Confirmation that guest like very cool temperatures in vacation rentals
John UnderwoodPro Member
Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votesConfirmation that guest like very cool temperatures in vacation rentals
Most Popular Reply
Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
9moI set parameters of a low of 67 in the summer, and a high of 75 in the winter. I had an expensive service call this past summer when guests had the heat pump set to 64 on a very hot (upper 90's), humid day and the unit froze up and quit working. My heat pumps are 3 years old, put in new when I bought the place. I suspect the guests had the patio door or windows open when this happened (it's at the beach, so humid), and I'm not allowing that low of a setting any more.
23 Replies
- MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes9mo
I request they keep it in range 68-75 but don't lock it...although I would like to.
My home is probably not the norm but I expect to be a little warm in the summer and a little cool in the winter. It is set on 68 winter and 72 summer.
I don't like it locked. I get pissed when I rent a place that has it locked. There is a beach place we went to on Fripp Island and they locked it at 72 cool. It was freaking warm man. Not happy about that at all. The way I figure is that for what a guest pays to stay at my places, I ought to let them do whatever they want with it.
The risk is for when they want to have a fire going when its still kind of warm and they want to crank the cool down way low to offset the fire.- Cambridge, MA · Member since 2015 · 651 posts · 736 votes9moI agree! It is especially an issue when the guests are international or I am a guest in another country. It definitely impacts my review if a host doesn’t allow me to set the temperature to my comfort level. On the other side, I allow my guests to set the temperature to their comfort zone. It has resulted in some very high heat when our guests are from very hot climes.
Quote from @Ken Boone:
I don't like it locked. I get pissed when I rent a place that has it locked. There is a beach place we went to on Fripp Island and they locked it at 72 cool. It was freaking warm man. Not happy about that at all. The way I figure is that for what a guest pays to stay at my places, I ought to let them do whatever they want with it.
The risk is for when they want to have a fire going when its still kind of warm and they want to crank the cool down way low to offset the fire.
- 9moMichael BaumPro MemberOlympia, WA · Member since 2016 · 8k+ posts · 7k+ votes
We don't lock ours either. I do watch it. If I see some kind of crazy temp setting, I change them.
Also, if I see very high humidity in the house, I know that people have the windows open when it is 90 degrees outside with the A/C at 60. I then adjust it and contact the guests to let them know.
- Rental Property Investor · Phoenix, AZ and Rehoboth Beach DE · Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes9mo
I set parameters of a low of 67 in the summer, and a high of 75 in the winter. I had an expensive service call this past summer when guests had the heat pump set to 64 on a very hot (upper 90's), humid day and the unit froze up and quit working. My heat pumps are 3 years old, put in new when I bought the place. I suspect the guests had the patio door or windows open when this happened (it's at the beach, so humid), and I'm not allowing that low of a setting any more.
- Rental Property Investor · The Villages, FL · Member since 2017 · 341 posts · 398 votes9mo
I have my limits set at a low of 67 and high of 80, this is Florida, so probably would never get set to 80. I have had a couple of guests lower the temp to 60 with probably the windows open, so since then I put in the limits. I have never had anyone complain.
- Member since 2025 · 2 posts · 2 votes9mo
I was in the hvac business and used to warn my friends about setting the tstat below 70 if they were renting a house for the season and the unit was an older unit. They tend to break compressors when slugs of liquid refrigerant go to the compressor. It actually happened in one house; the unit was 20 years old, so they had one zone with no AC for the final weekend in high humidity at the Jersey Shore.
- 9moAndrew SteffensBusiness MemberTampa, FL · Member since 2022 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
I recommend to my clients not locking, but watching. Personally I have smart T-stats and when people go below 67 I get notified and reach out to them. Usually this will freeze the unit and they will end up with no AC for several hours, so they usually listed. I also have the schedule to rise to 75 during the day. Most people leave for the beach and have it all day at 68.
