Now, they have asked us to pay for paint so they can repaint the living room ("the current color was a crappy job", they demand a backsplash in the kitchen....I understand I have repaired more often than what tenants would like but is this ridiculous? 

If you are repainting anyway, I have always like charcoal gray with red brick and your brick looks to have some gray.

You will then likely still need to prime cabinets with an oil-based primer and repaint them.  

 ( It looks kinda cool but I could never rent it to a guy like that )   So I sit there after I take the pics and tell them Its already done ,  But I have to write you all up a bill for new cabinets and to repaint the whole place ,   " Why , its a law that you have to repaint anyway between tenants "    I tell them there is no such law

I expect that to repaint each apartment,  have vinyl plank tile put down,  and a few other odds and ends will cost me roughly $3k per apartment.  

Now the landlord has to repaint and pay more money. 

grandma always painted her floors too,,,had to repaint them all too often!!

Looking back, I don't recall making any glaring mistakes- I posted in on Craigslist with photos; the rent was, if anything, slightly below what comps were charging; posted a sign outside; even posted it the newspaper too to cover my bases; repainted it; etc...There were one or two applicants I could have rented to but there were red flags with their application.

I've never washed walls anyway just repaint 

Since the tenants leave their crap in their units, it's costing 1200 - 3k in turn overs to throw their crap out, repaint the place and bring it back to rentable condition.