My initial reaction was $19,500 is crazy.

Conventional wisdom tells me to fit as many bedrooms into a certain square footage as possible; but when touring some of these houses where the bedrooms seem just big enough to fit a bed and not much else, my knee-jerk reaction is to think that nobody in their right mind would want to live in something that small. 

That was exactly my reaction, Nicky.

So, I open the door and we say hello and he asks me if I have a mattress he can use.I had by this time learned to perfect a non-emotional bland face and to not give my initial Irish reaction when someone was ridiculous, but rather to take time to compose my response.So, pause, pause, pause, pause....."

I don't see how you can have this reaction while owning 120+ rental units and a property management business, according to your profile. 

My guess is your position will be hard to defend with this type of tenant reaction combined with no written documentation of their consent.  

Do not renew regardless of their reaction.

Landlords simply cannot change that when they want.Often it is a reaction to a current tenant problem, such as making new rules about parking, restricting access to a property amenity like a pool or clubhouse or imposing additional requirements for yard maintenance.

It went from things like wanting me to let them have a washing machine in the unit even though the owner said no to them and after I explained it's because the pipes can't handle it and sorry, I'm not losing my job over it for you (in a very nice way) -- furious reaction, no more friendship.... to wanting me to tell their neighbor to stop having such loud sex (not kidding) and when I said I don't tell other tenants how to have sex (again in a very nice way, while giggling no doubt), I lost that friendship. 

The normal reaction for most people when their heat or A/C is not working is to crank the thermostat to the extreme.