I haven't been able to find any vendors offering something that might work for something like this. 

They look good on paper, but the realities of low-quality renters, high crime, unscrupulous vendors, and other problems can destroy the investment value.Some landlord insurance policies have burglary as an additional rider you must add on specifically.

Some people (us included) keep our contractors close to the chest so it's easier to find banks and vendors (like carpet installation).

The vendor we use has them pay for it as the last step, so the applicant can make the decision whether to pay the $55 and finish the application or not.

Enter a maintenance request, assign a vendor, and attach a fake invoice.

For illustration purposes perhaps that technique would be more accepted when you are a vendor mowing a lawn or clearing out junk as a one time engagement but as a property manager there are significantly more pitfalls and potential instances of liability exposure.

Both are local investor associations with plenty of vendor members that are local to us. 

Please consult with your own legal and tax advisors for your specific situation :) Here are some points about my experience: I looked around the internet and spoke to a few different vendors that offer this service, most of whom were referred to on BP.

Property managers over in  our direction don’t even get vendors out to do bids for a week or two after the vacancy.😢 

You will probably pay more for maintenance because you will not have the vendor network that a PM company will have.