Many investors make the mistake of assuming that a shorter PMA is better:( There's a reason purchase contracts have type so small you can barely read them, yet are 4-6+ pages.Reality is:1) Only if it's properly in writing, do they have to do it.2) If it's not in writing that they can't do it - they will and charge you for it.

@David O'Sullivan JrRecommend 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.

You can just tell the city it was a mistake or miscommunication.

I made the mistake years ago as well.  

Ive absorbed tenants with a 1/2 Page lease which was basically printed on a cracker with spelling mistakes and signatures missing... was worth the turnover to get them out and insert my iron clad paperwork with a legitimate background check.

Now I will admit the biggest mistake of my life was not keeping 50 or so more of the 500 or so I flipped, cost me millions.

Just a follow up question if you were to take Brownsville an divide it in four ways what parts would you say are the best parts of town and which parts are the worst? 

@Adam GottRecommend 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.

 I think changing from a “don’t rock the boat, keep rents stable for ‘good tenants’ ” mindset to a Vacancies aren’t the worst thing on the planet mindset as paid off in spades.

I made most of my mistakes in the first handful of deals I did because "I didn't know what I didn't know".