If they set the thermostat at 70 then its their choice, but I have never had even close to that high a bill winter or summer 2800 sq ft.

Have you looked into adding a zone damper system so two thermostats can control one hvac system?

There is currently one thermostat for the whole building located on the ground floor in apartment 1.I know there's no good way to split the gas utility in such an old house, so I was exploring the idea of installing electric baseboard heaters and simply splitting the electric utility for the tenants to pay for themselves.

You can ask, but expect to offer lower rent or some other form of compensation.I don't think you can dictate at what temperature they keep the thermostat.

Total rent $3500/month.165,000 purchase price, 5% down with a 30yr MassHousing conventional mortgage.Taxes: $3850PMI: $828/yrInsurance: $2400Electric: ~$1,560Heat (oil): $6,600 (by far the biggest expense, the utilities aren't separate, there's only one thermostat/heating system for the whole house).Vacancy: $2000/$2500Rent is $2000 for the top unit, and an additional $500 if we rented a bedroom out in our unit.$8,250 down$4500 closing costs(~$7,800 for 6 months reserves required by MassHousing)Is this property worth it?

*The thermostat for the whole house is located upstairs, so we told guests who rented the lower level to contact us if they needed the thermostat adjusted and we would take care of it with our Honeywell app.

As an added quirk, the downstairs unit contains the thermostat for both units. 

The PM contacted the local HVAC service guy in our area, and after their $75 service fee it was determined that the only issue was that the low battery indicator was showing on the thermostat, so it was changed.

First 30 Days - Updated the Lower Unit - Cleaning / Paint / Countertops / Windows / Smart Thermostat (Rehab was around $5K.

HVAC contractor will:- supply and install 80k BTU 92% gas furnace on first floor- supply and install 3 ton coil- supply and install 3 ton condenser- supply and install 5 zone fujitsu mini split system on the 2nd floor with copper lines and slim duct (2-7k indoor, 2-9k indoor, 1-12k indoor units)- supply and install new duct grilles and registers- supply and install new refrigeration piping, exhaust piping, thermostat- supply and install new natural gas piping to accommodate gas load Estimate is $17,700 and I have no idea if this is fair or in the ball park.Any help or direction is much appreciated.