One was under contract and flaked out after a few months of excuses.  

Excuse me It called note and mortgage in Ohio.

We NEVER pick up rent from a tenant and do not need an excuse to visit the property.

It's good the tenant is talking to you, but I suspect she's just filling you full of excuses and you're lapping them up.Cash for keys is what amateurs do when they don't know how to handle non-paying tenants.

Good excuse for a vacation with a tax deduction.  

Prepare for what, excuse me?

Here is the clause that they are trying to void, and have mentioned that we are the ones not upholding the clause as an excuse to void. 

Because this clause wasn't in the lease agreement,You hear these kinds of excuses and explanations (vary by circumstances) everywhere you go nowadays.We're becoming a nation where the Law is subject to personal excuses by indviduals that aren't suposed to interpret laws.

The tenant babbles about a broken down car, hours got cut at work, or whatever his excuse is.

Every time I inquire about rent, I’m given a new excuse.