Residents of 2 Stoddard Place say they?ve been suffering through the recent cold temperatures with almost no heat in their building, and they say this isn?t the first year this has happened.

Tenants claim the heat problem has been going on for years, ever since the current landlord took over. Elizabeth Leslie, a resident of 2 Stoddard Place, says she believes the landlord has been there since 1986.

Residents try to stay warm any way they can. Leslie makes herself hot drinks.

?I come home at night, I make a cup of tea and I can?t even drink it,? Leslie says. ?I have to go underneath my covers. It?s so cold.?

Jane Charles, who lives across from Leslie, keeps her oven on so the kitchen will be warm enough to sit in. Charles? husband, Courtney, suffers from severe medical problems, and he says the severe cold aggravates his pain.

?You know, you pay your rent every month,? Dolores Bembridge, a Stoddard resident, says. ?This is not a luxury. Heat is not a luxury.?

Other tenants say the lack heat is not the only issue they suffer from. They say the building?s elevator has been out for months, and that the front door has no lock.

The landlord claims that the heat issues will be less of a problem now that the boiler is fixed. He also says he is in the process of installing security cameras to monitor the front door and claims he is awaiting city approval to install a new elevator.

Tenants have notified News 12 Brooklyn in the past about the heat issues. They say they?ve contacted authorities about the problem as well, but nothing was done.

The city requires landlords to provide heat in the winter. During the day when it is below 55 degrees outside, temperatures inside residential buildings must be 68 degrees or higher. Overnight, when it is below 40 degrees outside the temperatures in residential buildings should be at least 55 degrees. The city advises anyone with heat problems to contact their landlords, and if that doesn?t work, to call 311 and file a complaint.