Do you have to buy fixtures like light switches , faucets , toilets ..ect unless yu get a written bid there is no way to get exact figures only a best guess.

I can seem to find squat lately ..

I just closed on it and now I've painted, installed my first light fixture (way easier than I ever imagined), tiled the bathroom and put in a toilet!

The whole house was repainted, laminate hardwood floors laid in the living areas, new baseboard trim, new carpet in the bedrooms, new tile flooring in the bathrooms and outside patio, granite countertops in kitchen and all bathrooms, stainless steel appliances, paint the cabinets, new toilets and plumbing fixtures, new lighting, and all tubs and surrounds were refinished.

Both times it was the toilet supply line that failed.

Are there any novel ways of determining whether current tenants are paying their rent and aren't squatting?

TheManslaughterSlum It's now for the third time that my water/toilet has been shut off.

That is crash and burn, life in the toilet sort of problem.I'd find a bridging strategy. 

For example, if your rent is $3,000 per month, it will still cost you the same to fix a toilet as it would in a $700 rental. 10% for CapEx and maintenance may or may not be correct depending on if a property has been renovated. 

Because it was at grade they put the toilet in an alcove 3ft above the slab to get gravity flow.