One thing I wasn't sure of: if my insurance company pays an amount to me for 'loss of rents' but it shows on my statement under the 'Dwelling' category of the policy, do I treat that portion as rental income or as part of the overall dwelling payment for loss of the property (and thus part of the 'sale' price for the involuntary conversion)?

So what's left is god old human trust and maybe the threat of a bad online review.You can only limit your exposure, like you said, maybe a prepaid credit card etc.

Seller-Financing – a person who in one calendar receives no more than five residential mortgage loans as security for all or part of a purchase of a dwelling.

Three places to check would be 1) the RI Landlord Tenant Handbook, which is a human readable version of the actual laws themselves, 2) the Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, and 3) also might be good to check the RI Legal Services Your Rights as a Tenant document.

AB 670 (New California law passed in August 2019) states: "any provision of a governing document, that effectivelyprohibits or unreasonably restricts the construction or use of an accessorydwelling unit or junior accessory dwelling unit on a lot zoned forsingle-family residential use that meets the above-described minimumstandards established for those units."

There are homes that have accessory dwelling units (ADU) or casitas already on the property.

At the beginning of 2018, California passed a state standard for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). 

This is an option I’m considering as a way to live in a nicer area while still having rental income from a dwelling separate from my living space.

Dwelling fire insurance, for a landlord, can be rather expensive in Florida, and a flood policy would increase that cost substantially

People take care of the things they own - it's human nature.