That sets off alarm bells for me!!!

@Remington Lyman Some of these properties I’m seeing are $50k, should I be alarmed or is that just the market?

I was thinking about simplisafe alarm system?

I read it to them and make them agree. words that alarm me here are " i like him" " i dont blame him" "  i have some good ideas, like helping him"  " i have tools and expertise" ..wowzers.. i bet if his car broke down and he said he couldnt get to work and might be late on the rent you would lend him the money to get his car fixed, so he could go to work, to pay you the rent on time,,because you like him.. get your heart out of it and your head in it

Here smoke alarms are required on each level and outside sleeping areas.

I look forward to an even cheaper, simpler system.Just a note, I needed to go Nest (with internal battery) because of the old set up in the building (two wire thermostats and didn’t want to run a “C Wire/power wire”) if your heating electric or have a newer system you can find even better, more cost effective thermostats(Ecobee seems to be the most “affordable, flexible, over the counter solution”, but I suggest stoping by a heating or electrical speciality shop before making a purchase like this for income properties)In terms of monitors and alarms, it still seems like an expensive leap to make based on a “what if factor”.

And just think - any THIEF can come up with cash for a deposit and rent to move in ...

I told her next time she'll pay for the service charge for false alarms.

Just closed on a property and the seller just removed the alarm system so we're going to replace it.

There's plenty of advice available here on BP, but at the end of the day, the local officials are going to govern what needs doing.Some things to think about... do the toilet clearances meet code, does the sleeping room(s) have proper egress, is fire separation required, are smoke alarms interconnected, etc.Good luck with it!