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?

It seems very useful, practical and resourceful.

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.

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

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. 

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

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

Next let’s talk about their shady business practices.

If direct bookings are an important part of your business strategy, it might be worth exploring other platforms or reaching out to VRBO for further clarification on their monitoring practices and commission policies.Hope this helps!

The example that comes to mind are often are of folks that operated a dental practice, an accounting office, a bankruptcy lawyer and her staff that did quite well in the 2008 aftermath, and so on, during those first few years, taking up a portion of or all of the space.Once you realize what a dumpster fire it is finding good financing for offices, if you need it, I'll be available.