We did inspections every 6 months (26 unit building), and would check smoke detector batteries as well as look for leaks or running toilets.And if the water bill went up significantly, we'd do additional inspections, looking for the inevitable running toilet.Next best option is to use month to month agreements, so if you suspect a unit is going crazy with the utilities, you can get rid of that tenant.  

Hi Everyone,I’ve got a few unrelated questions I was hoping to have answered: 1) It’s my understanding that it’s the tenant’s responsibility to change HVAC filters and carbon monoxide detector batteries every 6 months.

What you should be fearing is the reality of what could happen:Say you forget to check the smoke detectors, or forget to put them up in all the bedrooms, or years go by and the battery dies-- huge fire breaks out, destroys you place (if you don't have insurance, it would be a total loss!)  

I agree with the need of a furnace.Most mountain cabins have hot tubs.Emergency generators aren't cheap, but great to have during a sustained power outage.I've thought a battery backup system might be a good compromise.

I was charged a ridiculous $200 to replace a fire alarm battery which I did myself before when I lived in the unit and the battery was $5 from a store.

If the rodent finds the battery line and chews it, then it would seem that Darwin has already come up with a solution to your tenant's problem.

yes I had power, a solar charger for a 12 volt car battery that I used to charge my phone and run 12 volt rv lights. 

They can take, edit, resize, annotate, add smilies and post a picture on a tiny phone with ease but can't change a light bulb or swap out a battery at the back of a wall clock, let alone keeping an eye on a buried pipe or a leaky water heater relief valve. 

You can read alot of books and listen to a bankers opinion all day but what help are they going to be when you enter a unit for a filter change and smoke alarm battery check and you discover things like tenant has moved in a roommate, are those bedbugs on the wall, why is there a pet tiger in the bedroom...etc...You will need a voice to call to say what in the hell do I do?

My crystal ball's batteries are low and I can not tell when it will end, only that it will.This is not a crisis, it is a moment of untold opportunity.Fear is ruling the day and it leads to poor or no decision making.My Advice:If you are in a secure financial place and have cash, YOU MUST WATCH THE RE MARKET CLOSELY and be ready to make a decision and buy when the right deal comes along.