Vacation Rentals of Florida53 Reviews - 9moCollin HaysBusiness MemberProperty Manager · Gatlinburg, TN · Member since 2020 · 3k+ posts · 4k+ votes
This is interesting info!
- Member since 2022 · 529 posts · 413 votes9mo
Last year ago (I even posted it here), I had a guest set the AC to 50!!! Needless to say, they froze the condenser and I had to replace it ($6K). My HVAC company said not to let anyone set it below 70. I have a stop at 69 because it feels like 70 just isn't enough - especially in hot Florida summers. I do occasionally get complaints and am honest with guests as to why I have a limit and what happened in the past. I don't have to worry about the upper limit here. I always know the guests that try to go lower - they always message me saying that they can't work the thermostat because it says it's locked. I tell them it only says that if they try to go below 69.
- MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes9mo
Quote from @Patricia Andriolo-Bull:
Last year ago (I even posted it here), I had a guest set the AC to 50!!! Needless to say, they froze the condenser and I had to replace it ($6K). My HVAC company said not to let anyone set it below 70. I have a stop at 69 because it feels like 70 just isn't enough - especially in hot Florida summers. I do occasionally get complaints and am honest with guests as to why I have a limit and what happened in the past. I don't have to worry about the upper limit here. I always know the guests that try to go lower - they always message me saying that they can't work the thermostat because it says it's locked. I tell them it only says that if they try to go below 69.
In one of my beach condos if it is set at 70 the windows and doors get condensation so I keep it at 68 to dehumidify even when vacant.
Were you able to get any reimbursement from the platform or morons who set temp on 50 and broke it? - Member since 2022 · 529 posts · 413 votes9mo
Quote from @Jules Aton:
Quote from @Patricia Andriolo-Bull:
Last year ago (I even posted it here), I had a guest set the AC to 50!!! Needless to say, they froze the condenser and I had to replace it ($6K). My HVAC company said not to let anyone set it below 70. I have a stop at 69 because it feels like 70 just isn't enough - especially in hot Florida summers. I do occasionally get complaints and am honest with guests as to why I have a limit and what happened in the past. I don't have to worry about the upper limit here. I always know the guests that try to go lower - they always message me saying that they can't work the thermostat because it says it's locked. I tell them it only says that if they try to go below 69.
In one of my beach condos if it is set at 70 the windows and doors get condensation so I keep it at 68 to dehumidify even when vacant.
Were you able to get any reimbursement from the platform or morons who set temp on 50 and broke it?Yes, I actually did, especially since I showed them the photos of the guests turning it down to 50 degrees. This past week has been pretty cool here and people are still setting it to 69...not sure what gives.
- Member since 2022 · 529 posts · 413 votes9mo
For reference...with photo of 50 degree setting!
https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/530/topics/1241117-ther...
- Member since 2019 · 1k+ posts · 292 votes9mo
This is super helpful insight — thank you for sharing! We manage several short-term rentals and we see the exact same behavior with guests cranking the AC way down regardless of the outside temperature. It definitely takes a toll on HVAC systems (and energy bills!).
We’ve started implementing range lockouts as well, usually keeping cooling at a minimum of 68°F and heating at a maximum of 74–75°F, depending on the season. It still keeps guests comfortable but helps prevent the HVAC from working overtime — especially in mountain or humid environments where units struggle to hit those extreme settings.
We also set up:
• Eco mode during vacancy periods between guest stays
• Alerts for drastic temp changes or when doors/windows are left open
• Remote monitoring so we can intervene before a system issue escalatesWi-Fi thermostats like Honeywell and Nest have been game changers for us. And totally agree — seeing preference trends helps us optimize comfort settings in advance so guests are happy while the equipment stays protected.
What alerts or automation rules have helped you the most so far?
