Guest house tenant running A/C all day. What to do?

Member since 2023 · 24 posts · 2 votes

Guest house utilities are shared with main house under my name. New tenant and he’s running the A/C all day and night even when he’s not there for long hours at a time

I’ve told him to be mindful and turn it off when he leaves but so far no help. And he often turns it down to the low 60s

I do have an energy efficient home setup but this is ridiculous. What can I do outside of charging him for the extra he’s using?

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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member

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Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes

Quote from @Chris Park:

Continue to remind him, but that's about all you can do.

In the future, consider adding a limit to included utilities. For example:

"The monthly rent rate includes up to $150 in utility costs. Should Tenant use more than this amount in any given month, Landlord shall bill the excess charges to the Tenant. Tenant agrees to pay the additional amount the following month's rent payment."

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Bill B.
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
3y
You have to wait until the lease is over. You can’t change anything mid-lease. After it’s over you either raise the rent or non-renew them. Are you talking an extra $50-$100 / mo 4-6 months out of the year? You’re talking extra cooling on a guest house. So $300-$500/yr. Raise rent $25-$50/mo.
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Chris Park
OP
Member since 2023 · 24 posts · 2 votes
3y
Quote from @Bill B.:

You have to wait until the lease is over. You can’t change anything mid-lease. After it’s over you either raise the rent or non-renew them. Are you talking an extra $50-$100 / mo 4-6 months out of the year? You’re talking extra cooling on a guest house. So $300-$500/yr. Raise rent $25-$50/mo.

I’m in a hot area so this is going to cost me more than 300-500 a year. He seems the type to run it all day and night. I collect a bit under $100/month for all utilities but this will blow that budget. I can’t collect from him once the utility bill comes high?
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Richard F.
Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
3y
Aloha,

If his AC is separate from yours, and depending on exactly what type of AC, there are a variety of ways to set up an occupancy sensor to cut off after a specified amount of time. Or, if the guest house has it's own subpanel for electrical distribution, install a submeter and bill them for precisely what they are using. Polaris and Leviton both have a variety of meters to meet needs, some with cloud storage, or direct read, ranging from around $300 and up. For a number of our properties I simply require the tenant to take a photo of the reading on a particular date each month, email it, and we subtract that usage from the main meter usage to determine the charge.
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Bill B.
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
3y
You forgot to add your location to your post or your profile.
I live in a pretty hot place myself with 2 ac units, 2 pool pumps and combined with a 3000sf house it runs about $200/mo. I don’t see how a guest house alone could cost more than $100/mo 3-4 months out of the year. Maybe get a better unit like a mini-split? I’m just wondering if you aren’t over estimating the cost of his extra cooling.
But either way. Nothing you can do until the lease ends. Then you raise rent or non-renew. Either they’ll pay extra or you’ll be vacant and writing a new lease.
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Nathan GesnerBusiness Member
Moderator
Real Estate Broker · Cody, WY · Member since 2010 · 28k+ posts · 41k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Chris Park:

Continue to remind him, but that's about all you can do.
In the future, consider adding a limit to included utilities. For example:
"The monthly rent rate includes up to $150 in utility costs. Should Tenant use more than this amount in any given month, Landlord shall bill the excess charges to the Tenant. Tenant agrees to pay the additional amount the following month's rent payment."
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Mackaylee BeachPro Member
Real Estate Agent · Kansas City, MO · Member since 2020 · 1k+ posts · 494 votes
3y
Unfortunately, you cannot upcharge to what was agreed in lease.
In case you decide to not renew current lease, don't forget to provide tenants sufficient Notice of Non-Renewal.
Definity reconsider making changes to your lease.
[email protected]
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Chris Park
OP
Member since 2023 · 24 posts · 2 votes
3y
Quote from @Bill B.:

You forgot to add your location to your post or your profile.
I live in a pretty hot place myself with 2 ac units, 2 pool pumps and combined with a 3000sf house it runs about $200/mo. I don’t see how a guest house alone could cost more than $100/mo 3-4 months out of the year. Maybe get a better unit like a mini-split? I’m just wondering if you aren’t over estimating the cost of his extra cooling.
But either way. Nothing you can do until the lease ends. Then you raise rent or non-renew. Either they’ll pay extra or you’ll be vacant and writing a new lease.

It’s a mini split unit. What will my kilowatt usage look like if it’s running day and night?
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Bill B.
Investor · Las Vegas, NV · Member since 2013 · 8k+ posts · 10k+ votes
3y

If it plugs in to an outlet you can use a kill a watt type device online to show power used. Otherwise…

Can I use EER rating to determine watts used?

Yes. BTUs divided by EER = Watts.

For example, a 18,000 BTU mini split with a 9.5 EER rating uses 1,895 watts. You can see on the chart that 1,895 is right in the middle of the range for 18,000 BTU systems.

Otherwise to get a range…

https://www.pickhvac.com/mini-....

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Richard F.
Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Chris Park:

It’s a mini split unit. What will my kilowatt usage look like if it’s running day and night?

