I am trying to find a thermostat with a pin code that needs to be entered in order to adjust the temp. I have a rental where I pay the heat. Someone also told me to use something called heatstopper which can prevent the the thermostat from being adjusted past a set point. anyone hear of this.
Real Estate Investor · OH · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
16y
You're wasting your time and money with the fancy thermostat. A refreezeable ice pack will defeat your expensive thermostat and the tenants know it. Furthermore, don't be surprised to drive by the house in JANUARY and see the windows open. What does the tenant care - YOU'RE PAYING THE HEAT!!!
Real Estate Investor · OH · Member since 2008 · 4k+ posts · 1k+ votes
16y
You're wasting your time and money with the fancy thermostat. A refreezeable ice pack will defeat your expensive thermostat and the tenants know it. Furthermore, don't be surprised to drive by the house in JANUARY and see the windows open. What does the tenant care - YOU'RE PAYING THE HEAT!!!
Rental Property Investor · Mercer Island, WA · Member since 2008 · 22k+ posts · 14k+ votes
16y
Sure. That's not terrible accurate, but I've seen it done commonly.
You can also look into a RUBS (residential utility billback system) that will record the actual consumption by each unit and you can use that to divide the bill.
You may have to wait until your leases come up for renewal to change the lease. And if the tenants are used to it being included you will likely have to cut the rent to make up for the additional charge.
I made it through the heating season and saw my bill drop tremendously once I installed the landlordstat. Pretty cool device that caps the temp 70 so tenants can't jack up the temp. Eventually I will separate the heating units but I suggest everyone in a similar situation check this out.
you can install the NEST thermostat. It allows you to cap off the temp up to a certain max. I just installed one after my tenant was turning the heat up to 80 Bc I was paying heat. My new tenants have not moved in yet as I am remodeling BF re-renting but I plan to lock it at 70. So my new tenant will only be able to put the heat as high as 70. The nest can also allow you to lower the temp or you can sync it with your tenants smart phone and it will automatically lower the temp a few degrees when they aren't at home. I can post an update once it's in use but I know this is going to save me a fortune. My old tenant started cranking his heat up to 80+ once oct 1st hit even tho it was still in the mid to upper 70's outside. Some people don't give a s@it about wasting your $$$ since they aren't paying for their own heat!!!
Eventually I'd like to split it completely but this was a cheap and easy solution for now. Check with your local housing codes to see what min temp requirements in your area are before setting a max. Where I live it must be on 68 min.