My reputation and proven successes did help.

Also how much pet damage insurance I should ask them to carry or do I just need to make sure their renter's insurance covers pet damages?

If you cannot dedicate the time needed to run the investments, hire a reputable property manager. 

@Atul Mohlajee not sure who your attorney is, but three of our attorneys approved our automatically renewing lease that requires tenant to give proper Notice so it does NOT auto-renewal.Michigan law also allows any length of Notice requirement, ours is 60 days.That aside, a judge can rule however they want, forcing the losing side to go through an expensive appeal process.Regarding the 1.5 SD, they are legally allowed to deduct any damages, then apply the rest to outstanding rent.My opinion is that the PMC should only be able to charge:1) Rent + lease utilities until a replacement tenant is found (Michigan statute)2) Whatever the lease contract states

If there are any concerns with the property that are suspected to be causing a safety issue or potential damage to the property you can enter without notice.

We do not replace cabinets or vanities without charging the tenant for the damages they caused.   

I live in a very rural area in the northeast and most of the markets within an hour of me are primarily class C and D neighborhoods with reputations for drug and crime problems (as well as my own hometown unfortunately) so I will probably look to long-distance investing as I get started.

They would still be responsible for repairing any damage above normal wear and tear.

Those who do not give a forwarding address generally are afraid of being served with a notice or lawsuit for the cost of damage beyond what their deposit covered. 

., damages, noise complaints).