What do the specs of the unit state? Use Watt's Law to calculate usage if the label only shows amps to get hourly usage. Or google an online amps to watts converter.
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Chris Park
OP
Member since 2023 · 24 posts · 2 votes
3y
Quote from @Richard F.:

Quote from @Chris Park:

It’s a mini split unit. What will my kilowatt usage look like if it’s running day and night?

What do the specs of the unit state? Use Watt's Law to calculate usage if the label only shows amps to get hourly usage. Or google an online amps to watts converter.

Senville 12,000 BTU 110/120v with SEER of 20.8
Doing the math and looking at some charts looks like about 580-620 watts a month if it’s running day and night? So my two month bill will look like 1,200 kilowatts for just the guest house alone, does that sound right? Thanks for the help

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Richard F.
Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Chris Park:

Quote from @Richard F.:

Quote from @Chris Park:

It’s a mini split unit. What will my kilowatt usage look like if it’s running day and night?

What do the specs of the unit state? Use Watt's Law to calculate usage if the label only shows amps to get hourly usage. Or google an online amps to watts converter.

Senville 12,000 BTU 110/120v with SEER of 20.8
Doing the math and looking at some charts looks like about 580-620 watts a month if it’s running day and night? So my two month bill will look like 1,200 kilowatts for just the guest house alone, does that sound right? Thanks for the help

Nope. You would be using the 580-620 watts per hour when operating. Electric billing is typically xx CENTS per kwh (kilowatt hour. A 100 watt lightbulb, lit for one hour, uses one kwh). Also, that figure would be for the compressor and fan combined, need to estimate a "duty" cycle for the compressor which utilizes most of the wattage, but only when it is operating. The fans consume very little power.
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Ned J.Pro Member
Investor · Manteca, CA · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
3y
You are bound by the lease.....
You can continue to ask him to comply, but unless he is violating the lease in some other way, you are stuck until the lease is up.... then make changes to your lease so this doesn't happen again.
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Melanie ThomasBusiness Member
Real Estate Broker · San Antonio · Member since 2022 · 1k+ posts · 491 votes
3y
If discussing the issue with the tenant hasn't yielded results, you may consider installing a programmable thermostat with occupancy sensors. This way, the A/C can automatically adjust when he's not present, helping to conserve energy. Additionally, you could explore the option of separate utility meters for the guest house to accurately bill for the usage, encouraging responsible energy consumption. Be sure to review local landlord-tenant laws and regulations before making any changes. Good luck & happy investing!

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Richard F.
Honolulu, HI · Member since 2008 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
3y
Correction to my last post ( I tried to update it, but did not seem to work)

A 100 watt bulb, lit for TEN hours, would use one kwh.
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Chris Park
OP
Member since 2023 · 24 posts · 2 votes
3y
Thanks for all the help everyone
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Victor S.
WorldWide · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
3y
if it's really only using 600 watts/hour, you're looking at around 15 kw per day or around 450-500 kw/mo if it's running 24/7. depending on your price, this could be anywhere from $50-xxx/ mo.

"I live in a pretty hot place myself with 2 ac units, 2 pool pumps and combined with a 3000sf house it runs about $200/mo."

that's freaking amazing, Bill. our 2k sq.ft on a 3.5 ton system (roughly 4 kw/h) and our bill is right around $350/mo (~2400 kw) in 100F+ days this summer. our water heater is electric (and we love doing laundry all the time), so that's not helping lol
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Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
3y
You could say something like "I know that I can't raise the utility rates under the existing lease, but if you continue to run the AC irresponsibly, then I will have to raise the rent quite a bit at renewal time, your choice" ......
Don't say it in a threatening way, just more like a friendly reminder....
1 Reply
Marcus Johnson
Investor · Saint Paul, MN · Member since 2015 · 663 posts · 512 votes
3y
It's interesting that I'm seeing more and more posts about energy costs. I ran rental properties for 10 years and never once did I run into issues with tenants either keeping the heat to high or the AC to low. I installed Honeywell thermostats that would allow me to make sure the heat was at least 60 degrees in the winter time just to make sure the pipes wouldn't freeze but that's about it. Just throwing this out there, but are margins extra thin these days for landlords, because their mortgage payments are higher because of the costs of housing and interest rates? Also natural gas and electric prices are higher due to the economy. Just wondering what's going on.
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Chris Park
OP
Member since 2023 · 24 posts · 2 votes
3y
Quote from @Marcus Johnson:

It's interesting that I'm seeing more and more posts about energy costs. I ran rental properties for 10 years and never once did I run into issues with tenants either keeping the heat to high or the AC to low. I installed Honeywell thermostats that would allow me to make sure the heat was at least 60 degrees in the winter time just to make sure the pipes wouldn't freeze but that's about it. Just throwing this out there, but are margins extra thin these days for landlords, because their mortgage payments are higher because of the costs of housing and interest rates? Also natural gas and electric prices are higher due to the economy. Just wondering what's going on.

