I think they know us remote landlords are at their mercy.  

If you decide to sell it after a Padsplit conversion, you can't sell to traditional homebuyers or long-term rental landlords.

Talk to your insurance carrier to make sure you have the right policy (may need to switch from regular homeowners to landlord policy) and look into an umbrella insurance policy.

Build equity while gaining experience as landlords.

There are a lot of quirks and oddities in Louisiana law where the current tenant can assert that they have an implied agreement that they can pay late, stay X months without a lease, do whatever action, etc, based on what the current landlord/owner has allowed and told them in the past.

You could try filing a case/judgement against them but I’m guessing they ar leaving the area to screw over the next MTR landlord.

the only thing with that is protecting future landlords.. but then again thats a personal choice..  

Focus on buying below market value, running numbers first (cash flow, 1% rule), and choosing a landlord-friendly location with job growth.

Jacksonville Attorney for Landlord Tenant Relations is Harry Heist, who has a website that you can download all these notices you will need for your property. https://evictforms.com/ 

It’s designed for small businesses and landlords, allowing you to create multiple accounts for rent deposits, maintenance, and taxes.