You can lock the thermostat, but tenants hate that.

His list, while long, missed extremely important items which include but are not limited to: thermostat broken, tile floor destroyed in kitchen and bathroom, 3 interior doors destroyed, broken screen door, missing towel bars in the bathroom, spilled paint on floor and carpet.

The NEST thermostat allows for it to be locked within a certain temperature range. 

I put a lock on the thermostat and set it to 70.

This helps you keep an eye on the property when it's vacant as well as ensure if your tenants are following your house rules.We use Minut noise monitors, which can also detect motion, temperature, humidity, and cigarette smoke.If you have central heat and AC, a Nest thermostat can be an option too if you want to set limits on the temperatures since you're paying the utilities. 

Provide a quality instruction book and simple systems to avoid wasteful calls about operating the remote control or thermostat. 

You can set the thermostat to a safe normal temperature year-round.

I gotta tell you- I LOVE the landlord that had a thermostat hanging on the wall by a nail!!!

You can do silly repairs yourself… like figuring out the batteries in the thermostat are why the AC won’t turn on; that it was a tripped circuit breaker even though they swear they checked them.  

Last week the A/C in our unit fried from a power surge and required a new thermostat and tablet piece.