Offering free heat?

[Ty Wesley]

What's up BP Members?:-)

I'm a newbie from Philly, PA looking for some general opinions on a question.

I have yet to purchase my first investment property, and I've never bought or owned a home so I'm not really familiar with the heating costs of a regular 3 bed 1 bath rowhome. I currently live in one with my parents and every winter I hear them complain about how high their heat bills are (gas heat from the city). We live in an urban area of north Philly and I often hear neighbors in general complain about expensive gas costs also. Due to this I'm thinking of offering free heat in my first SFR because it seems to be a high demand for it.

So my question is, how high do gas bills actually go over the course of a month in urban, city areas in the winter?Are we talking between $200-300 or higher than that?

Thanks in advance for any answers, and please excuse my rookie ignorance lol

[Kevin C.]

Free heat to a tenant means 80 degrees in the dead of winter with the windows open.

You can't even begin to compare a typical 3BR, 1BA owner occupied home's heating costs with a 'free heat' tenant occupied home.

Go to a buffet sometime and see all the waste, then think about all the heating fuel that will surely be wasted by a tenant that is not on the hook for heating costs.

Don't even consider it.