Yes it eats at my margin because I have a high mortgage. If my tenant runs up a $400-500 power bill which eats up 15% of the rent he gives me because he’s running it day and night when he’s not even there, then it becomes a huge issue

Also I live there as well so there is headache equity I have to pay having to deal with a tenant on my main home. There is a certain amount of money I want to make for it to be worth it

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Michael Jones
Investor · Louisville, KY · Member since 2017 · 199 posts · 253 votes
3y
Quote from @Chris Park:

Guest house utilities are shared with main house under my name. New tenant and he’s running the A/C all day and night even when he’s not there for long hours at a time
I’ve told him to be mindful and turn it off when he leaves but so far no help. And he often turns it down to the low 60s

I do have an energy efficient home setup but this is ridiculous. What can I do outside of charging him for the extra he’s using?

Do you live in the main home on the same property? If so, put a new thermostat in the tenants unit with wifi capabilities and connect it to your device. Then put up a blink camera on the drive and when you get a notification that he has left on the camera just go to the thermostat app and turn his air off or up.
1 Reply
Chris Park
OP
Member since 2023 · 24 posts · 2 votes
3y
Quote from @Michael Jones:

Quote from @Chris Park:

Guest house utilities are shared with main house under my name. New tenant and he’s running the A/C all day and night even when he’s not there for long hours at a time
I’ve told him to be mindful and turn it off when he leaves but so far no help. And he often turns it down to the low 60s

I do have an energy efficient home setup but this is ridiculous. What can I do outside of charging him for the extra he’s using?

Do you live in the main home on the same property? If so, put a new thermostat in the tenants unit with wifi capabilities and connect it to your device. Then put up a blink camera on the drive and when you get a notification that he has left on the camera just go to the thermostat app and turn his air off or up.

That's helpful but I wouldn't what to buy or how to connect the thermostat to the unit to be able to control it remotely. Any good ones out there that work with Senville mini split units?
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Bruce WoodruffPro Member
Contractor/Investor/Consultant · San Diego / Phoenix · Member since 2021 · 12k+ posts · 15k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Chris Park:

Quote from @Michael Jones:

Quote from @Chris Park:

Guest house utilities are shared with main house under my name. New tenant and he’s running the A/C all day and night even when he’s not there for long hours at a time
I’ve told him to be mindful and turn it off when he leaves but so far no help. And he often turns it down to the low 60s

I do have an energy efficient home setup but this is ridiculous. What can I do outside of charging him for the extra he’s using?

Do you live in the main home on the same property? If so, put a new thermostat in the tenants unit with wifi capabilities and connect it to your device. Then put up a blink camera on the drive and when you get a notification that he has left on the camera just go to the thermostat app and turn his air off or up.

That's helpful but I wouldn't what to buy or how to connect the thermostat to the unit to be able to control it remotely. Any good ones out there that work with Senville mini split units?

Call an HVAC guy.....
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Ned J.Pro Member
Investor · Manteca, CA · Member since 2017 · 1k+ posts · 2k+ votes
3y
Having the remote thermostat installed is easy if you aren't a DIY person...
But what's the legality of having the LL control the temp of the unit? I cant see that as being legal. Ive heard of ones that have password protected settings .... I guess you could set max high and low values but I cant see it being legal to set how much/often its on/off.
And who the hell wants to have to constantly monitor the unit and shut the AC on/off with the WIFI every time they leave? If its not automatic, I'm not doing it.....
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Chris Park
OP
Member since 2023 · 24 posts · 2 votes
3y
Quote from @Ned J.:

Having the remote thermostat installed is easy if you aren't a DIY person...
But what's the legality of having the LL control the temp of the unit? I cant see that as being legal. Ive heard of ones that have password protected settings .... I guess you could set max high and low values but I cant see it being legal to set how much/often its on/off.
And who the hell wants to have to constantly monitor the unit and shut the AC on/off with the WIFI every time they leave? If its not automatic, I'm not doing it.....

So the tenant can run the AC for a week straight with nobody inside it and that's not an issue? Legal or not, it's irresponsible and should be addressed. It's also not illegal to leave the gates open at night, should I not bring that up as well? Why should we tolerate being put in a loss position due to irresponsible tenants
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Theresa HarrisPro Member
Member since 2019 · 15k+ posts · 11k+ votes
3y
Quote from @Chris Park:

Quote from @Ned J.:

Having the remote thermostat installed is easy if you aren't a DIY person...
But what's the legality of having the LL control the temp of the unit? I cant see that as being legal. Ive heard of ones that have password protected settings .... I guess you could set max high and low values but I cant see it being legal to set how much/often its on/off.
And who the hell wants to have to constantly monitor the unit and shut the AC on/off with the WIFI every time they leave? If its not automatic, I'm not doing it.....

So the tenant can run the AC for a week straight with nobody inside it and that's not an issue? Legal or not, it's irresponsible and should be addressed

It is irresponsible, but that is how some people are. If the bill comes in higher than expected, talk to him and let him know. When it comes to renewing his lease, you can opt not to renew it. You can also ask if having a programmable thermostat would help (I doubt it in his case).
Most normal people would make sure the AC or heat is turned down when they are away for a long period of time-ie if they are out of town. Sometimes people forget.
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