What can I do to protect myself and prepare myself for a situation where I do have to defend myself against a fine?

Because if you are, my friend, I will defend my title to all comers!

That said, an eviction is fairly insignificant as far as legal proceedings go and how much weight would a judge give it even if a defendent printed out an anonymous scenario that matched there own?

A mortgage could blow up months down the road and you can be dragged into repurchasing a note or defend an issue.

There are ways to win over a lien holder and even defend a sale initially, but there are no methods that will keep them from exercising the right to do so if there is a violation.

If you sue, as plaintiff you will need to prove before a judge the negligence by the defendant.

Bottom line, if the lender does call the note, it will be on you (the borrower) to file suit and stop the action and then defend it or refinance the deal or complete the sale.To stay away from the due on sale, assuming you use a lease and a conditional option agreement, a Notice of Option might be filed with the effective dates, say a year off for a period of 60 or 90 days.

If defending yourself (packing heat) isn't your cup of tea, then I wouldn't get into low income rentals.LOL - great minds must think alike.

To someone with a poor mindset, every wealthy person is greedy.I never try to defend myself, because I am a firm believer that success speaks for itself.

You may even be able to name your landlord as a co-defendant in the suit against the upstairs tenant.There's no reason to tolerate your situation, but you may need to stretch your comfort zone just to stand up for yourself and your family.My $0.02 ...