You should definitely look into your PM's licensing and take up complaints with the appropriate state agency.Lastly, I'm not sure why you would want to stick with a property manager that you are having this much difficulty with.

Especially on an apartment building, are there any ideas of difficulty to insure?

The 10-year units are a gift of technology I have happily adopted.I appreciate the comments through this thread about maintenance responsibility and risk. 

However, older instances are to be considered more holistically, suggesting a more lenient approach to past financial or rental difficulties as time passes.Exemptions and Protections:Certain properties, particularly older houses that cannot easily be brought into compliance with current codes, are exempt from some source-of-income rules, acknowledging practical limitations in applying these rules universally.Landlord Liability:The ordinance provides protections for landlords in terms of reliance on third-party information to reject a tenant, mitigating potential legal risks associated with tenant selection processes.Fair Housing and Legal Compliance:All considerations of prospective tenants' applications must align with fair housing laws and other state and federal legislation, reinforcing the ordinance's compliance with broader legal standards for housing discrimination.

Insurance difficulties are everywhere these days, but it seems there is at least one (expensive) option in most instances.  

Noted about the difficulty of it! 

Being in the field of physical therapy myself, I know that these students come from all over the U.S. and have difficulties finding places to rent in this very low-income and rural town.

Has anyone used AI to answer and respond to phone calls? If so what company do you recommend? I’m looking for a company with voice recognition to respond to simple questions. 

With technology, it's possible to manage from a distance yourself, but it would still be more difficult.Getting a good property management company is worth the cost (especially when you're out of state), but if you choose the wrong one, it'll cost you more than their fee, in which case, you might as well have managed it yourself. 

I acknowledge the difficulties I will face with this venture and who knows how successful I will be.