What to Do If Your Apartment Has No Heating in Winter
A sudden loss of apartment heating in winter requires immediate steps to preserve indoor warmth safely, prevent frozen pipes, and notify your landlord or emergency services if temperatures drop dangerously low.
Quick answer
4 steps — read this before anything else
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1
Notify your landlord or emergency maintenance line immediately about the heating failure.
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2
Conserve warmth by closing interior doors to unused rooms and blocking window and door drafts with towels or curtains.
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3
Dress in multiple loose, warm layers and use thick blankets to retain body heat.
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4
Never use gas stoves, ovens, or outdoor grills for heat due to fatal carbon monoxide risks.
Warning
NEVER use a gas stove, oven, charcoal grill, or outdoor heating equipment inside your apartment. Doing so creates an extreme risk of lethal carbon monoxide poisoning and fire.
Losing heat during cold winter months can rapidly transform your home into a hazardous environment. Acting quickly helps protect your health, prevent plumbing damage, and ensure landlord accountability.
What to Do First
- Notify management immediately: Call your landlord, property manager, or emergency maintenance line. In many jurisdictions, heating failure during freezing weather is a legal emergency requiring immediate repair.
- Conserve indoor heat: Gather everyone into a central room with the fewest exterior walls and windows. Close doors to unused rooms, cover windows with heavy blankets or drapes, and place rolled towels at the base of exterior doors to stop drafts.
- Dress in warm layers: Put on loose, warm clothing in layers, focusing on thermal base layers, wool socks, sweaters, and a hat or beanie. Body heat escapes quickly from uncovered head and feet.
- Prevent frozen pipes: Turn on faucets to allow a slow, steady drip of water, which helps keep pipes from freezing and bursting. Open cabinet doors below kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow indoor air to reach the pipes.
- Use electric heaters safely: If using a certified electric space heater, place it on a hard, flat surface at least three feet away from drapes, bedding, and furniture. Never leave a space heater running unattended or while sleeping.
What NOT to Do
- Do not use gas stoves or ovens for heat: Never use kitchen appliances, fuel-burning camp stoves, or outdoor grills to heat your apartment. These produce odorless, fatal carbon monoxide gas and create severe fire hazards.
- Do not burn charcoal or wood indoors: Burning materials without a properly vented chimney leads to dangerous smoke accumulation and toxic fumes.
- Do not leave water running uncontrolled: Use only a gentle drip for faucets to prevent plumbing freezes without overflowing sinks or draining hot water reserves.
When to Seek Emergency Shelter
If indoor temperatures fall below safe levels (typically under 50°F or 10°C) and repairs are delayed, locate a local warming center, community shelter, or hotel. Prolonged exposure to extreme cold indoors increases the risk of frostbite and hypothermia, particularly for infants, elderly individuals, and people with chronic health conditions.
Call local emergency services immediately if anyone in your household shows signs of severe hypothermia, such as uncontrollable shivering, confusion, slurred speech, or extreme lethargy.
Sources & references
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