(2) Does anyone have any best practices or tips on dealing with rental properties and tenants that have been impacted by a natural disaster?

It sounds like the plumber took advantage of the situation. second… Many property managers wouldn’t know much difference between a hammer or a screwdriver so expecting them to go assess the situation is not practical.

Practice with real listings in Indianapolis and focus on market knowledge.

Find Brandon's videos on YouTube for the "four square" method of analyzing homes and practice.

Only difference I see with my practice is outsourcing more services.   

They're not required for single-member LLCs, but it is best practice.

For my thesis, I'm conducting research into the practices and motivations of small landlords in Ontario to explore how various social and economic factors influence their business strategies, day-to-day property maintenance, and tenant interactions.Could anyone refer me to someone who might be interested in participating?

Anyone reading this thread should make it a point to read your state's real estate contract practice book or at minimum pull a list of all C.A.R. forms from the internet and read the title of each form and pick a few to read line by line to begin understanding the contract language. 

"Is it a common practice to report it as a loss even though I fixed it out of my own pocket?" 

It seems very useful, practical and resourceful.