How cold can it be in an apartment?

It is important that we are comfortable and happy in our homes. It's not just the quality of the air, noise levels and functioning equipment that are important. The indoor temperature needs to be at the right level for us to feel good. But how cold can it be in an apartment? And what are the guidelines that a landlord must follow? Read more here.

What is too hot or cold in an apartment?

Your home needs to have a comfortable indoor temperature and it is the landlord's responsibility to ensure that the temperature remains at the right level. Normal indoor temperature in a tenancy law should not be lower than 20 degrees, but in most cases a temperature between 20 and 23 degrees is common under normal weather conditions. During the summer, the apartment should not be warmer than 26 degrees. 

Even if the landlord does a good job maintaining the heating system, ventilation, windows and doors in the apartment building, the indoor temperature can be affected by drastic changes in the weather. In late autumn, the weather can change from plus degrees to several degrees below zero in a few hours, which can cause the indoor temperature in your apartment to drop. This is usually because the heating system has not had time to recover from the rapid change in outdoor temperature. 

Under these conditions, it is easy to get a little extra cold in the apartment for a period of time. However, if the apartment does not get warmer for several days, something may be wrong with the heating system and you should contact Slättö to make a fault report.

How do you know if your apartment is too cold?

The easiest way to find out if your apartment is too cold is to use a thermometer and measure the indoor temperature yourself. Place the thermometer in the middle of a room, about 60 cm above the floor, and measure the temperature. 

When is it too cold in the apartment?

It should be at least 20 degrees in your apartment. However, during the winter months it can feel like it is cold in the apartment when the outdoor temperature drops. In many cases, the indoor temperature can drop because you have covered the radiators that usually sit under the windows or blocked the ventilation pipes.

If you have measured the temperature and notice that it is below 20 degrees for several days in a row, you should first check that there is no large furniture in front of the radiators. Thick curtains can also affect the efficiency of the heater. Also check that the ventilation openings in the wall or ceiling are not covered. If you have placed a sofa or a chest of drawers in front of the radiator, this could be the reason why your apartment is too cold. Move the furniture to another location and see if the temperature rises.

When to report a cold apartment to the landlord?

If you have checked the radiators and ventilation and it is too cold in your apartment, you should do a fault report to Slättö. The reason for a cold apartment may be that the windows or doors are not tight or that something is wrong with the heating system in the house. If you make a fault report, we can check what is wrong and fix the problem. It is important for us that you feel comfortable in your apartment and the correct indoor temperature is an important part of comfort.

Can it be too hot in the apartment?

In addition to being too cold, during the summer you may also find that your apartment is too hot. In many cases, it is easier to fix too hot an apartment than too cold, especially if the heat is due to the summer weather. You can pull down blinds or curtains to keep the sunlight out, air the apartment at night and use things that emit heat less often. 

Electronics such as gaming computers, projectors, game consoles and high-end sound systems often get hot and use their internal fans to blow hot air into the room. This can make an already hot room even hotter. If you have electronics running all day long, this could be the reason why your apartment is too hot.

It can also be too hot if the ventilation in the house is not working properly. You can check for yourself that the ventilation in your apartment is working by holding your hand over a ventilation opening and feeling for a draught. If there is no airflow in the ventilation, you should report the problem so that we can check the ventilation system in your apartment and in the whole house.