I have worked with many lenders that will give you the run around, ask for more items, with no clear cut guidelines. 

If in Texas, a lease purchase option longer than 180 days without consent from the lender to receive payment from the tenant/buyer is not possible.Also, you can assume the obligations of a VA loan -- it is a non-qualified assumption - meaning the lender is not qualifying or approving of the assumption. 

The tenant was responsible for the other 11 months of the lease rent and paid two months and then stopped.

i.e. did you sign leases personally?  

Or perhaps you’ve found success with other strategies like lease options?

On the flip side I've seen neighborhoods where we manage multiple units and the house is leased in less than 2 weeks.

Their lease is up end of day today and I was just at the house- there is no way all their stuff is going to be moved out by EOD.

His question was, if you have a long-term residential lease signed 1+ years and the property is rented out, does the mortgage still count against your DTI?

According to our lease agreement, the lease "ends at 12:00 noon on Thursday, Oct. 31, 2024.

Obviously you may need to wait until their current lease ends unless they are month to month or unless the existing lease allows you to terminate it because of the sale. 2.