He would send me pictures after I had to beg and pester, he would take close up zoomed pictures of one section of work.

You can cover the wire mesh with drywall patches (they tape on wall and across the wire, white/paintable, different sizes) as the wire mesh is what will prevent the rats from eating their way into the property (the covering material is cosmetic only).

@Chris Kay finding a quality, cost-effective contractor is extremely difficult:(There are thousands of contractors that are great talkers, but rarely perform within budget.Standard bait & switch is to lowball a bid, then once they get started all sorts of things "pop up" that somehow their bid didn't cover.

Just make sure to adjust the rent enough to cover the average utility costs and include it clearly in the lease terms.

What surprised me is that USAA covered all of those houses.  

This includes contacting the applicant’s employer and speaking with their supervisor to confirm job stability, income, and reliability​. if the person has not been employed at their place of employment they would require a guarantorCredit Score and Debts: Applicants need a minimum credit score of 620, and while we review debts, medical debts are generally not disqualifying unless they impact overall financial health.Criminal History: We do review criminal history to ensure safety and security for our tenants, while remaining mindful of state and federal guidelines.Rental History: Positive references from past landlords, with no evictions or significant lease violations in the past five years, are essential. and we can see into the court system if they have an eviction judgement.Release of Information: We include a release form allowing us to verify employment and rental history directly, which helps us get a clearer picture of an applicant’s background.This process has worked well so far, but I’m always open to improving.

I'm trying to get a mortgage, but it's entirely possible that the mortgage might not cover 100% of the price of the house.

Can try to reposition to Class B, but neighborhood may impede these efforts.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, but 15-20% should be used to also cover tenant nonpayment, eviction costs & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores of 560-620 (approaching 22% probability of default), many blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 2 years.

Rufo, so you are violating the HOA rules so I don't think they would cover anything if it is the fault of your guests.This will eventually catch up with you and could result in some big fines so maybe think of selling this or converting to a LTR instead.

We had a discussion about the costs I have endured and the low ball offer to cover expenses for going 5 months past contract deadline but haven't heard back.