Water Leak in a Building

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Tenants can report a water leak in an apartment or a public area of a residential building.

Property owners can report water leaking into a basement of a building from an outside source other than storm-related rainfall.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert

Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety concerns, Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) staff will wear masks if inspection is required/attempted. Tenants are also asked to wear masks during any inspection.

Report a water leak in a single apartment of a residential building, including:

  • A damp spot
  • A slow leak
  • A heavy leak

Before filing a complaint, you should try to resolve the issue with your landlord, managing agent, or superintendent. If you live in a co-op or condo, you should first report apartment maintenance issues to the owner, management company or board before filing a complaint with HPD.

What You Need

You must provide your contact information.

What Happens Next

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) investigates maintenance complaints and tickets owners who break the law.

Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety concerns, Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) staff will wear masks if inspection is required/attempted. Tenants are also asked to wear masks during any inspection.

Learn more about HPD complaints and inspections.

Additional Assistance

There is additional support available for tenants in rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartments. To learn more, go to the Rent Regulated Apartments page.

For more information about residential property maintenance requirements and tenant rights and responsibilities, use the Housing Rules for Owners and Tenants page.

Copies of maintenance complaints are available for both Tenants and Landlords.For additional questions about a complaint or to get copies of complaints, go to the HPD Building Information and Code Enforcement Borough Service Centers page.

Housing Court

If you made a complaint and your landlord didn't fix the problem, you can take legal action in Housing Court. Document all contact with your landlord and HPD about the conditions in your apartment so you can use it in court.

To learn more about Housing Court, go to the Housing Court for Tenants and Landlords page.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert

Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety concerns, Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) staff will wear masks if inspection is required/attempted. Tenants are also asked to wear masks during any inspection.

Report a water leak in a public area of a residential building, including:

  • A damp spot
  • A slow leak
  • A heavy leak

Before filing a complaint, you should try to resolve the issue with your landlord, managing agent, or superintendent. If you live in a co-op or condo, you should first report apartment maintenance issues to the owner, management company or board before filing a complaint with HPD.

What You Need

You must provide your contact information.

What Happens Next

The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) investigates maintenance complaints and tickets owners who break the law.

Due to Coronavirus (COVID-19) health and safety concerns, Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) staff will wear masks if inspection is required/attempted. Tenants are also asked to wear masks during any inspection.

Learn more about HPD complaints and inspections.

Additional Assistance

There is additional support available for tenants in rent-controlled or rent-stabilized apartments. To learn more, go to the Rent Regulated Apartments page.

For more information about residential property maintenance requirements and tenant rights and responsibilities, use the Housing Rules for Owners and Tenants page.

Copies of maintenance complaints are available for both Tenants and Landlords.For additional questions about a complaint or to get copies of complaints, go to the HPD Building Information and Code Enforcement Borough Service Centers page.

Housing Court

If you made a complaint and your landlord didn't fix the problem, you can take legal action in Housing Court. Document all contact with your landlord and HPD about the conditions in your apartment so you can use it in court.

To learn more about Housing Court, go to the Housing Court for Tenants and Landlords page.

Property owners can report water leaking into basement from an outside source other than storm-related rainfall:

  • Less than one foot of water
  • More than one foot of water

If the water is coming from an internal pipe, the building owner is responsible for contacting a licensed plumber to have it fixed.

What You Need

You must provide your contact information so the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) can contact you, if necessary. DEP must have this information to take action on the Service Request.

If your water meter has been upgraded to the Automated Meter Reading (AMR) unit you can sign up to get emails when your water use increases significantly over several days. This will allow you to quickly check potential leaks and fix them before they become a billing problem.

The email does not always mean there is a leak and there could be other reasons for the increase in water use.

If you discover a leak, you should contact a licensed plumber for repairs.

Possible Leak Locations

  • Check toilets by looking for water movement in the bowl and the tank.
  • If you have refrigerators, air conditioning units or lawn sprinklers, check that they are turned off when not in use.
  • Check your water meter to see if the triangle-shaped leak indicator on the face of the meter is moving when no one is actually using water.

Sign up for the DEP Leak Notification Program:

Online

Register or login to My DEP Account.

By Phone

Call 311 for assistance.

The Honeywell Corporation works with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to provide a free water conservation survey for residential customers to help identify sources of water waste.

Surveys are limited to one per household.

Call 311 for assistance.

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