Please help! What to do about tenants leaving windows open?

[Emily Cole]

Hi everybody! 

I have an issue that I need help figuring out how to address. I have an apartment that’s attached to my house and I’m renting it out to two tenants (a brother and sister). They’re pretty good tenants overall, quiet and don’t cause trouble. But I’ve recently noticed an issue; they leave windows wide open for hours (if not days) on end in the middle of winter. This is a problem because we have a gas heated house and it’s very expensive. We didn’t include heat in the utilities we’re charging them for, which was one of the appeals we used to find tenants when initially listing the posting. But they’re wasting all the heat and letting it escape out the open windows. Since they’re not paying for it, I’m assuming they’re not considering it an expense of theirs but it is an extremely large expense for me. 

I’m not sure how to address this; it’s not exactly like I can force them to keep their windows closed. So I don’t even know if it’s something I can even bring up. I’m considering adding the heat to their existing utilities charges this coming fall (since winter is basically over at this point for my area) and just letting it slide until then. 

I’m also experiencing another issue with them that I’m not sure how to address. 

I can smell a very strange odor coming from their upstairs rooms (again, their apartment is attached to my house) and it’s so strong that it’s coming through my guest bedroom and even into my landing. It doesn’t smell quite like marijuana and I know the male tenant smokes but he’s kept it outside, as required by our lease agreement. I can’t figure out what the odor is and I’m not sure how to bring it up. Is it just my nose being sensitive to their smells? I know everybody’s house/furniture/bodies have their own unique scents but this is far too strong to be anything like that. 

Any input to either issue would be greatly appreciated!! 

Sincerely,

Emily