- New to Real Estate · Northern California · Member since 2023 · 79 posts · 33 votes9mo
Quote from @Andrew Street:
This is super helpful insight — thank you for sharing! We manage several short-term rentals and we see the exact same behavior with guests cranking the AC way down regardless of the outside temperature. It definitely takes a toll on HVAC systems (and energy bills!).
We’ve started implementing range lockouts as well, usually keeping cooling at a minimum of 68°F and heating at a maximum of 74–75°F, depending on the season. It still keeps guests comfortable but helps prevent the HVAC from working overtime — especially in mountain or humid environments where units struggle to hit those extreme settings.
We also set up:
• Eco mode during vacancy periods between guest stays
• Alerts for drastic temp changes or when doors/windows are left open
• Remote monitoring so we can intervene before a system issue escalatesWi-Fi thermostats like Honeywell and Nest have been game changers for us. And totally agree — seeing preference trends helps us optimize comfort settings in advance so guests are happy while the equipment stays protected.
What alerts or automation rules have helped you the most so far?
Are you able to do alerts and remote monitoring with your Google Nest?
- Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes9mo
We absolutely lock it in a range, but our system and house will freeze you out downstairs set at the lowest setting (72, central Florida). Our thermostat is upstairs so in warm weather it will run almost continuously if the thermostat is set anywhere below 75 during the high part of the day. If we let guests set to 68 or similar the unit would freeze up and there would be no AC at all.
I monitor what temperature guests use and almost all of them set the thermostat at 74 or 75. Lower than that and you need long sleeves downstairs for sure. We provide all of that information before anyone ever books and we've never had a complaint.
There's no good universal answer here as how well your climate is and maintained depends on too many variables, from how well your house is insulated to what direction your house faces to shade trees to thermostat placement to compressor size to recirculating capacity, and lots of other factors.
Skyline Properties - New to Real Estate · Northern California · Member since 2023 · 79 posts · 33 votes9mo
This is something I have thought about a lot. My original plan was to lock the upper and lower temperature limits, but I was surprised to learn that my Google Nest thermostat does not allow for that, so it simply was not an option.
It has become clear to me that what people experience as hot or cold depends on what they are acclimated to and where they are traveling from. As a guest, I can imagine being frustrated if I could not get a home to a temperature that felt comfortable to me. What I tend to do instead is similar to what Michael Baum mentioned. I check the thermostat periodically, and if I see anything truly bananas, I adjust it remotely.
In my case, my rental is on a mountain with cool summers, so my biggest energy cost concerns are not air conditioning but winter propane heat use in my rural location.
In winter, I keep the heat on a schedule so the house warms up around the time guests wake up, then lowers it a couple of hours later, and drops to 64 degrees at night around 10 pm. Guests can always adjust it manually if they prefer something different. This schedule seems to help keep the house comfortable without the guest needing to think about it.
- Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes9mo
Quote from @Diana Mulvihill:
This is something I have thought about a lot. My original plan was to lock the upper and lower temperature limits, but I was surprised to learn that my Google Nest thermostat does not allow for that, so it simply was not an option.
It has become clear to me that what people experience as hot or cold depends on what they are acclimated to and where they are traveling from. As a guest, I can imagine being frustrated if I could not get a home to a temperature that felt comfortable to me. What I tend to do instead is similar to what Michael Baum mentioned. I check the thermostat periodically, and if I see anything truly bananas, I adjust it remotely.
In my case, my rental is on a mountain with cool summers, so my biggest energy cost concerns are not air conditioning but winter propane heat use in my rural location.
In winter, I keep the heat on a schedule so the house warms up around the time guests wake up, then lowers it a couple of hours later, and drops to 64 degrees at night around 10 pm. Guests can always adjust it manually if they prefer something different. This schedule seems to help keep the house comfortable without the guest needing to think about it.
