The $1,750 rebate
goes to the owner.
The split-incentive problem everyone assumes kills rental electrification? The HEAR rules actually dissolve it. The rebate assigns to whoever pays for the install. For rentals, that's you. Water-damage claims are your line item; tenant complaint tickets are your headache; listing amenities are your leverage. All three bend toward the Kettle install.
Three line items, all yours.
One, insurance. Water damage from a failed tank runs a $3.2k median claim. Across twenty units with an average tank age over ten, you're looking at roughly $6k of expected-loss per year. Your carrier already knows this; your premium reflects it.
Two, vacancy. "Heat pump water heater" in a Zillow listing signals recent renovation and lower utility bills. Austin listings with Energy Star appliances in the title lease roughly 11 days faster, controlling for price. That's a week of rent per turn, per unit.
Three, tickets. Heat pump recovery is fast enough that back-to-back showers don't drain the tank. "No hot water" maintenance tickets drop about forty percent within six months of install, per our pilot data across three Austin PMs.
Pricing scales with your portfolio.
Unit list, sequencing, listing uplift.
- 01
Send us the unit list
Address, unit count, approximate tank age if you have it (we help pull this from your records if not). Takes about fifteen minutes for a 20-unit portfolio.
- 02
We sequence the installs
Turn-aware scheduling: units at move-out get priority. Tenant-occupied units get 48-hour install windows coordinated with your PM software (AppFolio, Buildium, Yardi all supported).
- 03
Rebate + badge + uplift
HEAR rebate files directly to your LLC (we handle the paperwork). Listing badges land in your MLS syndication. Lease-up uplift measured against a same-complex control set, reported quarterly.
The gotchas.
- Does HEAR actually assign to landlords?
- Yes, with the right paperwork. The $1,750 HEAR rebate flows to whichever entity pays for the install. We're set up to assign it to your LLC (not the tenant) and handle the Texas TDHCA program submission on your behalf.
- What if a tenant's income actually qualifies the building for the low-income HEAR tier?
- If a majority of tenants are below 80% AMI, the building qualifies for the full $1,750 per unit. We'll ask for tenant-income attestations you already collect for LIHTC or voucher compliance — no new disclosure required.
- How do you handle active tenants?
- Install windows are 48 hours scheduled, actual disruption is about four hours. Hot water is offline for those four hours; we provide a written notice template for your PM software. Emergency warranty service is prioritized for these units.
- What does the listing badge look like?
- Small icon in your listing hero image: 'Kettle installed' with the install year. Paired with optional boilerplate copy for the listing description we'll draft for you.
- What if some units have gas tanks?
- Gas-to-HPWH is our best-case retrofit — eliminates the gas hookup fee from the tenant's bill (which you can reflect in rent). We handle the gas-line cap and inspection. Add about $150 per unit for that work.