Furnace inspection regulations, New York State?

January 6, 2008 10:28 AM

Are there any laws or regulations requiring a landlord to make periodic inspections of the furnace (oil burning) in a single family house in New York State, Suffolk County, Long Island? It seems to fall under a generic 'Duty of Care' but I'm not sure if there is anything that compels an inspection before the thing blows up or expels toxic gas.
posted by rocketpup to Law & Government (3 answers total)

Have you called the landlord? Most landlords will want to do the repair prior to it creating a problem. If you don't tell them about a potential problem, how are they supposed to know about it? Routine nspections will depend on their insurance and any long term contracts they might have with the furnace vendor, but they will schedule something sooner if they are aware of the problem. Make them aware of the problem!
posted by 45moore45 at 10:42 AM on January 6, 2008

Are you paying the heating bills, or is the landlord? If the landlord's responsible for the heat payments, convince him that it's in his best interest to do an annual cleaning of the furnace (actually, you'd probably want to call it a "boiler," since it burns oil to heat hot water, and furnaces usually refer to natural gas systems) to save money and increase efficiency.

If you're worried about toxic gas, check to see if your house is outfitted with CO sensors.
posted by Gordion Knott at 11:01 AM on January 6, 2008

The furnace where I rent is approximately 60 years old (in Buffalo, NY). It has not been inspected in the five years I've lived here. I will be watching this thread with interest.
posted by Riverine at 12:07 PM on January 6, 2008