In the past, I've found both to be good sources of information for market insight and referrals. 

I second this, if asking for the identification is for the sole purpose of verifying one’s identity then it’s not a violation of the fair housing act, however, if it were to verify someone’s citizenship or something that is not required in order to meet the housing requirements then it could be determined as housing discrimination .Quote from @Steve K.: Quote from @David Spurlock: Hey @Fareen E.

The appeal of having a second source of income is very appealing and I would like to be able to build wealth outside of my W2 job. 

They buy and source their own deals.  

Is there a reliable source to get this information from other than agents? 

This is why I'm a sole proprietor.

@Jared FisherRecommend exploring as many sources as possible to get referrals AND cross-reference them to get as much accurate information as possible.Check out NARPM.com, BP’s Property Manager Finder (BiggerPockets: The Real Estate Investing Social Network), etc.Also, encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

Perhaps if your partner was a general contractor or handyman type there may be some merit there to reduce costs / increase profitability.If your partner enjoys deal sourcing, a better move might be for him to become an agent - so he could legally collect commissions from finding deals and managing properties for multiple people. 

Go with any of the above sources.

@John Kim @Travis Biziorek is 100% correct.S8 really isn't difficult, but it's not the answer to everything that the self-proclaimed "gurus" make it out to be.With S8 tenants, you're just trading one set of challenges versus direct paying tenants.When we advertise a rental, we take the best tenant we can find, immaterial of their source of rental funds.You want to be careful investing in the City of Detroit because there are a lot of "crooks" trying to sell you Class D properties dressed up to look like Class C or B.Connect with us or Travis for more info!