The tenants claimed it was this color when they moved in.

., they force coverage on you instead of tailoring the coverages around your unique situation)Only represent one insurance company (no single insurance company can offer the right policy, at the right price for all situations)Their process for getting a quote is difficult and cumbersomeTheir underwriters/inspectors seem to always find a problem with a propertyIf you spot these warning signs, you should search for an insurance agent with these attributes: Have a depth of knowledge gained through years of experience working with real estate investors like yourselfHave a unique consultation process specifically crafted for working with REIsHave access to a minimum of 50 insurance companiesWork with a large independent insurance agency or group (the larger the agency, the more leverage they have with insurance premiums and claim settlements).

Your success story is still being written.Love what you do: If you’re not doing what you love, you cannot really claim yourself a success.

The customer wanted an in-expensive roof repair, they were lower income.

Not claiming to know, just asking questions here. 

I'm not an insurance professional but I am a real estate investor/manager; which ever route you decide I would just highlight that you are getting insurance for a reason and it defeats the point to have 'coverage' that will not cover you when you most need it or go with a company that is not stable to support your claim should you ever have one - Me personally, I'd rather pay a bit more for absolute coverage that to pay cheaper premiums and one day turn for help from my company only to realize that they won't.... but the premium was cheap.

If I'm using the standard mileage rate for 2017, can I also claim my business use percentage for my auto loan interest? 

The rest I would consider maintenance and upkeep regardless of how I claimed them tax-wise (i.e. faucet= maintenance expense, new roof= capital improvement).

Our plan is to take her security deposit to pay for the replacement of the carpeting and to write her an invoice for the remainder of the bill and take her to small claims court if she doesn’t pay the outstanding balance.

As @Steven Hamilton II points out - if you got insurance money, it was reimbursed - and therefore can't be claimed as a casualty loss deduction.If your casualty happened in a federally declared disaster area you can apply the casualty loss to the previous year's tax return (by filing an amended return) and it might get some money in your hands sooner. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p547.pdfThe situation is continuing to unfold, so unless you were desperate, I'd wait.