That said, some states have laws that say if a title company or a lawyer has to do the closing.

Knowing the law is rarely as straightforward as reading the statute plus any available commentary.

@Scott Trench or whomever it is calling the shots on the forum laws are just chasing their tails with a moving goalpost of arbitrary rules that will always motivate people to try to skirt them.Why?

Just a lot of systems, paperwork organization, and staying abreast of/within the law (required notices, addendums, etc.).3) The screening criteria we use:650 credit score or aboveIncome 3x the monthly rentNo pets (depending on the property)No smokingNo evictions, notices to comply, or money owed to landlords in the past 12 monthsProof of income and financial responsibilityAdditional:First, last, and security deposit due at signing750+ credit score does not require last month rent (helps incentivize quality tenants)Best of luck!

Looking for some advice on areas where the landlord laws are friendly.

This should be your priority, not interviewing 6 law firms for what amounts to a very  simple legal engagement. 

That’s why things changed dramatically when new laws were passed in 2022.

I bought a SFR with a completely built out In-law suite in the basement.

Law was passed to monitor and prevent money laundering.   

We did run into some interesting quirks with the city's zoning laws, but nothing a bit of patience couldn't solve.