You probably should monitor the maid service and see that the maid service understands what has to be done.  

Monitor for two weeks and be sure that he has in fact abandoned the place, read your local laws about abandonement.

Definitely include RI on your lease and make sure you are added as an additional interest so you can monitor.  

If your goal is to monitor performance, the best bet is an occasional "spot check" of VRBO for calendars/rates/bookings for nearby properties.  

@Mike S.you are showing your ignoranc of life insurance commissions vs ongoing investment monitoring and advice with securities.Before you make uninformed comments about life insurance commissions include yourself in the group you are criticizing as you don t even know what you paid when you bought the life insurance product.

On the management side of things, if you are self managing, you can use Quickbooks which alot of investors seem to use, if you are using a PM, then definitely keep your own records and constantly monitor your cash-in and cash-out as well as the accuracy of your owner disbursements from your PM.

I used to use mytracks then switched to birddogg (I think it was called) after a while I created an app through my small team that monitors my sites and crm it took like 3 weeks and cost a few grand, worked well had all the features of mytracks mixed with birddog but eventually I just found mailing to everyone with equity in the area worked best and scrubbing the list with the usps vacant house database worked way easier. 

I do not pay for a utility and DO NOT HAVE TO BUY OR MONITOR FURNACES! 

Those elements need to be monitored by the Board or a third party in order to make adjustments each year to the "remaining life" of each of those elements, and thereby adjust the reserve funding needing to be funded each year.Review the By-Laws and Declaration to determine if there are limitations on assessments the Board can make.

My advice to them was to get cash flow positive and build reserves, now is not the time to expand....there is going to be a pull back here and you should monitor the market closely..that said, be careful not to use your money before the right time....when is the right time...when you have put in a full price offer and someone puts in one 5 % higher and they know what they are doing....