I'm not a plumber so take this with a giant grain of salt.
But the heat kicking on is based on outside/ inside temp. You would assume it won't get to 55 degrees in the daytime in september.
Quote:
In New York City, the law requires that your landlord provide heat at the following levels from October 1 through May 31: From 6 am to 10 pm: If the outside temperature falls below 55 degrees, the inside temperature must be at least 68 degrees everywhere in your apartment.
I'm assuming steam heat is generated by a boiler in the basement - especially if it's a converted single family home - and not by the city. I could be wrong, but if ConEd is supplying steam heat, your problem just got bigger.
How old is the home? And yes, it's your owner's responsibility to do all of this. But as usual, if you want to expedite the situation, you're going to have to do some leg work yourself. Which is what you are already doing.
I would first check the valves and air vents in the radiators in your downstairs neighbor apt. Insure they are working properly. If they've been living there for a while, ask if the previous upstairs tenant had similar problems. Maybe they did and simply didn't complain?
Then I would check for cracks or bad insulation in the rooms - around the windows, but I'm assuming you did that already. Do you have double pane newish windows? Radiators in the old days in apartment buildings were placed in front of windows, for obvious reasons. The pipes might also be compromised with rust or corrosion as it gets to your apartment or the end of the loop, depending on the age. Steam uses bigger inside diameter than the pipes returning water to the boiler. Then there is the condition of the boiler (also loss of pressure) and the location of the thermostat. It seems the hallway isn't the best place.
The landlord is probably not going to pay for any major plumbing work to streamline the path, if that's the cause. That's some serious money, and since you're the one paying for steam and hot water. . .
My non plumber 2 cents.