As being active duty and surrendering an LES service the same ends as a credit check and criminal background check. 

#X of said premises.You and all persons occupying said premises are hereby notified that you are required to quit the same and surrender possession thereof to the undersigned on or before DATE, the expiration date of your term.

You lose the step up in basis and your parents surrender ownership of their home before they die.

Dry wood termites surrender to rapid thermal death when exposed to their established lethal heat temperatures for as little as a 5 minute duration period.

The tenancy is also over if the landlord or tenant has given a termination notice; the tenant has surrendered the keys; or the tenant has abandoned the premises and the landlord believes that the tenant has left belongings in the rental unit with no intention of returning.

ANDThat there is a laundry list of evidence they want like proof that the notice of foreclosure was mailed with a return receipt, notice published 3x, evidence that the sale (to me) was compliant with laws, that the foreclosed upon (the deceased were named in the sale) had not filed for bankrupcy protection, and that the permises have been surrendered to me at the time of the recording of the substitute trustees deed. 

The policy issue charge is assessed annually during the surrender charge period of your policy. 

I'm pretty sure the German surrendered in May of 1945 and the Japanese surrendered in August or September 1945...I think most people would agree that was the end of WWII...And, of course, the terrorists must have surrendered in May of 2003...otherwise, it seems weird we would have declared Mission Accomplished...

Are there people who would just stop making their payments and surrender the property rather than go through the traditional sale process?

After serving the notice (which likely will have included a reasonable but specified time or a lease mandated time period to leave), you can then file a Holdover Petition to the court for relief (against a tenant holding/not surrendering the apartment beyond the expiration or termination of the tenant's lease/rental period).