Hmm...you must have an older thermostat. I have a Google Nest type thermostat and I can lock the limits for cold, heat, and cold+heat setup. Cold is set from 72-79, heat I believe is set from 65-72, and auto (both) is 71-75. I only turn it to auto in a cold snap since we're down in central FL and 90% of guests want only AC, so it gives them more options. In that mixed mode, using those numbers I gave you, the temperature in the house can't be adjusted higher or lower than that.
Skyline Properties - Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes9mo
Quote from @Diana Mulvihill:
This is something I have thought about a lot. My original plan was to lock the upper and lower temperature limits, but I was surprised to learn that my Google Nest thermostat does not allow for that, so it simply was not an option.
It has become clear to me that what people experience as hot or cold depends on what they are acclimated to and where they are traveling from. As a guest, I can imagine being frustrated if I could not get a home to a temperature that felt comfortable to me. What I tend to do instead is similar to what Michael Baum mentioned. I check the thermostat periodically, and if I see anything truly bananas, I adjust it remotely.
In my case, my rental is on a mountain with cool summers, so my biggest energy cost concerns are not air conditioning but winter propane heat use in my rural location.
In winter, I keep the heat on a schedule so the house warms up around the time guests wake up, then lowers it a couple of hours later, and drops to 64 degrees at night around 10 pm. Guests can always adjust it manually if they prefer something different. This schedule seems to help keep the house comfortable without the guest needing to think about it.
Also I can tell the kids take the rooms upstairs and parents and grandparents take downstairs rooms. The downstairs will sometimes have the heat going while the upstairs has the AC running.
- Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes9mo
Quote from @JD Martin:
Quote from @Diana Mulvihill:
This is something I have thought about a lot. My original plan was to lock the upper and lower temperature limits, but I was surprised to learn that my Google Nest thermostat does not allow for that, so it simply was not an option.
It has become clear to me that what people experience as hot or cold depends on what they are acclimated to and where they are traveling from. As a guest, I can imagine being frustrated if I could not get a home to a temperature that felt comfortable to me. What I tend to do instead is similar to what Michael Baum mentioned. I check the thermostat periodically, and if I see anything truly bananas, I adjust it remotely.
In my case, my rental is on a mountain with cool summers, so my biggest energy cost concerns are not air conditioning but winter propane heat use in my rural location.
In winter, I keep the heat on a schedule so the house warms up around the time guests wake up, then lowers it a couple of hours later, and drops to 64 degrees at night around 10 pm. Guests can always adjust it manually if they prefer something different. This schedule seems to help keep the house comfortable without the guest needing to think about it.
Hmm...you must have an older thermostat. I have a Google Nest type thermostat and I can lock the limits for cold, heat, and cold+heat setup. Cold is set from 72-79, heat I believe is set from 65-72, and auto (both) is 71-75. I only turn it to auto in a cold snap since we're down in central FL and 90% of guests want only AC, so it gives them more options. In that mixed mode, using those numbers I gave you, the temperature in the house can't be adjusted higher or lower than that.
Its painful when the guest have the auto tenp set and the AC setting is 3 degrees above the heat. This almost ensures that the heat and AC will both be running on the same day.
- Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes9mo
Quote from @John Underwood:
Quote from @JD Martin:
Quote from @Diana Mulvihill:
This is something I have thought about a lot. My original plan was to lock the upper and lower temperature limits, but I was surprised to learn that my Google Nest thermostat does not allow for that, so it simply was not an option.
It has become clear to me that what people experience as hot or cold depends on what they are acclimated to and where they are traveling from. As a guest, I can imagine being frustrated if I could not get a home to a temperature that felt comfortable to me. What I tend to do instead is similar to what Michael Baum mentioned. I check the thermostat periodically, and if I see anything truly bananas, I adjust it remotely.
In my case, my rental is on a mountain with cool summers, so my biggest energy cost concerns are not air conditioning but winter propane heat use in my rural location.
In winter, I keep the heat on a schedule so the house warms up around the time guests wake up, then lowers it a couple of hours later, and drops to 64 degrees at night around 10 pm. Guests can always adjust it manually if they prefer something different. This schedule seems to help keep the house comfortable without the guest needing to think about it.
