Insulation Question for Rental

[Caleb Smith]

I currently have a tenant that has reached out about the temperature in the home being too cold.

When I called a company to check the furnace, they did a quick cleaning and said everything was working fine.

The second time the resident called about the temperature, I decided to buy space heaters as I thought that would be beneficial and help him out.

However, the temperature in the house continues to be a problem from their perspective.

When I called an insulation company, they are suggesting over $4,000 worth of insulation costs, which I thought was very high. This amount included the attic, exterior walls and crawl space.

So my question is, what should I do next? If I go the insulation route, is there a part of the house where having extra insulation would help the most?

Otherwise, is there another route to take that would help in this situation?

I want to help the tenant, but also keep costs at a reasonable level.

I appreciate any advice in this situation.

[Nathan Gesner]

Start by slowing down. You're spending money without verifying the problem exists or what's causing the problem.

Is this your first tenant? If you've had previous tenants and no complaints of cold, there's a very good chance it's just this particular tenant. Is it an elderly person that sits around all day? My mom is 76 and keeps her house around 76 degrees while sitting under an electric blanket and reading 3-4 books a day! Throw a couple thermometers in various rooms and see if it's maintaining a temperature of 68 - 70 degrees. If it is, you have appropriate heat and your tenant needs to throw on some socks and a sweater.

If the temperature is unable to maintain 68-70 degrees, then you can get an HVAC tech or inspector with a heat gun to look at the property and see where the cold is coming from. It could be low insulation in the walls or ceiling. It could be leaky windows and doors. It could be your furnace is under-powered for the space.

Confirm there's a problem, define the problem, then look for solutions.