I try to get a written acknowledgment that they are officially vacated.

It must be people you have a pre-existing relationship with and as part of that they must fill out a questionnaire acknowledging they have a pre-existing relationship.4.

But I keep sending them a text to acknowledge the payment.

If you end up going to small claims, come back and we may be able to give you more advice (please acknowledge I'm not a lawyer and none of this should be considered legal advice).To expand a little, the landlord can only charge you for damages.

Often times, the part that is almost never acknowledged by the "never turnkey" crowd is that with scale, prices come down.  

We first seek to understand circumstances, acknowledge & work with those who are communicating with us.

(Althought they do in Massachusetts where I do some business)You should always have a variety of comparable, those that are spot on, and those that are purposefully high, with acknowledgements of when you are going through the comps with the appraiser, that x property may be high. 

California Civil Code 1189(b) provides that any certificate of acknowledgment taken in another place shall be sufficient in this state if it is taken in accordance with the law of the place where the acknowledgment is made,” according to the SOS statement.”https://www.nationalnotary.org...Appears you could find a RON from another state and have it done that way.

@Ed Jesionka I actually voluntarily left corruption out of the equation and this is why.My adopted home country of Canada is deservedly widely acknowledged as being one of the least corrupt countries in the world.

There's always something going on at one of the properties and I've found this method helps me relax by acknowledging the issues and at the same time, realizing it's a blessing to even be in the position to have them.