If I lived in TX, I would be temped to do this deal myself since the entrance point is $250K.  

My suggestion is to get a boiler service guy (probably a smaller company)  out and get an estimate of what it will cost to repair the boiler so she has heat.. you don't need it working like new just want it to heat..Then you can make more decisions...OK My knowledge on boilers is not great but basically you have a oil or gas burner, a pump and pump motor,  piping and zone valves, and pressure gauge.... so, thermostat calls for heat then boiler fires up and tries to heat water .... then temp of water high enough to heat with.... then pump kicks on to circulate water to and from boiler...      

Awesome post David, thank you.I think Jim Grant said it well when referring to treasuries, he called them "return free risk" ;)  It's so true though, price discovery is out the window when the cost of money, or one half of every transaction, is manipulated.  

The core of republicanism was liberty, a precious but precarious birthright constantly threatened by corrupt manipulations of power.

I am wondering if a landlord of a 3500sq/ft, 4unit, section 8 compliant property can program the furnace thermostat to a specific temp (say, 70 degrees) and tenants wouldn't be able to run the bill up?

Unchecked emotions leave us vulnerable to potential manipulation.

There's really no manipulation you can do.  

Until you learn what you need to do here, hire a payroll service, or payroll your crew through a temp agency that will have workers' comp insurance, etc.   

There are some costs in a SFR that can get passed to the renter, water fees, in some cases condo fees include heat (heating costs are lower when the tenant is writing the check each month vs turning up temp when it's cold outside), yard maintenance etc.

My "deal" is an acquisition of a Class C- multifamily property in Tempe that I would purchase with short term construction financing, renovate and refinance into perm debt and try to recapture all or part of the initial equity.