Chicago's Heat Ordinance requires warmth starting September 15, so late summer is the time to service your furnace or boiler. Here is a pre-season checklist to get every unit ready before the first cold snap.
It feels strange to think about the furnace during a humid July week, but late summer is exactly when smart Chicago landlords get their heating systems ready. Once temperatures drop, every HVAC contractor in the city is booked solid, emergency call-out rates climb, and a boiler that fails on the first cold night can leave a whole building without heat for days.
Scheduling service in August means better pricing, faster appointments, and time to order any parts that need replacing. It also lets you coordinate unit access with tenants while they are still around and windows are still open. For owners of two-flats in Logan Square or courtyard buildings in Rogers Park, a few hours of preventive work now is far cheaper than a mid-January breakdown and a row of angry tenants.
Chicago's Heat Ordinance is not a suggestion. From September 15 through June 1, landlords must supply heat capable of maintaining at least 68 degrees during the day and 66 degrees overnight in every occupied unit. The city can issue fines for each day a building falls short, and tenants in neighborhoods from Lakeview to Rogers Park know their rights.
That September 15 date is the deadline you are working backward from. If your system needs a repair, a part, or a full component replacement, discovering that in mid-September puts you behind the entire market. Late-summer servicing gives you a comfortable runway to fix problems before the ordinance takes effect. Keep documentation of your inspection and any repairs; if a tenant ever files a complaint, a paper trail showing proactive maintenance is your best defense.
Whether your building runs on a central boiler or individual forced-air furnaces, a licensed technician should inspect the system before the season starts. On the boiler side, common in vintage Andersonville and Lincoln Park greystones, that means checking the burner, testing safety controls, inspecting the low-water cutoff, and flushing sediment that has settled over the summer.
For forced-air furnaces, the technician checks the heat exchanger for cracks, tests ignition, and verifies gas pressure. The heat exchanger inspection matters most: a hairline crack is invisible to tenants but can leak carbon monoxide once the furnace fires. Ask for a written report noting the condition of each component and its expected remaining life. That report helps you budget for replacements and lets you prioritize which systems across your portfolio get attention first.
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