I always have my attorney prepare the documents.  

Regarding the insurance you will need to review your documents and talk to them, but most of those won't cover residents to go to a hotel when they are tenants.

If the software is not simplifying your life or making you more accurate, you shouldn't use it.Software has extremely helpful features like online payments, marketing syndication (click a button,your property is advertised on multiple sites), electronic document review/signing, maintenance tracking, and owner reports.

@Marcelo Murai how are you going to screen agents to make sure you're dealing with one that has the actual investing experience, and can document it, that you'll need to succeed?

What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.?

Underwriting items for DSCR loans include appraisal, credit report, liquidity verification, borrowing entity documents, landlord insurance verification, and whereapplicable lease, verification of rent and security deposit receipt, and property management agreement.DSCR lenders should never ask you for tax returns, W-2 income, pay stubs, or company financial statements.A good DSCR lender can fund your DSCR loan in under 30 days.Pro Number 2: Loan StructureDSCR loans are generally structured as thirty year term, fixed rate and fully amortizing, with LTV up to 80%.To increase cash flow and boost DSCR to qualify for a higher LTV, you can even structure with a five or ten year interest-only period where principal payments are made over the remaining portion of the 30 year term.Most DSCR lenders can fund your loan with DSCR as low as 1.0, though 1.1 is where you will find the best terms.A few DSCR lenders specialize in no and low seasoning cash out refi for rental property investors who use the BRRR strategy.Compare this to traditional banks which generally offer lower LTV, shorter term, higher DSCR requirement, and 6 months of seasoning.Pro Number 3: ReliabilityDSCR loans are a growing component of the multi trillion dollar institutional credit market.While DSCR loan origination volume is growing fast, it struggles to satisfy the demand from institutional investors such as insurance companies, pension funds and credit funds that buy DSCR loans.For this reason, as long as DSCR loan program guidelines for subject property and borrower are met, there is a very high probability that your loan will be fundedwithout delay.Compare this to banks which may subject you to months of underwriting before ultimately rejecting your loan application for reasons unrelated to your application.Con Number 1: Strict GuidelinesThe largest and healthiest part of the DSCR loan industry is 1 to 4 unit residential investment properties in non rural markets where the As Is value and the purchase price is one hundred thousand dollars or higher, and the guarantor's credit score is 680 or higher.If an element of your transaction does not fall within program guidelines, your loan will either be declined or require an exception which can cause delay.DSCR loan program guidelines are constantly evolving to adapt to the demands of borrowers and institutional investors, and to respond to market and risk.A good DSCR lender will knowledgeably and transparently communicate program guidelines, proactively communicate to identify potential issues, and set expectations in a clear and thoughtful manner.Con Number 2: ShenanigansThe DSCR loan industry is fast growing and loosely regulated, attracting loan brokers, private lenders and salesmen who are not knowledgable about program guidelines, not expert in structuring your loan to meet your specific goals, not capable of closing your loan in a timely manner, and not truthful or transparent about loan terms.Con Number 3: Higher interest ratesGiven the demand for DSCR loans from institutional credit investors, the credit spread or risk premium has decreased, making DSCR loan interest rates from the most competitive DSCR lenders nearly the same as bank loans and conventional investment property loans.We should include an asterisk on this con because it is not always true and may not be true in the future.

I have investments that send on-time quarterly reports with documents like rent rolls, expense reports, detailed explanations of whether we are in line with initial projections or not and if things have been improving or not and why.

I intend to take pictures of every part of the house to thoroughly document the condition before we move out and send those pictures to the landlord as a proof so they cannot claim anything false after they move back in - is that a good idea?

@Jay Samudio great advice from @Melanie P.Also, in our 24 years of experience, a tenant that has to get emergency relief typically ends up behind on rent again very soon.Be sure the tenant cooperates with providing documentation explaining why they fell behind and that the problem is highly unlikely to repeat.If they won't cooperate and state, "none of your business', then what does that tell you?

They signed a binding document that has a specific end date, although I haven't seen a copy of your lease.