@Alan Morrison, like everything else, I'm told some REI's are better than others, but you can take away stuff even from the worst of them, if boing more than some contacts and referrals to other groups.  

As it was said it could be a 1000 fix or could need a new main line put it which worst case scenario they need to dig and trench the entire thing.

Your boss would most likely assume the worst that you were planning on leaving soon.When partaking in REI, having a license is beneficial.  

I would say they have the worst negotiation team.

Well, let's look at the worst case scenario.

Marginal neighborhoods typically still have crime problems, the worst of them involve people who know one another, not new arrivals. 

At the worst, I have had tenants who painted several rooms of a house without obtaining permission as required, and they chose bad colors or combinations that had to be dealt with when the house was put up for sale.

Expect the worst and hope for the best!!

Let's say the worst case happens and you fall off the roof and are knocked unconscious and break a bone.  

Just don't let it affect your view of future tenants, there are some good ones out there and as having been one of them, it sucks when your landlord automatically assumes the worst just because you're a tenant - remember they're ultimately the customer.