It is possible and legal to honestly say that the owner is absent and you are renting the property until he or she returns.Though Adverse Possession law is not clear to the average person, nor to the average investor, the very website that you linked in a comment above, does provide an answer to your own challenges (except for your unnecessary claim that renting an abandoned property means pretending to own it).Sue you have linked to - http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/adve...Under the “Elements” paragraph of that link it is clear our laws recognize that “nonpermissive use by the adverse claimant that is actual, open and notorious, exclusive, hostile, and continuous for the statutory period” can “ripen into legal title”.  

I also don't want to be their prisoner.

Write up a contract that they get a flat fee, or they do what you don't want to do for a reasonable fee.PMCs are notorious for nickle and diming you do death on all kinds of fees and "emergency" repairs. 

Construction is a notoriously unstable source of income.

He is likely to go to prison for a year or so and this would interrupt payments.

That rate will tell you the odds of his going back to prison and that income being lost. 

I work full time as well and am fairly well stuck in my cubicle prison all day.  

They're notorious. 

Divorcees are notorious for breaking leases and causing other drama, with the ex coming around and screaming arguments, yatta yatta. 

To help maintain good tenant owner relations, you probably should reimburse her for the cost of the window unit and maybe a little extra.I can write pages about what is wrong with home warranty companies.The main purpose of a home warranty is when you are selling your property to a buyer, you give them a home warranty and that helps shift some of the liability off of you when the AC breaks down two days after closing.Home warranties are notoriously terrible at fixing repair items timely.