His opinion is that we don't need to install piers right now, but we should focus on making sure water doesn't flow towards the house from the outside. 

With fees doubling and competition heating up, you might want to rethink this investment.

The only good use I can see of the fees are based on rent charged would be for a tenant to purchase it and charge themselves $0 or near $0 rent to avoid the rent based charges. 

What is the best overall water metering company you have found when it comes to ease of installation, reliability, and the cost of the equipment and monitoring?

You can even "pay yourself" the cleaning fee if you want to and do the turnovers yourself. 

If I threw the money into SPY, it would be a 104% gain compared to walking away with an 80% gain after fees/commissions.

For example, if you’re holding a triplex in Irvine, the strategies are going to differ greatly from someone managing high-end rentals in Newport Beach.Costs and Terms: Watch out for hidden fees.

For example, you can prepay for your marketing, your entire office rent for next year, your insurance premiums, your property taxes, your attorney's and accountant's fees, and so on.

I'm a fan of gated yards and higher-end security doors and will install chain link and even some wood privacy fencing if I think the house/area warrants it.  

Bank of America does this - not sure about the minimums, but if you have a good relationship with your local branch, they can waive the monthly fees until your balance grows from rental income.