311Cincy

Service Request Type:

• No Heat

Used when:

• A tenant reports that their home has no heat or inadequate heat - potentially because the landlord has not turned on the heat, has not turned the heat high enough, or the heat is broken.

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Routes to:

• Cincinnati Health Department, Healthy Homes Office
  513-352-2908

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More Information:

• The Cincinnati Health Department’s (CHD) Healthy Homes office enforces the Board of Health No Heat Regulations, 00053-13L, and Cincinnati Municipal Code 602-1.
• The BOH regulation mandates that whenever the outside temperature falls below 60°F for 24 consecutive hours, landlords must provide a minimum temperature of 70°F to rental units or to any unit where owners do not have individual control of the heat.
• The Health Department encourages residents to first contact their landlords when they have no heat or inadequate heat. If no action is taken, they should make a complaint through the 311 system.

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I submitted a request. What happens next?

• Once a complaint is filed with the appropriate contact information, an Environmental Health Specialist (EHS) from CHD will set up an appointment to evaluate the living space. The owner will also be contacted to inform them of the no heat allegation.
• During this onsite visit, the complainant should not be running any supplemental forms of heat (oven, space heaters, etc.) for the EHS to obtain an accurate heat measurement.
• If the internal temperature is below 70°F, the owner or landlord is ordered to correct the problem.
• If the heating apparatus needs repair, service, or replacement, the EHS will engage the Department of Buildings & Inspections (B&I). As a result, the complainant may be contacted by a B&I inspector as well.
• Subsequent onsite reinspection by EHS will be made to monitor compliance.

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Safety information:

• Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning! Only use generators and grills outdoors and away from windows. Never heat your home with a gas stovetop or oven.
• Properly placed space heaters are an acceptable form of temporary heat during repair or replacement of the heating apparatus. Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater. It's best to maintain a three-foot "kid-free zone" around heaters, and to turn them off when leaving the room or going to bed.
  • Heat Safety Flyer (pdf)
• See these Extreme Cold safety instructions offered by the City's Emergency Communications Center.

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If your home is dangerously cold:

• If you are physically at risk from the cold or in immediate physical danger, call 911.
• Winter shelter for adult men & women: https://www.shelterhousecincy.org/winter-shelter/