You can read alot of books and listen to a bankers opinion all day but what help are they going to be when you enter a unit for a filter change and smoke alarm battery check and you discover things like tenant has moved in a roommate, are those bedbugs on the wall, why is there a pet tiger in the bedroom...etc...You will need a voice to call to say what in the hell do I do?

My crystal ball's batteries are low and I can not tell when it will end, only that it will.This is not a crisis, it is a moment of untold opportunity.Fear is ruling the day and it leads to poor or no decision making.My Advice:If you are in a secure financial place and have cash, YOU MUST WATCH THE RE MARKET CLOSELY and be ready to make a decision and buy when the right deal comes along.  

I have an applicant who has a relatively recent history of two domestic battery arrests but no convictions.

Are you one of the few or just a mediocre over-charger trolling for business and feeding mine?

He complained about noise during the day if we had to do work, he wanted special scheduling for when we were doing inspections and smoke detector battery checks.  

The condo is new (2008 built) and is close to zero maintenance, bar things such as batteries in smoke detector and light-bulbs.

They can take, edit, resize, annotate, add smilies and post a picture on a tiny phone with ease but can't change a light bulb or swap out a battery at the back of a wall clock, let alone keeping an eye on a buried pipe or a leaky water heater relief valve. 

It's my opinion, the landlord can charge rent until she knew the tenant was gone. 

Make it part of your system to do an inspection every 6 months, where you check smoke detector batteries, filter, check for leaks, running toilets, etc.But, no, the appliances are your responsibility, unless you have a lease and state laws that allow you to make the tenant responsible.  

Did you look into the SGIP rebates on batteries?