Since I have the "do not alter, remove, damage, etc." clause in the lease the insurance company says the tenants are liable. 

Should I have a request for alteration approval form that I have tenants(s) send to me for approval?

The old school way to run a management company seems to burn through their staff which in turn translates into the poor customer service that seems to be prevalent in the industry.   

I'm making a property alteration request form and he can send any alteration requests through that.

Besides, in tax planning its usually advantageous to accelerate expenses and plan for alter. 

I'd love a better grasp on what to do in what sequence, how to engage sellers and find out how to "solve their problems," how much of that can be done when they're selling via an agent, etc.There is such great information on BP and a handful of other resources, but it can be difficult translating that into small actionable tasks having never been through the process.

Maintenance  is not the same a Alteration and the plastic certainly is an alteration and would effect the curb appeal. 

Greater cashflow means translates into a more valuable property. 

Wow Llewelyn what a wealth of knowledge you have.Thanks for the post.It's eye opening to see that it's what you don't know as apposed to what you do know that can alter your destiny.

1) do not alter the floor plan for a rental.