Plus, keeps my move in date mid-summer next year, so no trudging through snow, etc.

I would hire a qualified PM to manage the property, it can be a pain with college students, i have had some pretty good ones in mine so far. ( note: check agreement with PM usually they charge a leasing fee to you, lets say $300 for each lease agreement, group of 3 students is one lease, 3 individual students is 3 leases or $900, make sure you have in your agreement that if they get a group it can be 300 but if its an individual maybe 125, this prevents them from getting single students and costing you a fortune.)3. definitely have them get renters insurance and make sure your PM has that on the lease agreements.4. in PA you can charge 1 1/2 months security deposit, i know my PM charges 1 month5. do not know of any in Erie, sorry6. rent should be based on the area and your PM will know better on that. my Student rentals, i include heat( sometimes you can set a limit and then have them pay the overage), sewer/ water, garbage, lawn maintenance/ snow removal and internet. they pay for Electric ( stove, dryer and hot water heater are electric.) i include the internet because it helps rent them and i can control the thermostat on all of them and front door lock on one of them.you are just finishing up your reno now, but if you invest in another student rental, use 5/8" drywall on the walls, harder for them to damage, plus gives you better fire protection.

It's pretty difficult to hide an animal that makes an atrocious mess, barks incessently, etc.

Please remember it is your responsibility to keep the driveway and walks clear of snow and ice for the safety of your roommates and guests. 

I have never used it, and did my own screening decisions along with getting credit and other reports, but what's great about using a service like SmartMove, is that they use statistics to make the decision for you, so you can't be snowed by con artists.  

Re negotiated garbage and snow removal/lawn care.

ALL STEPS in outdoor Utah are open mesh,  to allow snow to fall through.  

It would be different if you put something there or didn't shovel the snow.

My tenants are responsible for all utilities including pest control, lawn, and snow removal.

Yard/snow removal practices8.)