I suspect it would require a court order to be able to show that you have not followed this law assuming that you have the money to pay the tenant their deposit at move out. for me, i would likely ignore this law.  

The SI supreme court Ruled the mandates arbitrary and capricious...  

For the first time in years I’ve noticed many of the larger apartment complexes even offering the first month free to fill vacant units, so it’s clear that demand is down.

This sounds complex, and if the conclusion you're coming to is mortgage fraud, I would not recommend it. 

While the homelessness crisis is a complex problem, it's not unique to California and is being addressed through various initiatives.In summary: While California has its problems, it's not a simple case of "everything else sucks."

You did purchase the property in one tax year and are selling it in another tax year which satisfies one of the court rulings. 

On the other hand, I am aware of a few students who thought they would start out small and work their way up, but realized that their first deal could very well be a 60+ unit apartment complex.

You can have any lawsuit initiated by investors in state court moved to Federal court where the Reg D safe harbor will preclude any state law liability. 2.

Whether you need a CPA with just three rentals depends on the complexity of your situation and your comfort level with DIY tax prep.If things are pretty straightforward, you might be fine with tax software for now.

He flipped houses, built apartment complexes etc....so that's where me wanting to do all of this comes from.