When factoring in installation costs as well, the cost of granite verse laminate is negligible in our market place.

I  have heard that the only thing that a tax lien is subordinate to is an IRS lien.So whether the property has a mortgage or not is really negligible except for some strategies.

Anyone can still sue you for wrongdoing, negligence, or malpractice.An LLC protects owners from creditors if you don’t personally guarantee or promise to pay its debts.

We have gotten so many service calls and locked out calls and gone out of our way to fix things that are tenant negligence that we just recently started charging a fee, the two new tenants don't seem too happy about it but we will see how it goes.  

The security deposit has nothing to do with her claim that your negligence caused her son harm.

For liability protection - do not be negligent and you should be fine.

I understand if you are upwards of 15 properties, the impact is negligible.  

No layer of protection from a trust or an LLC or a corporation can protect you in the case of a negligence lawsuit which is what 90%+ of lawsuits are for landlords. 

Contrasting this to the past portfolio sale with shady sellers who were negligent in operations highlights this critical factor.

This is assuming the damage is irrefutably caused by negligence of the tenant.