.$2,000 New furnace after finding the heat exchanger was cracked$1,200 handyman labor to paint exterior window and trim, haul debris from yard, replace counter, get shower tile back to watertight, fix ceiling damage from water$600 materials, including paint, kitchen counter, locks$600 new vinyl kitchen floor$200 three yards of dirt to correct grading around the foundation$200 plumber to replace gas valve, fix leaky drain, replace p traps in kitchen and address a couple other concerns I had$37,050 all in.I spent about 30 hours of my own time buying materials, stopping by to manage workers, and doing some minor work myself. 

The gas service has been shut off and the meter removed.

Sorry in advance for the long post...I have a family member with a home in Calgary Alberta that she would like to sell but given the hit to the housing market due to dropping oil and gas prices she doesn't want to sell now and take a loss, but doesn't she want to rent it indefinitely (the last time she did this she missed her opportunity to sell when the market was hot 2 years ago because she had tenants in place with a year long lease--well those same tenants renewed the lease in the spring and have now just broken the lease due to lay offs and leaving her high and dry)I proposed a lease option for her but need guidance on the numbers.It's a large luxury home in an A neighborhood but it's 33 years old and needs about $50,000 in work (paint, reinforce retaining wall, replace windows, etc etc)Her monthly payments are $2500.

Considerations I've found so far include: various layers of outdated insulation (mid-80's fiberglass stuff laid over old vermiculite), 1x2's nailed together to create 2x4's (but still relatively sound structure for the age), asbestos siding (needs a powerwashing and I've found it's totally OK, until it's time to rip it off or demoed), 1" galvanized metal water main is very old, electrical wiring that is visible is a hodge podge mess, there's an old gas pump on the site (not sure if tanks are still buried), real bad mold in bathroom, at least 3 layers to the foundation (that looks solid still), ugly old wallpaper, cigarette smoke smell, kitchen is a complete gut and remodel, nearly the whole home is.  

If power, gas and water have been shut off, far more likely the property is unoccupied (But not guaranteed!).

The building was occupied by the owner who lived in one of the units and had the thermostat that controlled the heat for the entire building in her unit.The heat for the building is produced by a single gas fired steam boiler which was installed last year when the old oil boiler was replaced.What is the best option for controlling the heat for the property?

I just Changed my thermocouple and now it gives off a weird smell ( not egg or gas) and the metal shield gets hot during heat up.

Should it send off alarm bells to a potential investor not to buy a property if the seller claims that he/she does not know the age of the roof, does not know if the roof has ever been replaced, does not disclose the nature of a minor repair to the roof, or what the original material that was used for the water pipes, although some of the pipes were replaced with copper, and if the seller claims that he/she is not sure of the age of the gas water heater, but claims that it was replaced 8 years ago with a major rehab?

Gas & Electric were disconnected, but no recourse to me.Back to the subject:  Invoice the late fee and send with it the "3-day pay or quit" (consider even using the normal Registered Mail to give it some weight). 

Your inspector should be able to tell the condition of things like furnaces, water heaters, gas/oil lines, etc. without utilities being on.