I am a new landlord and looking to find the best method of collecting rent?

Borrowing the down payment from someone else is a method.

Is this a worthwhile finding method?

I use both as a RE investor between commercial and residential as both can be used on 1-4 unit properties (non owner/investment occupancy).The pro's of commercial/portfolio financing from local credit unions and community banks are that you can:- talk to a local banker/lender who is interested in building a relationship with you over time and is flexible to make a loan as long as its financially prudent and you show a track record- ability to build a track record with- less documentation scrutiny than a fannie/freddie conventional loan which is more ridged because it needs to be sold to the secondary market so all boxes must be checked to do so (otherwise the loan is unsellable or undeliverable)- is cashflow based via debt coverage ratio or DCR method of qualification (Net operating income / debt service) - can fund to LLC's, entities, and businesses with personal guarantee (PG) usually- can do unique loans like cross collateral or blanket notes across an entire portfolio, can do rehab/construction + permanent financing into one (one time close products), can do soft liens and releasable upon progress on your projects so you can leverage equity with temporarily encumbrances, unique disbursements on credit facilities,etc Hope that helped compare the cash out options.

I can’t say I’ve perfected the brrrr method yet but I’m working on it.My question is how many deals do I have to do with my own cash or how many years do I need to be investing for private money lenders to trust me and my abilities so I can start doing apartment deals?

What are the best practices and methods to protect yourself as a landlord?

So here is my question and I also will throw out some methods I am possibly taking.

Then you should have a good idea for what method and strategy appeals most to you and aligns with your goals.

If you are already providing internet, you can by-pass the lack of a landline by getting a VOIP/SIP line & then use any touch tone (not rotary) phone with an ATA (analog telephone adapter).  

There's a million articles on BP discussing the BRRRR method, I would read some of those