Nest thermostat for a rental property? Other option?

Question

Does anyone offer this type of thermostat for their tenants to control? Curious if anyone has experienced any pitfalls with giving the tenant the access. Been looking at it a bit and it seems like the landlord can set up WWN - works with nest - but can several room mates use this at the same time?

We are looking for a tech savvy option to appeal to the millennials.

Thanks for reading and any insights.

We are looking for a tech savvy option to appeal to the millennials.

Thanks for reading and any insights.

Jerry N. · Answer

Thanks for your inputs @Nicholas Cook, @Trey R. and @Sb Carson

Nicholas Cook · Answer

@Jerry N. Generally the owners maintain control over the access code. We've not needed to involve them and unfortunately I am not familiar with "lock" settings.

Sb Carson · Answer

We have a couple units with the NEST thermostat.  I am not sure that it really matters relative to the utility bills but it makes a great impact from a marketing standpoint.  We have not had issues changing from one tenant to the next.  It is simply reset and then the new tenant sets it up with their info.

Trey R. · Answer

I have smart thermostats in both of my rentals and haven't had any issues.  You just reset it for a new tenant and allow them to set it up with their own information.  Of course they have the option of not setting it up and just using it like a regular thermostat as well.  One house has the Ecobee and the other has Sensi.

Jerry N. · Answer

Thanks @Nicholas Cook.  Do the tenants have the only access code or do you have another level of permissions with the unit?  I've read a little about the 'lock' setting.

Nicholas Cook · Answer

We have NEST thermostats in a handful of properties that we manage. Most residents can figure out how to use it and it does help keep utility costs down. For every dollar a resident saves in utility expense is another dollar they can pay toward rent without experiencing a net change even if the rent rises.

At this time we have not run into any problem with a NEST that we haven't with another thermostat.

Good luck.