It is a powerful legal document that needs to be enforced by the proper authorities, which in this case is the sheriff.  

And if you’ve read landlording on autopilot(if you haven’t you should) you can do as the author and do a rent increase of roughly 3% each year to keep up with rising costs and inflation.

Annual inspections require condition of property to meet the Housing Authority checklist prior to lease renewal.3.

I've found that a mix of Section 8 [Housing Authority], disability assistance and as mentioned above working class folks.

I would rather spend the relatively insignificant (in the grand scheme of things) money on the attorney to tell me I'm good to go, than have things go south a few years in and have regulatory authorities on your case.

I know you will have to work your way through 2-3 levels of customer service before you get to a person with some authority but I would start there.   

Can the cops or some authority be called on a neighbor who throws their trash out in their yard!

If so, then that should transfer the authority to you to file based on the tenant's failure to adhere to lease terms.  

The tenant tried to file a complaint with me at the housing authority and I was able to show documentation that it was his washing machine that had caused the damage.

Even so, you need to follow the rules for Section 8 too, which you can find out from the Longview Housing Authority.