Mount Vernon, NY Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Under City of Mount Vernon Code § 149-59, owners of rental premises carry primary responsibility for compliance with the Housing Standards chapter regardless of any lease clause shifting duties to a tenant or manager, and are specifically responsible for furnishing adequate heat and hot-water supply in multiple dwellings. Section 149-26 makes it the duty of whoever controls a building's heating apparatus to maintain a minimum air temperature in every occupied room consistent with the New York State Uniform Code. A tenant complaint triggers a Department of Buildings inspection; a 'major' complaint is one where measured air temperature runs at least 4 degrees Fahrenheit below the required minimum, and the responsible party is billed an inspection fee of $200 for a first major complaint in a heating season, $500 for a second, and $1,000 for the third and each later one.

A 'minor' shortfall of up to 3 degrees carries a $90 fee, and an invalid complaint carries none. Separately, every dwelling's furnace, boiler and central heating system must be inspected between May 15 and September 15 each year for a fee of $50 (six or more units) or $20 (fewer units); owner-occupied one-family homes are exempt, and any defects found must be corrected before September 30. Enforcement runs through Article VIII: the Commissioner of Buildings must inspect every multiple dwelling at least once every four years, investigate all complaints, and issue written violation orders with a compliance deadline, including ordering vacation of premises found unfit for human habitation. Failure to comply lets the Corporation Counsel pursue legal action.