I can honestly say I've had a similar situation with the flooding...one of our garden units in our Cicero property flooded twice as well, one of the times due to city back-up. 

Have a few conversations about your situation in general and start there! 

Protecting yourself from any future issues will require a good understanding of the situation your house is in when you buy it.Tl;dr: crime here is relatively low, declining population numbers don't take students into account, properties are cheap, rents are high BUT be careful where you buy.This concludes my TED Talk, ha!

I am always nervous about buying a property that has an easement or weird parking situation like this.

@Scott Ray the way you have structured the investment eliminates double taxation situation, but as as a Canadian resident you are required to report the income here in Canada.

But hopefully you are able to find a great house hacking situation if you end up moving, its a great strategy to leave a trail of rentals behind - just as my wife and I are doing now!

Since ALE hires a company to supply furniture, install washer and dryer but ALE is not on the Lease, this particular situation seems to be a loophole for companies such as ALE to not have liability if their hires cause damage not the tenant. 

It sounds like you are in a great situation though currently. 

Buying a home is the bay area retirement planYes, there are a lot details and differences for everyone's particular situation.

I've had to help clients deal with this situation at times.