We sent out a letter proactively letting all our tenants know that if they needed any essentials or were going through tough times to contact us and we will help figure it out.  

Would I be able to collect a reduced commission when my only role in a transaction is lead generation?

The payment on the HELOC reduces the cash on cash returns but the way I look at it is some money is better than no money. 

I would have to sell one of my two properties to reduce my living expenses and that is not what I wanted to do today.

The home should be listed for fair market value and will more than likely sell fair market value, all things being equal.If you can't convince the bank to reduce their recovery by reducing their net proceeds so you can make a profit, i'd move on to the next deal.

No good reason to reduce your cash position and pay higher rates at this point.

What expenses can you reduce usually?

Saying 'no' to pets will drastically reduce your candidate pool, so you might shop for a pet-friendly house (hard floors, securely fenced yard).Even if you're cool with pets, you should meet the specific pets and have a good long talk with the candidate on that animal's temperament and quirks prior to agreeing to lease to them.

You could do a hard money loan if you are getting a deep discount on the property and that will reduce your total out of pocket.

This bill denies equal justice to housing providers by:Forcing landlords to reduce rents by 25% even if a tenant cannot demonstrate a hardship or need.Allowing judges and the court system to set rents and change the rental agreements already in place.Assuming every tenant is facing a hardship related to COVID-19 and must be compensated for this hardship.Protecting nuisance tenants as it does not require tenants to answer an unlawful detainer complaintMandating that rental property owners demonstrate an economic hardship to collect the contracted rent.AB 828 is an unfair attempt to allow the government and the courts to give reduced rent to all tenants even if they have faced no economic hardship, and it provides no safeguards for landlords.As for the taxes, local laws are not state laws and state laws are not feral laws and state to state laws are different.