You also will still need to manage your property manager  - ie, stay on top of expenses, ensuring your property is being managed effectively etc. 

Stessa is not perfect but I like the capability, love the %5 interest rate on my associate account and have found the support honest and effective.  

Buying an out of state rental property from a realtor, wholesaler or off facebook or zillow etc as opposed to from an operation or turnkey provider who has an active, substancial, and effective boots on the ground team or teams to support you after you close on the sale. 

Let's look at your example of a roofer, assuming he owns the company.He has to pay for employees- they still get paid, even if they are not giving 100% effort.He has to pay his workers to go back for warranty work - effectively paying them to do the same job twice.He has to pay for equipment, even when it's not being used 100% of the time.- but the company he bought it from still gets paid.He has to pay for advertising, whether it works or not.- but the advertising company still gets paid.He has to pay for accounting services, payroll services, tax services, legal services, etc.- they all get paid whether he makes money or not.So, what's your point?

@Anthony Finelli check your mortgage paperwork for the Truth-In-Lending form to find your APR.APR is your effective interest rate including interest, MIP and closing costs.If you can refinance the rental at a cheaper rate than the APR, then you should!

Seems like you should not have to but showing they broke house rules leading to damage may help. 

Does anyone have any advice on effectively setting up temporary battery-operated cameras on a long-term rental property to deter break-ins and squatters while rent-ready repairs are being made before a tenant moves in?

That means there is not really an effect on the debt to income ratio neither positive (income) or negative (loss) but rather simply making that payment  non issue. 

Quote from @Frank Barletta: It is more cost-effective and practical to install a large-size TV and get the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, and Sega Mini consoles.It comes with games preloaded, legal, and each to swap in case something breaks. 

Normally, we would say no and wait until the end of the lease but due to the situation and hardships we would inspect for pets and pet damages.