative humidity above 60%. The landlord's statutory warranty of habitability requires premises that are safe, clean, fit for habitation and compliant with building, housing and health regulations; the warranty cannot be waived. 9 V.S.A. § 4457(a)-(b); Vermont Rental Housing Health Code §§ 8.2, 10.3 | Yes, by health code. The owner must keep common spaces free from infestation (pests or bed bugs) and exterminate there, and must exterminate inside a unit when the infestation is caused by the owner's failure to maintain the building or exists in two or more units. Rooming-house owners are responsible for all rooms. The tenant must keep the unit free from infestation and pay for extermination when the infestation is caused by the tenant's failure to maintain the unit (except where the owner is responsible as above). Extermination must remove harborage and food sources and use treatments such as spraying, fumigating, heat treating or trapping. Vermont Rental Housing Health Code §§ 4.7, 4.15, 6.1-6.3 | Yes. The landlord must ensure heating facilities capable of safely providing a reasonable amount of heat, and a landlord who provides heat under the lease must supply a reasonable amount at all times (summer rentals and hunting camps excepted). The Rental Housing Health Code requires heating facilities whenever the outside temperature is below 55 degrees F, able to maintain at least 65 degrees F in all habitable rooms, kitchens and bathrooms (measured 3 feet above the floor and 3 feet from an exterior wall) without overheating one room to heat another; unvented fuel-fired space heaters are prohibited. 9 V.S.A. § 4457(c); Vermont Rental Housing Health Code §§ 7.1-7.5 |
City rules that may add to state law
More New York rental law
- New York Security Deposit Law
- New York Eviction Laws
- New York Notice to Vacate Rules
- Landlord Entry Rules in New York
- New York Repairs & Tenant Remedies
- New York Rent Increase & Late Fee Laws
- Breaking a Lease in New York
- Squatters' Rights in New York
- New York Rental Fee Rules
- New York Section 8, Records & Right to Counsel
- New York Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules
- New York Landlord Selling the House
- New York Lockouts, Utility Shutoffs & Retaliation
- New York Subletting, Lease Endings & Tenant Death
- All New York landlord-tenant rules
- Free legal help in New York
Compare mold, pests, heat & ac in all 50 states and DC →
New York Mold, Pests, Heat & AC Rules FAQ
Does a landlord have to fix mold in New York?
No statewide mold statute — the warranty of habitability applies. Every residential lease includes a non-waivable warranty that the premises are fit for human habitation and free of conditions dangerous, hazardous, or detrimental to life, health, or safety. (N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b)
Who pays for pest control and bed bugs in New York?
In multiple dwellings, the owner must keep the building and its lot, yards, and passages clean and free from vermin, dirt, filth, and garbage; tenants are answerable for conditions they cause. Failure to rid an apartment of an insect infestation is an example of a breach of the warranty of habitability. No statewide bed-bug disclosure statute. (N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 80; N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 174; N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b)
Does a landlord have to provide heat in New York?
Yes, in multiple dwellings: from October 1 through May 31, the owner must heat all living areas to at least 68°F from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. when it is below 55°F outside, and at least 55°F from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. when it is below 40°F outside. Local regulations may require higher temperatures. (N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 79; N.Y. Mult. Resid. Law § 173)
Does a landlord have to provide air conditioning in New York?
No state requirement to provide air conditioning or a maximum indoor temperature. (N.Y. Mult. Dwell. Law § 79 (heat only); N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-b)
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.