One of the best ways to engage with the community is to remain active in these forums (reading & contributing).Setting up keyword alerts is a great way to get started.All the best!

They actively try to recruit people in mine.

Use services that can validate the authenticity of documents and employment history.Require Detailed Applications: Ensure that the rental application captures comprehensive information, making it harder for fraudulent applicants to provide fake details.Conduct In-Person Interviews: Meeting applicants in person can provide additional insights into the authenticity of their application and allows you to ask follow-up questions based on the details they've provided.Utilize Professional Screening Services: Professional tenant screening services are invaluable for conducting background checks, credit checks, and criminal history checks.

The REI community here is really active.

If you don't have an entity, this is a Schedule C activity.

Quote from @Andrew Lawlor: I've been actively investing in short-term rental properties for the past three years, managing one live property and another that will go live in two months.

While my husband and his ex make a similar income and do not exchange child support due to us pointing that out in court a couple of years ago, she actively request all financial documents that she possibly can and examines our taxes, etc. 

The marketing copy and photo captions, professional photos, and weekly activity on the OTA listing, makes a big difference in bookings.

For those things that require time, ask for amount of time they'll need for an average house in the area given the sales environment you describe for each activity, and agree to a minimum and maximum reimbursement for each item.They'll push for their (ludicrous) 6 percent, and you'll remind them that in Scotland it's done for 1 percent, and that the market in your area is super hot so the house will sell itself with little work.Either you will persuade them, or they will persuade you.You are wrong to think, however, that your preconception of what is involved is relevant to the question of what is "reasonable."

In fact, most of the pro-Tardus posts in this thread are from folks who had very little previous activity on BP.