Speak with someone you know in leadership or on staff and express your interest casually.Frame It as a Solution: Highlight how purchasing the property could be mutually beneficial.

We give an A-Z Solution.

I am not interested in this space as a "get rich quick" solution but more so about developing and growing assets over time and eventually trading up into better assets that can provide the cash flow I need to accomplish my goals.

I'm not sure how they paid so that may or may not be a solution here...The other thing is technically your tenant owes you still, and the prior LL may be liable for fraud.

Quote from @HMS Realty Home Mortgage Solutions: Have you thought about starting out with the first investment of buying your own home? 

A thermostat is an on off switch , simple solution , add a second one somewhere in the unit ( make it look like a smoke detector) Set it to override the first thermostat ...In my second house I had roommates , I had 2 thermostats , 1 in my bedroom that controlled the HVAC , another in the living room that wasn't hooked to anything just for the roommates to adjust .

It’s a cleaner, more reliable solution, and while the higher subscription cost can feel like a drawback, it’ll save you a lot of headaches and time in the long run.

@Gary Abrams A cloud based solution would work really well in your scenario of having other family logging in and helping with management. 

It is a tool, has it's place for sure, but a far cry from universal solution. 

Now that you have the correct terminology, you can search for lots of potential solutions.