When it's from a legitimate lender and not a generic letter from a site that provides the service, it carries more weight when submitting your offers or getting extensions to purchase contracts.

They are not in an area where market appreciation beyond inflation can be expected (if even that), but they punch above their weight for cash-flow.  

Their expertise in knowing the laws (federal, state, and local), how to handle difficult situations, access to a good vendor list etc are worth their weight in gold. 

It'll also (at least in NC) potentially affect the inspection negotiations so that's something to weight the pros and cons. 

More specifically, take the lowest score of the three bureaus if all 3 are pulled; but if not, then I personally give more weight to an Experian report, followed by Equifax, then Transunion if you must.

Also I am curious whether people think her payments "under protest" have any weight in the court?

If that somehow isn't an option, I would weight out the pros and cons on a sheet of paper before deciding which approach to take.

Are management companies worth their weight in gold or is this something many of us should and could do ourselves?  

What carries more weight in court, the lease or the condo association notice?

Most weight should be given to the income approach IF market data indicates that homes in the market area are primarily purchased on their income-producing potential.Best wishes.