Hmm...you must have an older thermostat. I have a Google Nest type thermostat and I can lock the limits for cold, heat, and cold+heat setup. Cold is set from 72-79, heat I believe is set from 65-72, and auto (both) is 71-75. I only turn it to auto in a cold snap since we're down in central FL and 90% of guests want only AC, so it gives them more options. In that mixed mode, using those numbers I gave you, the temperature in the house can't be adjusted higher or lower than that.
Its painful when the guest have the auto tenp set and the AC setting is 3 degrees above the heat. This almost ensures that the heat and AC will both be running on the same day.
Yeah auto temp is not the greatest for sure especially in Florida in the winter, where you might need heat at night but it will warm up in the day. My house is concrete so the temperature tends to stay pretty stable, but I still prefer to just have it either heat or AC.
Skyline Properties - Investor · Greer, SC · Member since 2014 · 13k+ posts · 17k+ votes9mo
Quote from @JD Martin:
Quote from @John Underwood:
Quote from @JD Martin:
Quote from @Diana Mulvihill:
This is something I have thought about a lot. My original plan was to lock the upper and lower temperature limits, but I was surprised to learn that my Google Nest thermostat does not allow for that, so it simply was not an option.
It has become clear to me that what people experience as hot or cold depends on what they are acclimated to and where they are traveling from. As a guest, I can imagine being frustrated if I could not get a home to a temperature that felt comfortable to me. What I tend to do instead is similar to what Michael Baum mentioned. I check the thermostat periodically, and if I see anything truly bananas, I adjust it remotely.
In my case, my rental is on a mountain with cool summers, so my biggest energy cost concerns are not air conditioning but winter propane heat use in my rural location.
In winter, I keep the heat on a schedule so the house warms up around the time guests wake up, then lowers it a couple of hours later, and drops to 64 degrees at night around 10 pm. Guests can always adjust it manually if they prefer something different. This schedule seems to help keep the house comfortable without the guest needing to think about it.
Hmm...you must have an older thermostat. I have a Google Nest type thermostat and I can lock the limits for cold, heat, and cold+heat setup. Cold is set from 72-79, heat I believe is set from 65-72, and auto (both) is 71-75. I only turn it to auto in a cold snap since we're down in central FL and 90% of guests want only AC, so it gives them more options. In that mixed mode, using those numbers I gave you, the temperature in the house can't be adjusted higher or lower than that.
Its painful when the guest have the auto tenp set and the AC setting is 3 degrees above the heat. This almost ensures that the heat and AC will both be running on the same day.
Yeah auto temp is not the greatest for sure especially in Florida in the winter, where you might need heat at night but it will warm up in the day. My house is concrete so the temperature tends to stay pretty stable, but I still prefer to just have it either heat or AC.
Me too!
Certain times in the Spring and Fall you need to have both available for Guests.
- 9moCliff H.Pro MemberRental Property Investor · Nashua, NH · Member since 2014 · 599 posts · 477 votes
All you warm climate people, sheesh. I have the opposite problem: guests trying to keep winter ski cabins at 75 degrees in sub-zero outside temps, which is not happening.
As others have said, guests also don’t usually like to be locked out or feel like they cannot configure a space to their own temperature preference.
So in my colder climates I have my expensive electric baseboard heater thermostats configured to trigger an automated setback after a specific time delay (usually 2-5 minutes) while at the same time turning UP the primary (and far cheaper) house propane heater. This has the same effect of ensuring guests who want it warm and toasty get their toastiness, while also ensuring the more expensive electrical heating is not abused or pushed outside a range they can reasonably achieve.
None of that’s perfect (ideally I’d set that up as contingent on outside temps), but it’s been pretty effective at meeting guests in the middle of turning a ski cabin into a sauna versus keeping bodies warm while on vacation.
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