Tens of thousands of New York City residents reported losing heat or hot water in January as freezing temperatures plunged. Some tenants blamed democratic socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani for an inadequate response, while city housing officials pointed to enforcement tools and long-running infrastructure problems.
Accounts given to the New York Post described tenants in multiple neighborhoods who said they went days without heat or hot water during January's cold weather.
In Williamsburg, tenant Alex Hughes told the Post he had gone "over 40 days of no hot water over the last 11 months" and was then on "day eight or nine straight of no hot water," adding that he walked to a friend's home to shower.
In Astoria, Nicole Pavez, a city planner, said the heat in her building had been going out almost every night.
A public housing tenant, Malik Williams, also told the Post his apartment at the Lehman Houses lacked heat for much of January and that he boiled water on the stove to warm the home.
Breitbart reported that about 80,000 people called 311 in January to report a lack of heat and hot water, calling it the highest monthly total on record.
Separately, the city's Housing Preservation and Development agency posted season-to-date figures showing 215,045 heat complaints for the current heat season through Jan. 29, compared with 187,775 over the same point in the prior heat season.
Mamdani, sworn in Jan. 1, is facing questions about the city's emergency response and heat enforcement.
The report also linked the surge in complaints to Mamdani's housing agenda and his appointment of tenant advocate Cea Weaver to lead the Mayor's Office to Protect Tenants.
The mayor's office announced Weaver's appointment in a Jan. 1 release tied to an executive action revitalizing that office.
The New York City Housing Authority, which manages the city's largest public housing system, said it operates a 24-hour heat desk and emergency response system and has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on heating upgrades in recent years.
Independent city and NYCHA documents estimate the cost of bringing the housing authority to a state of good repair at about $78 billion over 20 years.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.