It isn't uncommon to give tenants free heat(oil) in my area.

Anyone who tells you they've seen everything in this business is either fairly new to it.... or a snake-oil peddler.At the end of the day, it sounds like many of you have had bad experiences with Property Managers.... and I'm truly sorry about that.

A tenant's vehicle leaked oil on the asphalt driveway of a rental property. 

Often the trash is in the wrong can, trash in recycling, and one time oil in recycling(said auto parts store told them to do it).

People have this crazy idea perpetuated by "gurus" that investing in real estate is easy and that they should be able to kick back on the beach somewhere day 1 and just watch the rent checks roll in ... while this may be the end game, you'll need to work your tail off to learn enough and build your portfolio large enough to get to that point ... trying to bypass that hard work by claiming to be "not handy" or any other excuse is inviting trouble IMO, usually in the form of scoundrels selling snake oil by telling you what you want to hear in order to part you from your hard earned money. 

I'm closing on a 1900 five-family with a relatively new oil boiler feeding a steam system.

I have a duplex (I live in half) with completely separate utilities and fuel oil furnaces.

It is not "snake oil."

I am a kilz fan for hiding dark shades, but the oil based I avoid unless battling something nasty, so try lower VOC).. 

Some items mentioned include: - Don't pour grease, oils, rice or pasta of any kind down the disposal because it gums up the pipes leading to a clogged sink- Do run hot water down the drain for 30 or 45 seconds after use to help clear the drain after use.I do the same with a quick explanation on how to change out smoke detector batteries (when you install the 10 year, there's no need unless it is defective) the size of the air filter and how often to change it and how to change it out, how to operate the HVAC thermostat to heat or cool the unit.