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Pipes, leaks & who fixes

The street, from the start · How this atlas is made

PPipes · leaks and repairs

Pipes, leaks and who fixes them

Who fixes a leak, a frozen pipe or a sewer backup in NYC depends on your building: owners repair rented apartments, house owners own the pipes out to the street, and co-op and condo papers split the rest.

Compiled by Building by Building · plate checked 11 Nov 2026

Insulated and bare pipes running at angles through a dim basement beside a metal grate
Pipes in the basement of a building under demolition.

The plates in this section

  1. P-1Why does sewage back up into NYC basements?NYC sewer backups mostly hit basements of one- and two-family homes in heavy rain; the owner is responsible for the house sewer out to the city main.
  2. P-2What should you do about a frozen pipe in NYC?For frozen pipes in NYC, open the faucet and warm the pipe gently, never with an open flame; if it bursts, close the house control valve and call a licensed plumber.
  3. P-3Who fixes what: owner, board, unit owner or tenant?Who fixes what in an NYC building depends first on the building type: owners repair almost everything in rentals, co-op and condo documents split the work, and the street pipes up to your wall belong to the property, not the city.
  4. P-4Repairs and heat in a rent-stabilized apartmentRent-stabilized tenants who lack repairs, heat or hot water can file a DHCR complaint on the right form, and any rent cut comes only by DHCR order; an HP action in Housing Court is the other legal route.
  5. P-5Plumbing permits and licensed plumbers in NYCNYC plumbing permits and nearly all pipe and gas work go through a Licensed Master Plumber, who files in DOB NOW: Build; only small swaps from an exposed stop valve to the trap count as ordinary repairs.

Which building do you live in?

If you rent in a prewar walk-up or any building of three or more apartments, the owner must keep the plumbing in good repair, and you report problems to the owner or super first, then 311 (Housing Maintenance Code). If you own a brownstone or a two-family house, you own the water service line from the city main and the house sewer out to the city sewer, and the repair bills are yours. In a co-op or condo high-rise or a new-build condo, the proprietary lease or bylaws decide whether the board or the unit owner pays; city 311 guidance says as much.

Who calls whom first, by building
BuildingLeak or burst pipeSewer backup in the basementPays for the repair
Prewar walk-upSuper or owner, then 311Owner; 311 to reportOwner
Brownstone or row houseClose the house water valve; a licensed plumber311; a licensed plumber for the house sewerOwner
Co-op or condo high-riseSuper or management companyBuilding staffBoard or unit owner, per the building’s papers
Two-family houseOwner closes the valve; licensed plumber311; owner’s plumberOwner, unless a written lease says otherwise
New-build condoBuilding staff or boardBuilding staffBoard or unit owner, per the bylaws

The five pages in this section

  • Sewer backups: why basements flood in heavy rain, what a backwater valve does, and what to report to 311.
  • Frozen pipes: keeping pipes and meters from freezing, thawing them gently, and what to do when one bursts.
  • Who fixes what: the owner’s and tenant’s duties under the Housing Maintenance Code, and how co-ops and condos split repairs.
  • Rent-stabilized repairs: DHCR complaints for reduced services, the forms, and rent reductions that come only by DHCR order.
  • Permits and plumbers: which jobs need a Licensed Master Plumber and a DOB filing, and how to check a license.

A few numbers to start with

Roughly six in ten parts of the city drain through combined sewers, one pipe carrying both storm runoff and sewage. DEP estimates that in a 1.75-inch-per-hour storm about 74,000 properties are at risk of a sewer backup, about 59,000 of them one- or two-family homes (DEP, Protecting Your Home). That is why the two-family house and the brownstone carry most of the backup risk on this atlas.

Cold snaps are the owner’s problem too: DEP puts the job of keeping pipes and meters from freezing on property owners (DEP, Protect Your Pipes from Freezing). Never thaw a pipe with an open flame or a torch. If a pipe bursts, close the main valve and call a licensed plumber; in a rental, tell the super or owner right away.

Repairs and the rent

Tenants report and the owner repairs. If the owner does not, the routes are 311 and HPD, an HP action in Housing Court, and, for rent-stabilized apartments, a DHCR complaint (HCR FS-14). HPD warns that holding back rent may lead to eviction, so use those routes instead. If you are unsure who should fix something, ask the super, the owner, or a licensed plumber.

How this plate was drawn

Built from the Housing Maintenance Code, DEP’s sewer backup report and winter pipe page, 311’s co-op and condo guidance, HCR’s guidance on rent reductions and DOB’s licensing rules, checked 11 Nov 2026. Each topic page has its own sources and the details these summaries leave out. We found no city rule that sets the co-op and condo repair split; the buildings’ own papers do.

Sources

  1. NYC Housing Maintenance Code (DOB copy) · owner’s duty to repair, two-family lease exception · checked 11 Nov 2026
  2. NYC DEP — Protecting Your Home, sewer backup report · combined sewers, properties at risk · checked 11 Nov 2026
  3. NYC DEP — Protect Your Pipes from Freezing · owner responsibility in winter · checked 11 Nov 2026
  4. NYS HCR — FS-14, rent reductions for decreased services · DHCR route for rent-stabilized tenants · checked 11 Nov 2026