just don't do a lease. as others have mentioned, this forces the buyer of the property to take over the lease (if its even allowed/ they qualify) and it certainly does make the property a little tougher to sell. i'm also doing a house hack, and here in CA, its made a world of difference for me. the bulk of our energy usage is in the summer when we want to run the a/c. my bill stays a constant $228/mo (i pocketed the tax credit and simply financed the panels after that grace period). instead of getting an $800 bill in the summer months, we run the a/c at a constant temperature 24/7 on auto, stay comfortable, and i typically get a little bit coming back at the end of the year. don't expect to pocket this "little bit back" by being conservative with your useage, it sort of is a use-it-or-lose-it situation... i think i got $54 back this year.

@Jeremy Bloom  the rag on the thermostat can be beat by placing a remote thermostat that is set to the legally required temperature with that remote thermostat actually controlling the temperature.

A minimum temperature of 55 oF must be maintained inside your Rental Unit at all times; damage to the Premises resulting from you not doing so is your sole responsibility.19.

We can remotely control the temperature, but if someone (a guest) manually changes the thermostat, it overrides our remote settings, which is what we want.   

I appreciate the info; this is helpful on getting a temperature on what would be realistic. 

I'm just getting a temperature feel from all of the STR investors out there that are paying attention to new markets.

I am covering utilities for the 1st floor and garden unit (for a 3-unit MFH rental)Any recommendations for a programmable thermostat where I can lock appropriate temperature ranges?

Currently the manufacturers "solution" is to "not allow the temperature inside the house to vary".

I can think of one time when I was about 12 years old, standing in my childhood bedroom, with the light flicking on in the middle of the night and a dramatic temperature change.

“If corporate feels they can make more money if they can get that person out and get somebody new in there, they can,” Torres said.Eviction by golf cartAt the Cyprus Apartments complex, with rows of tile-roofed buildings and more than 500 units, evictions were conducted under the shade of a golf cart as the temperature crept to 109 degrees.April Cordova, the property’s manager, surveyed the damage at an already empty unit.