I have no problem whatsoever with a company like FG charging for services – in cases like @Justin Sheley they were a blessing, and in no way is the point of this thread to belittle FG or their equivalents - but the idea that the consumer does not know what has been applied for and asserted on their behalf is a bit unsettling to me.

It's unlikely the bankrupt company will assert its ownership of the property. 

Contact an assert protection attorney and a tax attorney for specifics.

Having just one SFR I think makes a business assertion a big stretch.

I also do not think I had the skill set or confidence to landlord properly with my friends (wouldn’t of felt comfortable or been assertive enough), so a part of this may be helping him through the process of becoming a landlord.

My flips only entail worst case scenario redoing bathrooms and kitchens and other cosmetic stuff new floors, paint job new light fixtures and other simple things .

Usually, this will entail you lending a certain amount of money in exchange for a certain return down the road.

After looking into it a little bit, I agree with your assertion that it might be a waste to get my inspector's license...

Asserting your rights here over used toilets may end up poorly, Nothing like 100 lbs of concrete mix dumped down your stack to ruin your day a few weeks into your next tenant's lease.

You paid for a job that was not done, you need to set time in the contract when the contractor is getting paid.If your contractor is playing games you should be very firm and assertive "So, you said that you are going to finish the job by X and you didn't finish the job so here is what's going to happen, i will visit the job site every day this week and if i see that you are not making any progress i will have no choice but hiring someone else to finish the job and filing a dispute" As for the dispute itself i would be careful as he can easily put a lien against the property and that will cost you more than 4K