Maybe you are thinking of a mechanic's lien, which is for unpaid-for labor expended.I would agree about getting Texas legal advice as my understanding of the legal elements is limited to my own state.

I'm sure there's a mechanism through investing, or calculating inflation, to feel good about it, but as it stands, I wish I could just skip depreciation. 

Prior to listening to BP, it was like if I had a problem with my car, took it to the mechanic, and he told me that it was $2000 for parts and labor to replace my transmission.

We use MetLife for our properties, auto, and umbrella policies.  

I am a mechanical engineer by education, I work in strategy and development for an Oil and Gas company.

There is no mechanism to carry over a deferral of the gains internally within the plan to your act of taking a distribution. 

Is doing a auto draft from the tenants account a option?

We currently own over 20 properties primarily Student Rentals; 1- (6 unit 1bd), 1-(3 bldg- 20 unit 4bd-2bth) 4 commercial bldg's w/ 4 upstairs apart.s,  3 Duplexes, a Double Cottage on a Lake, 1 Auto Mechanic Garage, and the remaining properties are 4 bd 2 bth single family homes.  

Just some of the things I worry about are, no cause evictions, restricted back ground checks, year long lease that will auto convert to a month to month(tenant decides and is in control), service animal abuse and the gag order that comes with it, relocation fees(min one month rent), one year statue for tenant to sue landlord of which requires a min of three month rent paid to tenant along with any fees or actual damages, free legal aid and counsel for renters paid by taxpayers, and a list of existing red tape.

@Tom Brickman you can pull cash out of the investment properties if they don’t have any major mechanical issues.