Rep. Torres introduces bill targeting slumlords; requires heat sensors in federally subsidized buildings

Slumlords who fail to keep their buildings warm will be ineligible to receive federal funding if a bill introduced this week by Rep. Ritchie Torres become law.

Torres introduced the Housing Temperature Safety Act on Wednesday, which would require landlords receiving federal subsidies to install automatic heat sensors in their buildings. The bill is meant to speed up the enforcement of housing temperature standards and prevent fires caused by overworked space heaters.

Torres’ bill proposes a three-year nationwide pilot program requiring owners accepting Section 8 funding to install heat sensors in each unit to constantly monitor the temperature and send real-time updates to the appropriate local housing agency. If the temperature dips below a minimum standard, the agency could automatically issue a violation — and the federal government could suspend subsidies to non-compliant landlords. 

“We’re hitting slumlords where it hurts, which is in their pocket,” Torres said in an interview with the Bronx Times. 

While the pilot program would be nationwide, Torres said he would advocate for it to include the Bronx, which he called “ground zero for housing disinvestment,” as evidenced by the multiple Bronx housing owners topping the newly-published public advocate’s worst landlords list. Many buildings on the watchlist have hundreds of heat-related complaints and violations.

The current process is too slow to catch many of these problems, Torres said. Tenants file heat and hot water complaints to 311, but “by the time the inspector shows up, the heat and hot water magically reappears.” 

Tragic incidents like the 2022 Twin Parks fire, which claimed 17 lives, could have been prevented if the landlord had been promptly held accountable for the alleged lack of heat in the building, said Torres. Residents had reportedly been using space heaters to warm their apartments, which malfunctioned and started the blaze. However, Twin Parks management maintains that there were 14 heat sensors throughout the building and that the temperature on the day of the fire averaged 71.2 degrees. 

Several other fires in the Bronx and citywide have started due to heating devices, potentially including the recent blaze at 2910 Wallace Avenue, which injured seven and displaced hundreds of residents. While the cause of the fire remains under investigation, some residents reported using space heaters and other equipment because their building was too cold. The owner, Ved Parkash, was named the city’s number one worst landlord in 2015. 

The new bill builds upon Torres’ work as a council member, where he introduced New York City’s heat sensor program aimed at landlords with a record of heat-related violations and complaints. 

With this new bill, Torres aims to expand the program nationwide and use the government’s power over federal funds — which he called “the ultimate leverage” — to hold landlords accountable.

In general, Torres said government should use more technology to automate enforcement of housing laws. 

“Heat sensors would bring housing code enforcement into the 21st century,” he said. “We would have more data than we’ve ever had.”

This story was updated Jan. 31 at 3:55 p.m. to include temperature information from the day of the Twin Parks fire. 

Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes