However, if you're set on managing it yourself there's plenty of websites and apps you can utilize for rent collection.Some may or may not include messaging for requests such a repairs or maintenance, but if you're looking for rent collection there's quite a few options on the market that are affordable.

You probably can't change the rate by much, you can raise it some if you include utilities.

Keep in mind that there may be legit charges associated with termination- for instance, they may need to hold some funds in escrow to cover lingering utility bills or cleaning after that 30 day period. 

Customer reviews are always helpful, but this is another tool in your belt for vetting companies.

Except their customer service is only through email.

There are a lot of opportunities to keep it full while negating the full time management/customer service aspect.

One of the easier ways to do this would be to 1031 exchange into a DST where the sponsor owns a REIT and utilizes the 721 as part of their strategy.

I used several lease templates that I found as a starting point, then created custom leases for my properties from those, and had my lawyer review them.

I cover utilities.

I live in the Rabbu site - I like the customization aspect, with most sites it provides enough information to make accurate assessments, you can also pretty clearly see the difference between a well run STR and a MEH run STR.