No heat plumbing in apt

[diva]

I have a friend who doesn't speak English well who is renting an apt on the top floor of an old four family frame house at $850 a month. The apt has no radiators of any sort or risers. He has purchased two $40 each electric heaters which the landlord paid for. But these heaters don't really heat the apt fully and, of course, they are very expensive to run, especially in an old frame house. Not to mention, that they are also dangerous. The place is non-regulated. Is this legal? I thought all apts were supposed to have heating facilities. Please advise.

[Anna]

Heating is required, radiators are not.

HOUSING MAINTENANCE CODE
Sec. 27-2028 Central heat or electric or gas heating system; when required.

Except as otherwise provided in this article, every multiple dwelling and every tenant-occupied one or two-family dwelling shall be provided with heat from a central heating system constructed in accordance with the provisions of the Building Code and the regulations of the department. A system of gas or electric heating provided for each dwelling unit may, if approved by the department, be utilized in lieu of a central heating system if:

1. the system is lawfully in use on July fourteenth, nineteen hundred sixty-seven; or
2. the system is approved by the appropriate city agencies having jurisdiction and is installed in a structure or building erected, converted, substantially rehabilitated, or completely vacated, after July fourteenth, nineteen hundred sixty-seven.

This might also be an illegal apt:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dob/html/illegal-conversion.html

What language? Some tenants rights in several languages here:
http://www.tenant.net/Court/cwtfhc/index.html

and Spanish here: http://nyc.gov/html/hpd/html/for-tenants/tenant-publications.html

Translate any text or webpage into several languages here:
http://babel.altavista.com/translate.dyn