Obviously holidays can cause a delay.  

Happy holidays everyone!

.#2 can be a bad option in the middle of winter when renters are harder to find.

Demand for rentals is near non-existent in this specific town during the winter, and demand is extremely hot in the summer months.

Leaving AC units in all winter etc.  

Only if you consider working every night, weekend, holiday, and times when I should have been on vacation lucky, mucking around in crawlspaces, hunting down houses, falling through floors, etc. 

Happy Holidays BP Family - I'm currently working on a seller financed industrial deal, asset on the smaller end (~10ksf).

Here’s what I do with my rentals:I either have tenants split the utility bills or include a clause in the lease that states if the gas or water bill exceeds a specific amount ($X), the tenant will be responsible for the overage, provided there are no leaks or other infrastructure issues contributing to the high usage.To determine this $X amount:Water: I take the highest water bill I’ve had over the past year (excluding periods where leaks occurred) and add about $15 to account for small fluctuations or potential increases.Gas: For gas, I calculate the median bill during the winter (when usage is highest) and the median bill in the summer (when usage is typically lowest).

Not sure why they would turn the heat off in the winter but in any case that shouldn't cause mold in freezing temperatures.

We have started to raise the prices for our highest season which is winter, and we have been getting a lot of new reservations.Winter is coming, and most touristic destinations in Europe close or drop occupancy significantly.