NYC building life: supers, heat and tipping

In Australia you deal with a property manager by email. In New York you deal with a building: a super, a boiler, a basement laundry and a lot of neighbours.

The short version

Most New Yorkers live in multi-unit buildings, and the person who keeps yours running is the superintendent, or "super". Get on their good side early.
Heat season runs from 1 October to 31 May. Your landlord must keep your flat at legal minimum temperatures and supply hot water at 120°F (about 49°C) all year [1].
If the heat goes out, tell the super or landlord first, then file a complaint through 311. HPD, the city's housing agency, follows up and can send an inspector [1].
Laundry usually means a basement laundry room, a laundromat down the street or a wash-and-fold service. In-unit machines are a luxury.
In December, many tenants give cash tips to the super and doorstaff. It's a custom, not a law, but people notice.

Walk-ups, doorman buildings and co-ops

New York buildings come in a few flavours, and each one changes your daily life.

Building type	What it's like	What it means for you
Walk-up	Older building, usually four to six storeys, no lift	Cheaper rent, stairs with shopping and parcels, a super who may look after several buildings
Elevator building, no doorman	Lift, intercom, mailboxes in the lobby	Easier moving day, but parcels can sit in the lobby
Doorman building	Staff at the front desk, often around the clock	Parcels are signed for, guests are announced, higher rent and a bigger December tip list
Co-op	Residents own shares in the building, not their flat	If you sublet from an owner, the co-op board usually has to approve you and its house rules bind you
Condo	Units owned individually	Renting from an owner is common; the building's rules still apply, and there may be a move-in fee or application

Co-ops are worth a special mention because they don't exist in the same way at home. If you're renting from a co-op shareholder, expect a board application with financial paperwork, and possibly an interview. Ask the owner how long approval usually takes before you book movers.

The super: the most important person in your building

The super handles repairs, the boiler, rubbish, the laundry room and anything that floods. In smaller walk-ups, one super may cover several buildings and live off-site. In bigger buildings, the super usually lives in, with porters and handymen under them.

A few habits make life easier:

Introduce yourself in week one. Ask the best way to report problems: text, a management app, a form or a knock on the door.
Put repair requests in writing. A text or email creates a record. That matters if a problem drags on and you later need to complain to the city.
Be specific. "The kitchen tap has dripped since Monday" gets fixed faster than "something's wrong with the sink".
Don't hire your own tradie without asking. Many leases and building rules require approval for work in the flat, and the building may have insurance rules about who can do it.

Under New York law, your landlord must keep the flat and common areas in good repair and maintain the heating, plumbing and electrical systems. Every lease includes a warranty of habitability, which means a livable, safe and sanitary home, and a lease can't waive that right [3].

Heat season: the rules and what to do when it fails

Coming from Sydney or Brisbane, you might not think much about central heating. In New York it's a legal duty. Many older buildings run on a central boiler with steam radiators, which clank and hiss and are controlled by the building, not you.

The legal minimums

When	Rule
Heat season	1 October to 31 May [1]
6 am to 10 pm	If it's below 55°F (about 13°C) outside, inside must be at least 68°F (20°C) [1]
10 pm to 6 am	Inside must be at least 62°F (about 17°C), whatever the weather [1]
Hot water	At least 120°F (about 49°C), all year round [1]

The flip side: some flats run hot. Radiators in older buildings can't always be turned down, so New Yorkers famously open windows in January. If yours is unbearable, ask the super whether the valve can be adjusted. The city also accepts complaints about excessive heat from 1 June to 30 September [1].

When the heat goes out

Tell the super or landlord first. The city expects you to try this step. In a co-op or condo, report it to the owner, management company or board [1].
Note the time and temperature. A cheap thermometer and a few photos help if the problem repeats.
File a complaint with HPD through 311. Call 311, use the 311 app or go online. There are forms for a single apartment or the whole building [1].
Answer HPD's call back. HPD contacts the managing agent and then tries to check with you. If you confirm it's fixed, the complaint closes [1].
Let the inspector in. If the problem isn't fixed or HPD can't reach you, a uniformed inspector visits. The owner isn't told the date, and violations can follow [1].

This happens a lot. In the 2024 financial year, New Yorkers reported more than 144,000 unique heat and hot water problems, with the busiest week in January [2]. HPD also runs an Emergency Repair Program. If the owner doesn't respond, HPD can step in to restore heat or hot water and bill the cost back to the property [2].

If you live in public housing run by NYCHA, the process is different and goes through NYCHA's own complaint system [1].

Laundry, parcels and rubbish

Laundry

Here's the reality check for Australians used to a machine in the laundry and a Hills Hoist out the back. Many New York flats have no washing machine, and outdoor clotheslines aren't really part of apartment life. Your options are:

The building laundry room, usually in the basement, with coin, card or app-operated machines. Ask the super about opening hours and how to load the card.
A local laundromat, often a short walk away.
Wash-and-fold, where you drop off a bag and collect it washed, dried and folded, priced by weight. Many Aussies switch to this and never look back.

If an in-unit washer and dryer matters to you, filter for it when you search for a flat. Our renting guide covers the search itself.

Parcels

Parcel theft from lobbies and front steps is a real problem in buildings without a doorman. Ship to your workplace if you can, use a pickup locker or a local shop that holds parcels, and ask whether your building has a package room. In doorman buildings, the front desk signs for deliveries, which is a big part of what you're paying for.

Rubbish, recycling and compost

The city's Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has tightened the rules, and building owners are responsible for getting it right [5]. Your super will tell you where things go, but it helps to know the system:

Recycling is compulsory. Metal, glass, rigid plastics and cartons go in one stream; paper and cardboard in another [5].
Since 1 April 2025, separating food scraps, food-soiled paper and yard waste is mandatory citywide [5].
In buildings with one to nine units, trash must go out in lidded bins, and from June 2026 in official NYC Bins [5].
Old mattresses must be fully sealed in clear plastic before they go out [5].

Fines for set-out mistakes start at US$50 for the building [5], so a cranky note from the super is a sign to sort your bins properly.

Kids, pets and safety rules

If a child aged 10 or under lives in your flat, your landlord must install approved window guards. Buildings with three or more apartments send an annual notice asking about this. You can also ask for guards in writing for any reason [4].

On pets, the state rule is that you can keep one unless your lease says otherwise. In New York City multiple dwellings, a no-pet clause can be waived if you keep a pet openly for three months and the landlord knows about it, with exceptions such as public housing [3]. Read our guide to bringing your pet from Australia before you rely on that.

Renters insurance and holiday tips

Renters insurance

Your landlord's insurance covers the building, not your stuff. Renters insurance covers your belongings and your liability if, say, your bathtub floods the flat below. Many New York leases require it, and some buildings ask for proof before you get the keys. It's usually one of the cheaper bills you'll pay, but premiums vary by provider and building, so get a couple of quotes. Your Australian contents insurance won't cover a New York flat.

The December tip

Holiday tipping is the New York custom that surprises Australians most. In December, many residents give a card with cash to the super, doorstaff, porters and sometimes the handyman. Amounts vary a lot by building type, how long you've lived there and how much help you've had during the year. Doorman buildings come with a longer list than walk-ups.

There's no official guide, so the best source is your neighbours. Ask a long-term resident what's normal in your building. If money's tight, a smaller tip with a thoughtful card beats nothing. Your super remembers who said thanks when the radiator next fails.

Want to know what other Aussies tip, or how they got their super to fix a dodgy radiator? Ask in Cooee USA, our Facebook group for Australians in the USA.

New York building life: supers, heat season, laundry and holiday tips