It is an expense, but they keep it all legal and compliant.

If you are hiring a legal licensed contractor , he will provide you with a contract . 

So, many landlords legally "bribe" these S8 tenants to move into these Neighborhoods/Properties with free appliances, TVs and internet.

we pay a LOT of money for legal advice, legal document preparation, etc., the result is that we aren’t challenged when we need to take ownership if the borrower can’t perform.    

Switzerland does impose some restrictions on foreign and non-residents buying property but you can still buy and several members of my family actually own property there.

They legally have to have this document filled out if they pay you more than a certain amount over the period of 12 months.

I consulted with a real estate lawyer a few times this year who said it's very hard to sue for negligence and they advised against taking legal action, especially since the property manager at least followed through on the eviction and repairs.I've now asked the property management company to apply a $4k credit for all the challenges I've had working with them.

I don't necessarily need the standard features of pm software, such as rent collection, bookkeeping and maintenance requests, though that could help; but do need a clearinghouse of important information, such as leases, legal docs and other information; maintenance vendors I use; maintenance history; and some kind of tracking system, where I can record the various current projects I'm working on within the business.

The localities cannot be more restrictive than the state rules.  

Do not rely on it for legal advice.