Land lording with fears of non paying renters/squatters etc

[Colin Sexton]

Howdy!  Super new here y'all but I'm thinking of buying a fix and flip and (or) also a place to rent.

My concerns are with covid people didn't have to pay rent but landlords still had to pay mortgage. If that were to happen again is there anyway to protect us as landlords?

Also if I buy a place to fixe and flip and I get squatters in there while I'm not there working (8 hours away so can only go on weekends) how to I protect my self against that or kick them out?

Thank you in advance! :)