Is it OK to change the temperature in someone else's house....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I rent out our basement and while utilities are included, the thermostat is upstairs and the renter is not to touch. My only obligation is to keep the heat at the legal level, which I think is 65.

That said, 72 is really really warm. Also, the renter could easily have solved the problem by opening a window in their room, which is pretty inefficient for your system, so perhaps you should be happy.

65° is too cold at night it should be a minimum of 68°, particularly as your renter is in basement . Heat rises and basements can get cold

We keep out house at 68 during the day and 63 at night. I am a landlord and have tenants in the basement and for some reason it is warmer downstairs then upstairs. I also happen currently to have a tenant who is warm blooded and is still in t-shirts. I am sure if the heat was any higher it would roast him. I have no idea why in my case it is warmer downstairs but it is important to check on the temperature in the rental space, especially in basements and tenant comfort.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I rent out our basement and while utilities are included, the thermostat is upstairs and the renter is not to touch. My only obligation is to keep the heat at the legal level, which I think is 65.

That said, 72 is really really warm. Also, the renter could easily have solved the problem by opening a window in their room, which is pretty inefficient for your system, so perhaps you should be happy.

72 is really warm? Not for me. I'm turning blue at 72.

That's why at first I didn't really understand the situation in your house. Who in the name of all that is holy would want to have a temp in the 60s at night in winter?

Are you sure it didn't set back to the 60s automatically though? Most thermostats are programmable.

[Anonymous]

OP, are you also the OP of the refrigerator email/separate trash can thread? Perhaps, you cannot live with a tenant in your home--you seem unable to deal.

[Anonymous]

I keep the heat at 62 for both night and day now. Last year? 58 at night and 60 during the day. Put a frigging sweatshirt on. When it is cold outside, it isn't meant to be tropical inside!

[Anonymous]

OP, the way the title of this was posted, I thought some random visitor had messed with your thermostat. Talk to you renter and agree on a common temperature that you can both live with.

[Anonymous]

Get a space heater for your room.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How do you know that she reset the temperature to 69 before she left at 9PM? How do you know that she didn't reset it at 2AM when she returned home. Many people learned to turn the temp down at night when everyone is sleeping and under covers. In our house growing up (before programmable thermostats), the rule was the first person who got up turned the temp up and the last person to go to bed, turned it down. And we used 72-74 in the daytime (warmer in the winter because some rooms didn't heat as well) and 68 at night. She maybe she thought to turn the temp down and save money, assuming that you would turn it back up when you got up.

this was my thought as well.

[Anonymous]

At least she's not turning UP the heat and costing you money! Seems to me she is being economical, and thoughtful.

[Anonymous]

I rented from friends who were going through some hard times financially, and they kept their house at 60 degrees. I didn't ask them to raise the temperature, and would never assume that, as a utilities-included renter, I could just adjust the thermostat as I wish. I think it's appropriate for your renter to discuss the house temperature with you and hopefully come to an agreement about where to keep it, whether she can change it, etc, but the fact that she just walked upstairs and changed it would irk me.

My MIL changes the thermostat all the time. And opens the windows when heat/AC is on. She pretends she doesn't understand our very basic thermostat. I have no doubts she would be the exact same way as a tenant.

[Anonymous]

I'm a nanny and MB makes the house 76 every days. In California!!! It's hell. I feel sorry for your renter but I'd prefer 72 over 76!!!

[Anonymous]

To be clear, the renter IS in someone else's house. Give OP a break! Her house, her temp. Talk with the renter though to air this out. I'd have to sy that 72 at night is hot! Our program drops temp level to 60 at 11:30. Blankets!!

[Anonymous]

Its a renter, not a guest. Therefore it is their space too.

Talk to them. The basement may get really hot, or she may prefer it cooler. Or she may think that the temp is normally on 69 so she turned it down for you. Or maybe its an auto setting you weren't aware of.

[Anonymous]

Wrong , the tenant has to deal with whatever the owner sets it to. If she's too child a space heater or blanket, too hot oscillating fan. I would recommend one of those thermostat lock boxes. if she wants her own heat she should buy a house.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wrong , the tenant has to deal with whatever the owner sets it to. If she's too child a space heater or blanket, too hot oscillating fan. I would recommend one of those thermostat lock boxes. if she wants her own heat she should buy a house.

cold not child

[Anonymous]

My ILs are from India, and they set their thermostat to 85, year-round. I'm a hot-blooded Latina, and it makes me physically ill to be in their house. But I would never touch the thermostat.

That said, a tenant has the right to enjoy her space, which is purchased. Talk to her!