A few months after being fired I was told by a fill in from the office, that he had somehow lied on my paperwork and fixed my utility checks 70$ more than approved, with a total of 2900, Now I am being made to pay that back.

And I'm leaning towards getting a 203k renovation loan because I have time for all the paperwork and work that needs to be done. 

You already have all the paperwork in pdf 's Hopefully new lender has a web based app that you can upload and see what you sent them and see the progress.

I'm worried you did what a lot of SDIRA investors do and handed over the funds with no paperwork.

We went by his house just a block from this land and tried to have a talk with him but he just wanted us to leave a bunch of paperwork with him and he'd get to it "in a few weeks".  

"I can then pay their awfully expensive title work and survey fees or shop for my own"So you're going to get lender A to accept another lender's paperwork pertinent to the immediate loan.  

I'm hoping for the best as she said she wanted to stay and will pay, but I have the paperwork ready to give her notice. 

I'd get all the paperwork together and file. 

Do yourself a favor, join a LOCAL rental housing owners association.They have the forms you want at a cheap price and usually have attys to review/renew them.As a landlord, accurate paperwork is your best defense.

You have paperwork to support  deduction.