The standard legal procedure, as far as I understand in NC is the landlord must make reasonable effort to re-rent the property (which I will), and any vacant time till new tenants are found must be paid by previous tenants.

I was thinking of starting a rent increase for my 1 bedroom tenant voucher due it being low and well under fair market value(Based on  hud and zip code) but my tenant is in the process of having a caretaker for her disability and getting approved for a two bedroom voucher.

We have seen maintenance costs skyrocket over the past 2-3 years and every case is different but here are some general guidelines for reputable (non-crackhead) investor level pricing in our area of operations:Furnace and A/C replacement with lineset for standard 3 bed 1 bath bungalow.

Most building codes and HUD standards require bedrooms to have windows for egress and ventilation.

if a property I buy and bring up to rent ready standards then starts cash flowing..." - it's not going to. 

By and large, QI's have very high ethical standards, and are sometimes overlooked as the engines of this tax saving tactic.]REPUTATION MARKERS 📊INDUSTRY STANDINGMembership in professional organizationsLeadership roles in FEAEducational contributions to the industryRelationships with major title companiesCLIENT RELATIONSHIPS 👥Testimonials from CPAs and attorneysReferences from title companiesLong-term client relationshipsTransparent fee structuresRELATIONSHIP RED FLAGS 🚩Overly familiar with your realtor/brokerKickback arrangements (illegal!)

If the rental income doesn’t sufficiently cover the debt payments by their standards, they’ll limit the loan amount, even if the property is worth more.You could try a few alternatives:•Look for lenders who specialize in commercial real estate and have more flexible DSCR requirements.

CoghillWe’ve used AppFolio for many years to manage a large portfolio, and while onboarding can be thorough, it’s primarily to ensure compliance with financial and legal standards.

Is it best to simply increase rent by a fixed amount (e.g., $700) to cover this, or are there other strategies for handling utilities in this situation?

We rent to plenty of S8 applicants; I've always believed the standard of care they exude is as high if not higher than "market" applicants because they'll get kicked out of the program if they don't.