@Jay Hinrichs Campbell River is a bit cheaper although I just had a co-worker buy a residence there and he was in bidding wars for every property that he looked at. 

Thomas Townsend You're listed as a co-founder of HeyLandlord.

That can be a headache if you now own the property (and most towns/cities will not give you a CO or allow you to take out additional permits until the old permits are closed), but sometimes you can resolve it by getting a contractor to sign an affidavit affirming the work was done correctly (or finding the previous contractor who did the work, ideally), or by calling for an inspection yourself to close it (either the inspector sees the work wasn't done, or was done).

However, if they can get a co-payor on the lease (parent, friend, mentor, sometimes even an employer), then I think you can sleep at night because an eviction judgment on a co-payor will end that co-payor's friendship with your tenants.  

They were scammed and paid someone to rent the property and were given keys by the scammer who claimed to be a co-owner.

If you have the right to rent space in your apartment, but don't have the time to do what it takes, you could consider enlisting the services of a CO-HOST.

I called my bank and applied for an unsecured line of credit for $35,000 which I was approved for with my wife as a co-signer at 10% interest, which is less of a problem.

I keep all my assets separate for this very reason, and have a co-hab agreement to boot.

I would suggest you get a co-signer or wait until you increase your income.

Any good lawyer should be able to crush you in court because you have given the tenants a co-responsibility in all repairs.